Nursing Assistant-Certified (NA-C) Training Program
An Entry-Level Healthcare Program
Program graduates are immediately eligible for NA-R status in the state of Washington!
This innovative employment program provides highly-supported classroom & lab learning (4 weeks) and a clinical setting (1 week) to prepare aspiring Nursing Assistants. It includes everything that participants will need to succeed: all supplies, vaccination and clinical readiness assistance, scrubs, tutoring, test registration & preparation. Online training and in-person labs provide candidates with flexibility and access to hands-on learning!
In January 2023, the NA-C program was officially recognized by the Washington State Apprenticeship & Training Council (WSATC). Read more about what this recognition means.
Hear from Narielle Mendoza, a Tacoma-area student who completed the NA-C training program while in high school.
I want other people like me who are interested in health care to not give up on their dreams and make the most out of learning! I am so grateful for the help I got from the [Health Care Apprenticeship Consortium] which helped set a pathway for me to become an Orthopedic Surgeon…The teachers, nurses, and the people leading the program were all so friendly and engaging–they welcomed my curiosity and made me excited about a career in healthcare!
Program Details
Program Structure
| Weeks 1-4 |
Zoom classes (online)
Labs (in-person) |
9 am – 3 pm
Approx. 9 am – 2 pm |
| Week 5 |
Makeup/Preparation and Orientation Week (in-person) CPR class/Skills Practice |
Times vary based on activity |
| Week 6 |
Clinical work experience (in-person) 6-8 students per location instructor on site at clinical |
40 hours |
| Week 7 | Clinical work experience makeups (in-person) |
40 hours |
| Ahead of testing | Skills and written tutoring | 2-hour tutoring sessions after hours or Saturday, or during infill days at training site |
| As soon as available |
Testing – written Testing – skills program hosts a skills testing site, but proctors are externally controlled |
Once clinical is complete, candidates can sign up |
Cohort Locations
Currently available in Seattle and Tacoma, with other areas based on needs/setup.
- Program participation has ranged from Vancouver to Bellingham
- 7 cohorts, roughly bi-monthly, scheduled 2024
Training Description
Students receive training sufficient to qualify for and pass the NCSBN NNAAP CNA Exam written and hands-on skills sections. The training is structured to exceed the minimum requirements of the Nursing Assistant core curriculum and clinicals specified in WAC 246-841-490 for teaching the Nursing Assistant core competencies under WAC 246-841-400. Infection control training is included in the 50 hours of classroom-centered learning.
8 Credits Prior Learning College Credit (ANAC 108) available through Clover Park Technical College for NA-C completing candidates.
Hour Breakdown
130 contact hours, with
- 50 hours of real-time and directly-facilitated online classroom learning,
- 24 hours of virtual reality and directly-facilitated online clinical skills lab training (including real-time remote supervised hands-on mini-labs),
- 20 hours minimum of small group in-person clinical skills practice, and
- 40 hours minimum clinical hours in the practice setting.
Course Sequence
Students spend the first four weeks of the NA-C program in interactive online classes and in-person lab settings. HCAC has professionally filmed 2D and 180-degree videos of the 23 Skills covered in the NNAAP booklet, plus several additional competencies and practice scenarios.
For their clinical hours, students are paired up with a current NA-C at a clinical site as a preceptor/mentor. An LPN/RN faculty member is in attendance, with one faculty member assigned to no more than 10 clinical students. Students develop rapport, go on daily rounds (if applicable), and practice scheduling and planning a day based on patient/resident schedules.
NA-C Cohort
Certified Nursing Assistant practitioners are multi-skilled health care professionals who work within long-term care facilities, acute care hospitals and health care clinics, primarily in a clinical capacity. Employers are expected to provide 40 hours of clinicals during this second phase of IHAP to help candidates meet the requirements for certifcation and graduation.
Click the button blow for tentative cohort schedules for this IHAP Phase II program.
Learn how your organization can get involved!
Check out our program factsheet (PDF) or contact us for more details.
Mary Ramolete, Strategic Partnerships Project Manager, , 425-473-9352
I passed my state tests on the first try and got a job as a Certified Nursing Assistant at Swedish Medical Center in Seattle. I’m loving it and am super happy with my new career. Thank you so much for everything you provided in order to get me to where I am now! The NA-C training program you offer is truly such a blessing for people, and I really hope you’re able to keep offering it for many future students. It was definitely a life-changing opportunity for me.
The NA-C program was developed and implemented by the Health Care Apprenticeship Consortium/SEIU Healthcare 1199NW Multi-Employer Training Fund.
