Certified nursing assistants provide direct patient care services under the guidance and supervision of Licensed Practical Nurses and Registered Nurses. Their duties include assisting patients with the activities of daily living, such as bathing, grooming, and feeding. They make beds, prep patients for a physician’s visit, set up equipment for routine tests, answer patient calls, and assist with mobility. CNA training equips students with the skills to measure and record patients’ vital signs, such as respiration and blood pressure. The Rhode Island Department of Health requires prospective nurse aides to complete a minimum 100 hours of state approved training before taking the Pearson Vue administered state certification exam. More than 30 percent of CNAs use the career path to enter the healthcare sector and advance to careers in nursing after further training.
Community College of Rhode Island
The nurse assistant program at CCRI consists of 124 hours of training; students spend 92 hours in the classroom and 32 hours participating in clinical rotation at a nursing facility. The curriculum covers essential areas such as personal care skills, safety and emergency procedures, resident rights, basic nursing skills, vital signs, social services, basic rehabilitative techniques, infection control, communication and interpersonal skills, death and dying. Interested students must schedule and take the pre-admission test and walk with an acceptable form of ID on the day of the exam. The pretest evaluates prospective students’ reading comprehension and knowledge of general health. The exam is 1 hour and 15 minutes long. Candidates must pass the test to be admitted to the program. Successful candidates must complete the required immunization, a criminal background check, and CPR certification. Instructors use live classroom lectures, hands-on lab, and supervised clinical sessions to prepare students to provide basic, routine nursing services to ill or disabled individuals. Tuition is $850 plus $5 for registration. The tuition includes a textbook, workbook, blood pressure cuff, and stethoscope. Financial aid is not available. CCRI will schedule successful graduates to take the certification exam in the school’s modern facilities. The cost of state licensing is the student’s must responsibility.
- Website: https://www.ccri.edu/workforce/workforce/healthcare/CNA.html
- Address: 400 East Avenue, Warwick, Rhode Island 02886
- Phone: (401) 825-1000
HITEP
The nursing assistant program at HITEP equips students with the basic nursing skills to care for the elderly, disabled, handicapped, ill, or dependent individuals in hospitals, nursing homes, long-term care facilities, and patients’ homes. Course topics include rehabilitative services, personal care skills, residents’ rights, observation and reporting, vital signs, basic nursing skills, body mechanics and alignments, transfers, medical abbreviations, communication and interpersonal skills. The total program is 140 hours which includes a 16-hour clinical rotation and 4-hour challenge module for students to research real-life and current events in the field of Certified Nurse Assisting. HITEP offers Spanish support for limited English speakers. However, applicants must be able to read and write English. Other enrollment requirements include a criminal background check, physical exam, immunization, PPR and TDAP test, and an informal interview and mandatory attendance of an information session. The total cost of attendance is $2,999.
- Website: http://hitepri.com/
- Address: 515 Elmwood Avenue, Providence Rhode Island, 02907
- Phone: 401 785-2202
- Fax: 401 785 2204
Crossroads Rhode Island
Crossroads equips students with the skills they need to become CNAs in just 8 weeks. The comprehensive program includes interactive classes at Elmhurst Extended Care Facility followed by a supervised clinical experience at Elmhurst and Rhode Island hospitals. Experienced instructors emphasize the role of the nursing assistant as part of the patient care team and the chain of command. Other essential topics include signs of abuse, effective communication, death and dying, emergency procedures, confidentiality, patients’ rights, nutrition and good dietary health, and laws and ethics. Applicants must obtain a passing score on a pre-admission test, a clean BCI, and proof of immunizations – measles, tetanus, chicken pox, rubella – and a negative TB test. The program is primarily targeted to parents referred by the Department of Health. Therefore, applicants must present a referral from a DHS caseworker. Other interested persons may attend the program for a fee of $775 plus $75 registration.
- Website: http://www.crossroadsri.org/
- Address: 160 Broad Street, Providence, Rhode Island 02903
- Phone: (401) 521-2255
Cranston Alternative Education Programs
The nursing assistant program at Cranston Education contains 100 mandatory hours of classroom and clinical instruction. The duration of the program depends on whether students enroll in the daytime or evening schedule. Generally, the program is 14 to 16 weeks. The course content revolves around the changing role of CNA responsibilities. Students learn rehabilitative and restorative techniques, anatomy and physiology, medical terminology, cultural diversity, infection control, patient rights, mobility, and feeding and nutrition. During the supervised clinical experience, students assist patients in a long-term care facility with the activities of daily living. The clinical hours of the program vary and may include evening and weekend schedules. Tuition is $650 plus $25 for the course registration – payable by money order only.
- Website: http://cranstonadulteducation.weebly.com/
- Address: 4 Sharpe Drive Cranston RI 02920
- Phone: 401.270.8166
- Fax: 401.270.8705
- Email: aep@cpsed.net
Following is a list of Board-approved rehabilitation centers that also facilitate routine nursing assistant programs in Providence, RI.
People in Partnerships
200 Main Street, Pawtucket, Rhode Island 02860
Phone: (401) 727-8002
Berkshire Place in Providence
455 Douglas Avenue, Providence, RI 02908
Phone: (401) 553-8600
Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center
100 Borden Street, Providence, Rhode Island 02903
Phone: (401) 454-7970
Tockwotton Home
75 East Street, Providence, RI 02903
Phone: (401) 272-5280