The Nursing Assistant Program is highly regulated by state and federal law.
I took my Nursing Assistant Course in Wisconsin. The Nursing Assistant requirements that I took are based on Wisconsin law. The Wisconsin requirements might be different from what your state requires.
I took the Nursing Assistant Program during the COVID-19 pandemic when schools and other public places were shut down. So my class (theory component) was done online.
Certified Nursing Assistant – Nursing Prerequisite
Before becoming a CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) you need to take Nursing Assistant Course.
If you wish to be an Registered Nurse (RN) you need to become a CNA first. If you wish to take Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), a 4-year-course, you don’t need to be a CNA.
Nursing Assistant Course Requirement: Background Check Information
Before taking the Nursing Assistant Course the school requires the student to take a completed background check information. The school will direct you to the place where you can have your background check. There is a fee for this requirement. Criminal convictions, arrests or pending charges may limit you to participate in clinical courses.
The Wisconsin law requires background checks of persons who provide care for others or have access to people who receive care — such as residents in the nursing homes and patients in the hospital.
During the clinical or practicum the Nursing Assistant student will have access to people who need care. In my case, due to pandemic shut down my class never had a clinical or practicum training — unfortunately.
Clinical Requirements: Vaccinations
The student must have proofs of the following in order to be accepted by the school:
- Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR)
- Chicken Pox
- Hepatitis B
- TB Skin Test
- Influenza
- Tetanus, Diphtheria and Pertusis (TDAP)
Functional Abilities – Nursing Aide Program
To successfully complete the Nursing Assistant Course, the student must state whether he / she be able to meet the functional abilities such as:
- Gross Motor Coordination (ex: move, push, pull…)
- Fine Motor Coordination (ex: good eye/hand/foot coordination…)
- Physical Endurance (ex: stand up for several hours…)
- Physical Strength (ex: push and pull 50 pounds…)
- Mobility (ex: twist, bend. stoop/squat)
- Vision (ex: see objects up to 20 feet away…)
- Smell (ex: detect odors…)
- Environment: (ex: tolerate exposure to allergens, strong odors, soaps, temperatures…)
- Tactile: (ex: ability to detect hot or cold; feel differences in size and shape…)
- Reading: (ex: read and understand written documents, digital displays…)
- Math: (ex: add, subtract, multiply, divide and count…)
- Interpersonal Skills: (ex: ability to show respect, interact professionally…)
- Communication Skills: (ex: speak/read/write English…)
- Emotional Stability: (ex: establish professional realtionships; accept responsibility for own actions…)
- Critical Thinking: (ex: comprehend and follow instructions…)
- Analytical Thinking: (ex: solve problems; prioritize tasks…)
More details of the Functional Abilities are available from your school’s Nursing Assistant Course Handbook.
3 Components for Completing the Course
When you take Nursing Assistant Course there are 3 components of the program that you need to go through:
1. Theory (classroom and online)– Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, my theory class was done online.
2. Lab – 22 skills were taught in my 1-week lab in a classroom setting. We concentrate heavily on learning the 18 skills so that we will be prepared for the state testing.
3. Clinical or Practicum – This is a 3-day training in a nursing home. Due to the pandemic situation, my class had not done this component. Health institutions were not allowing people to come in.
In Wisconsin, the Nursing Assistant Course requires you to attend 120 hours.
You are allowed for a total of 8 absences which you need to make up.
Textbook and Workbook: Hartmann’s Nursing Assistant Care – The Basics 5th Edition
For our textbook and workbook we used the Hartmann’s Nursing Assistant Care – The Basics. Here are the following sections of the book:
- Chapter 1: Long Term Care
- Chapter 2: Basics of Resident Care
- Chapter 3: The Resident
- Chapter 4: Body Systems
- Chapter 5: Dementia
- Chapter 6: Personal Care
- Chapter 7: Basic Nursing Skills
- Chapter 8: Nutrition and Hydration
- Chapter 9: Rehab and Restorative
- Chapter 10: Self Care
The Hartmann company also has videos with skills demonstrations at their site which is available for the students to watch. Your instructor will give you the login information to watch the videos.
Research Report
Students will be expected to choose a chronic condition topic. The instructor will approve your choice of topic.
Research will be done in a 2-page report that will be presented to the class around the final weeks of the course. In my case due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we uploaded our research to submit it to our instructor. There was no class presentation.
Reports will be typed, double-spaced, in APA format. You will be given an instruction (and also example) in the Nursing Assistant handbook on how to use the APA format.
Reports will include at least 2 sources that will be properly cited.
The report will include the following:
- a definition of the disease or condition
- signs and symptoms that the patient will/did experience
- the usual course of treatment
- what implications does / would this episode have for you as a Nursing Assistant
18 CNA Skills
Here are 18 Nurse Aide skill tasks that you need to master when you take the Wisconsin Competency Exam to become a CNA:
- Ambulation with Gait Belt
- Apply an Anti-embolic Stocking to One Leg
- Bedpan and Output with Handwashing Required (mandatory skill)
- Bedbath – Whole Face and One Arm, Hand, and Underarm
- Catheter Care with Handwashing Required (mandatory skill)
- Denture Care
- Dressing Bedridden Resident
- Feeding the Dependent Resident
- Foot Care – One Foot
- Isolation Gown and Gloves and Empty Urinary Bag with Hand Washing Required (mandatory skill)
- Mouth Care – Brushing Teeth
- Perineal Care – Female with Handwashing Required (mandatory skill)
- Positioning Resident on Side
- Pulse and Respirations
- Stand and Pivot Transfer a Weight Bearing Resident from Bed to Wheelchair Using Gait Belt
- Range of Motion – Hip and Knee
- Range of Motion – Shoulder
- Weighing an Ambulatory Resident
The list above shows 4 mandatory skills but only one of them that you will be required to perform during the state skill test. The RN testing observer will tell you which mandatory skill that you are going to perform. The other 2 or 3 skills will be generated randomly for you to perform.
Nurse Aide Competency Exam – State Test
When you are finished in completing the Nursing Assistant course, your instructor will pre-submit your name and info to the Headmaster (https://wi.tmuniverse.com/) to be eligible to schedule state testing. Your instructor will give you instruction to finish the submission so that you can login.
To become a CNA one should take the state test (Nurse Aide Competency Exam) which composed of the following:
- Theory or Knowledge Test – There are 75 multiple-choice questions that need to be completed within 60 minutes. You have the option to choose the oral/audio or online test.
- Skill Test – You need to master the 18 nursing assistant skills but during the competency exam you are only required 3 or 4 skills to perform in 30 minutes.
Each test mentioned above requires a fee.
Learning the basics on nursing assistant will prepare you the challenges of working in the real world.
