The State of Massachusetts grants CNA certification programs to interested students who wish to pursue a rewarding and lucrative career as Certified Nurse aides. The Office of Health and Human Services in Massachusetts is where you will find all the information you want about CNA training and certification, approved institutions and training programs, and even a list of all certified nurse aides who are legally allowed to work as nurse aides across the state. It goes without saying that just like in any other state across America, you will have to get certification in order to work legally as a CNA, reason enough to enroll in a state-approved program.
So the first step to getting your CNA training is to enroll in an approved training program. For you to be considered for certification, a criminal history background check will be done, which you must pass, you must also pass a TB medical test, and more importantly you must successfully complete all the required hours of training in both class and clinical settings, after which you will be expected to sit and pass the competency examination.
Basically, your training will be expected to cover a minimum of 75 hours of combined classroom work and clinical work. While at it, you will be working and honing your skills in preparation for the real work that lies ahead of you upon successful completion of your training program, hence you should take the practicals seriously.
Note that while you will be doing your clinical work, you will be under the supervision of a qualified Registered Nurse, and you will be working directly with patients in a hospital, a nursing home or a long-term care facility. As previously mentioned, you can find a list of the programs from the Office of Health and Human Services in Massachusetts but generally the training is offered in Red Cross centers, community centers, Community colleges, and long-term care centers found across the state.
Some of the things you should expect to learn include:-
- Anatomy
- Infection control
- Emergency care
- Biology
- Basic nursing care
- Patient’s rights and autonomy
- Interpersonal skills
- Restorative services
Upon successfully completing your CNA training program in Massachusetts and sitting and passing the state approved competency examination, you will then be eligible to have your name entered in the Massachusetts CNAs registry, an opportunity which will allow you to work legally across the state of Massachusetts as a Certified Nurse Aide.