The Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) is a state-approved credential in direct care nursing. CNAs are healthcare workers who provide long-term care and assistance for disabled, injured, mentally ill or elderly people. As the name suggests, CNAs provide additional help or assistance to Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN), Registered Nurses (RN) and other healthcare professionals.
Nursing assistants are required to evaluate the patient's condition and to assist in ensuring their well-being and safety. CNAs also support patients with performing daily tasks such as grooming, personal hygiene and dressing.
CNAs work in hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, private homes, hospices, correctional institutions and many other long-term care settings.
Individuals seriously considering a career as a Certified Nurse Assistant should look for the best programs which are available in their area. The same people should take the following measures into consideration when looking for top programs to attend:
To officially become a CNA in Michigan, candidates must successfully complete an approved training program. Next, they must pass a knowledge and clinical skills test which is administered through Prometric. The clinical skills portion of the exam tests students on five assigned skills, including Handwashing and Indirect Care. The knowledge test contains 60 multiple-choice questions that evaluate the student’s CNA skills comprehension. Once both sections are passed successfully, the student is placed on the Michigan CNA registry and given a certificate that’s good for 2 years. Renewal certificates last for 2 years as well.
North Central Michigan College
North Central Michigan College was established in 1958 as the state’s 12th community college. Its main campus is located in the coastal resort community of Petoskey, while it also maintains satellite campuses in East Jordan, Gaylord, and Cheboygan.
NCMC offers students a 5-credit hour Certified Nurse Aide Training course (AH154) that takes just a semester to complete. This course, which is offered during the fall semester, grants students eligibility to sit for the state certification exam once completed. However, if students wish to go on to the 4-credit hour, AH254 – Advanced Certified Nurse Aide Skills course that’s offered during the winter semester, they can do so. Students that take both of these courses will be better prepared to take the state certification exam.
The CNA training program at NCMC is composed of a mixture of in-class lecture, hands-on clinical laboratory practice on campus, and clinical instruction at a long-term healthcare facility.
Healthcare facilities in and around Petoskey currently hiring CNAs
- Bay Bluffs
- Independence Village
- North County Community Mental Health
Tuition
To enroll in NCMC’s Certified Nursing Assistant course, Emmet County residents will be required to pay around $637 plus additional fees. Those coming from outside Emmet County, but still inside of the state will be charged $1,035 plus fees, whereas out-of-state students can expect to pay an approximate amount of $1,325.
Delta College
Delta College, located in Bay City in the central region of the state, was first charted in 1922 under the name Bay City Junior College. DC also maintains satellite campuses in Midland and Saginaw counties. The college boasts over 150 training programs, degrees, and certificates.
DC’s 5-credit Certified Nursing Assistant Training course (CNA 100W) consists of 3 different sections, making for a total of 116 contact hours. These sections consist of a lecture component, a simulation lab component, and an on-site clinical training component. Students are required to pass all three sections to complete the course successfully. Also included in the course is CPR training, or BLS. Delta’s CNA 100W course has a student-to-instructor ratio of 16 to 1 during the lecture portion and 8 to 1 during labs. In 2015, graduates had a 93% pass rate on the state certification exam.
Healthcare facilities around Bay City that are currently hiring CNAs
- McLaren Bay Region
- Francis Home
- Vital Nurse Staffing
Tuition
To enroll in DCs Certified Nursing Assistant course, students from inside of the district can count on paying around $560 plus additional. Students coming from outside of the district will be required to pay $960 plus additional fees. Out-of-state students will be required to pay approximately $880 plus associated fees, while international students can expect to pay around $1,800.
Henry Ford College
Henry Ford College is a state-funded community college that’s located in the city of Dearborn. HFC was first established in 1938 under the name Fordson Junior College—it was renamed in 2014. The college is accredited by both the Michigan Commission on College Accreditation and the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.
HFC’s Certified Nursing Assistant certificate course (NCS-100) takes students only five weeks to complete. NCS-100 is composed of 40 hours of in-class coursework and theory, 50 hours of lab instruction and 30 hours of on-site clinical training at a local healthcare facility. Classes meet from 9:00am to 3:30pm four times per week. This course serves as an excellent foundation for an A.S. Degree in Applied Science.
Healthcare facilities near the city of Dearborn currently hiring CNAs
- Prime Healthcare
- Beaumont Health
- Eastwood Convalescent Center
Tuition
Contact Henry Ford College directly for current information on tuition and fees.
Muskegon Community College
First founded in 1926, Muskegon Community College is a public, 2-year community college whose main campus sits on 111 acres in the town of Muskegon. MCC also has extension centers in Newaygo and Ottawa counties. Since 1929, the college has been accredited without interruption by the Higher Learning Commission of North Central Association.
MCC’s 5-credit hour, Nurse Aide/Home Health Aide course (AH-107) is offered to students as a part of the school’s Health Care Support Assistant Certificate program. AH-107 can also be taken as a stand-alone course.
To be admitted into the program, students must meet the following requirements:
- Be able to stand and walk for six to eight hours/day
- Be able to perform CPR
- Be able to lift and transfer patients from a bed to a wheel-chair and vice versa
Healthcare facilities near Muskegon currently hiring CNAs
- Christian Care
- Hillcrest Nursing and Rehabilitation
- Select Specialty
Tuition
Students coming from inside Michigan who enroll in Muskegon Community College will pay an estimated cost of $1,449 plus associated fees. Students coming from outside of the state can expect to pay close to $2,336.
Schoolcraft College
Schoolcraft College was first charted in 1961 under the name Northwest Wayne County Community College. The community college is located in the city of Livonia but also maintains a satellite campus in Garden City.
Schoolcraft College’s 6-credit NATP 115 – Nursing Assistant Course is offered in a 7-week and 4-week format year-round. Included in the program is a lecture portion, an on-campus laboratory skills portion and a supervised clinical skills portion which is conducted at a local nursing home or hospital. The 7-week course meets 3 days per week from 8am to 3:45pm while the 4-week course meets 5 days a week from 8am to 4:10pm.
Healthcare facilities near Livonia that are currently hiring CNAs
- Saint Joseph Mercy Health System
- Wellspring Lutheran Services
- Henry Ford Health System
Tuition
Students who come from inside of the district will pay an estimated cost of $1,482 plus associated fees for Schoolcraft’s CNA program. Students coming from outside of the district can expect to pay close to $1,776 plus associated fees.
Washtenaw Community College
Washtenaw Community College, located in Ann Arbor Township, was founded in 1965 and offers students an exceptionally affordable, 4-credit, Basic Nursing Assistant Skills course that goes by the abbreviation HSC 100. The course is four to five weeks in duration. Instruction takes place in the form of classroom lecture, lab skills simulation and clinical clerkship on-site at a local healthcare facility. HSC 100 is designed to prepare students for gainful employment as a future CNA. Upon completion, students will be ready to work in a wide variety of healthcare settings.
Healthcare facilities near Ann Arbor currently hiring CNAs
- Select Specialty Hospital
- Saint Joseph Mercy Health System
- Mentor Network
Tuition
Students from within the district can expect to pay as little as $380 plus additional fees to enroll in the CNA course. Those coming from outside of the district will be required to pay a bit more at the price of $644 plus additional fees. Out-of-state students will be required to pay approximately $880 plus associated fees, while international students can expect to pay around $1,032.
Glen Oaks Community College
Originally established in 1965, Glen Oaks Community College is a 2-year post-secondary educational institution located in the small town of Centreville, in St. Joseph County, which is about halfway between Chicago and Detroit.
GC’s ALH 104 – Nurse Aide 6-credit hour course is designed to impart the necessary skills and knowledge to students so that they can successfully become certified, and ultimately find gainful employment in, the nursing assistant sector. GC’s instructors look to teach their students how to best understand and care for resident patients in long-term care facilities. ALH 104 is held during Fall, Spring and Summer semesters.
Healthcare facilities near Centreville and St. Joseph county currently hiring CNAs
- Fairview Nursing and Rehabilitation Community
- Three Rivers Health
- Enlivant
Tuition
The following is the CNA program’s price breakdown for students coming from different areas:
- Students coming from in-district—$1,057
- Students coming from the state of Michigan—$1,237
- Students coming from out-of-state—$1,639
Monroe County Community College
Monroe County Community College is a state-funded college that was established in 1964 as the sole higher education institution in the county. The college also has a small secondary campus in the unincorporated community of Temperance.
MCCC offers students a 6-credit hour program which places an emphasis on the various behaviors and skills that are most noteworthy to those who employ CNAs. In total, the program is 155 contact hours. These hours are split up into three sections: didactic lecture, lab skills and a supervised clinical clerkship on-site at a local long-term care nursing facility. Major units that are taught during the program’s duration include medical and charting terminology, measuring intake and output, vital signs, infection control, death and dying and understanding long-term care, and more.
Healthcare facilities in and around Monroe County currently hiring CNAs
- ProMedica
- Special Tree Rehabilitation
- Select Specialty Hospital
Tuition
Students who are Monroe County residents will pay an estimated cost of $1,686 plus associated fees. Students coming from outside of the county can expect to pay close to $2,536 plus associated fees, whereas out-of-state residents can count on paying $2,756 plus additional fees.
