CNA Training in Minnesota

If you want to be certified to work as a nurse aide in Minnesota, you will have to finish a CNA training program that is accredited and approved by the Minnesota Department of Health. Afterwards, you will need to pass the assessment examination so that you can appear on the Minnesota Nurse Aide Registry. Nurse aides have plenty of great job opportunities, and these tend to continue rising along with the population and increase in the elderly population that requires constant care through hospice facilities and retirement communities.

Before enrolling in a CNA training program, you will have to be prepared to meet a few minimal prerequisites. For starters, you need to be at least 18 years old and possess a GED or high school diploma. Be prepared to submit to a full background screening, which is common for students entering the allied health fields.Another common practice is to require nurse aide candidates to undergo a physical health examination to ensure that they are disease free, as it is in no one’s best interest to see a patient contract further health problems.

Your school program should offer no less than 75 teaching hours in the nurse aide skills category in order for you to qualify to take the state licensing exam. Some of these hours will be spent in the classroom learning about medical terminology, physcological skills, and how to help patients deal with their current conditions. Documentation procedures are commonly learned here as well, in addition to a number of other subjects including how to handle emergencies such as patient’s in a stroke situation, heart attack, or suffering from a nasty fall.

Another intrinsic part of your training will occur in a practicum environment where you will have the chance to perform vital CNA skills within a hands-on environment. These are essential, and you will need to be prepared to perform several of these tasks during your CNA certification exam. Part of your training may include CPR skills, but if they don’t you will need to obtain certification on your own. Many nurse aide students prefer to get these skills through their local Red Cross Association.

The Minnesota Nurse Aide Registry provides a current list of approved testing sites. After registering, you will take a two-part examination. The first portion of the exam is an evaluation of your written knowledge, and the second is an evaluation of your hands-on skills.  You should get a 70 or higher on both portions in order to pass. If you studied hard and attended classes regularly, the exam should give you no trouble.

The average CNA  salary in Minnesota is $26,200, and you can expect an average 12% annual growth for this  position in the next ten years. If you are looking for ways to reduce the cost of attending school, investigate our section on free CNA training to discover which students qualify for reduced or no-cost CNA classes in Minnesota.

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