Most typically, Certified Nurse Assistants/Aides (CNAs) can be found working in geriatric healthcare facilities, physicians' offices, private homes, transitional care units, and community health agencies. These direct healthcare workers spend more time with patients than any other staff member working in the healthcare profession. Prospective CNA students in Kansas have a number of programs available to them in order to obtain the proper training to enter this fulfilling field.
The 2016 Occupational Handbook published by the Kansas Department of Labor projects CNA jobs to grow at 17% through the year 2024, a rate much faster than the average for other jobs.
Prospective CNA students should try their best to seek out and attend the best programs that are available to them in their area. These individuals should take the following measures into consideration when looking for top programs to attend:
CNA candidates in the state are required to pass the Kansas Nurse Aide Test after completing their program. The test is given in a multiple choice format, and candidates must have a score of at least 75%. Three attempts at the examination can be made before the candidate is required to retrain.
Garden City Community College
Garden City Community College is a 2-year community college located in Garden City that was originally established in 1919 to provide post-secondary education for residents in the area. It was one of the very first community colleges chartered in the state. GCCC represents one of the 19 community colleges in the state of Kansas.
GCCC’s Certified Nursing Assistant course is comprised of the minimum state standard of 90 clock hours which includes lecture time, lab practice, and clinical experience at a local healthcare facility. The course’s primary objective is to prepare students to become adept CNAs that can provide excellent direct patient care. Furthermore, the program seeks to impart the skills needed to effectively meet the physical, environmental and psychosocial needs of geriatric patients.
The instructors and staff at Garden City Community College’s Nursing and Allied Health Department boast over 200 years of combined experience in the nursing field and over 100 years of combined experience educating future CNAs, LPNs and RNs.
Unlike most CNA programs around the state and for that matter the country, GCCC has a large number of partnerships with clinical facilities in the area where their students can experience hands-on learning.
A few of GCCC’s clinical partnerships:
- Garden Valley Retirement Village
- Kearny County Hospital/High Plains Retirement Village
- Area Mental Health
- Finney County Health Department
Healthcare facilities located in and around Garden City currently hiring CNAs
- Ranch House Nursing
- SCH- The Women’s Clinic
- Homestead Health & Rehab
Tuition
For current tuition rats for GCCC’s CNA program, call their Nursing Department at 620-276-9560.
Salina Area Technical College
Founded in 1965 on Schilling Air Force Base, Salina Area Technical College is located in the city of Salina in central Kansas. SATC offers students a mixture of associate degrees, diplomas, and certificates.
SATC has a 6-credit hour, 90-contact hour CNA course which goes by the name ALH 101 Certified Nurse Aide. Similar to other CNA programs around the country, this one is composed of 3 parts: didactic instruction (lecture), practical skills training in an on-campus lab, and clinical skills training off-campus at a local healthcare facility. Students are taught a wide range of topics which include anatomy and physiology, how to transfer patients and how to care for critically ill and dying patients.
Healthcare facilities located close to the city of Salina currently hiring CNAs
- Salina Regional Health Center
- Presbyterian Manors of Mid America
- Eaglecrest
Tuition
CNA students who plan to enroll in Salina Area Technical College’s program can expect to pay an approximate course registration fee of $625.
Coffeyville Community College
Coffeyville Community College, originally established in 1923, is a publicly funded 2-year institution located in the southeast corner of Kansas, in the city of Coffeyville. The institution is a member of the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference and was one of the first community colleges founded in the state.
Coffeyville Community College’s CNAD-105 Certified Nursing Aide (CNAD) 5-credit hour program seeks to teach students the all-important concepts of direct patient care and to apply these concepts in long-term care facility settings. For high school students currently residing in Kansas, CNAD-105 is available tuition-free.
Healthcare facilities located in close proximity to Coffeyville currently hiring CNAs
- Coffeyville Regional Medical Center
- DaVita
Tuition
CNA students residing within Kansas state lines who plan to enroll in the program are required to pay an approximate tuition cost of $360 plus additional fees. Students coming from outside of the state can expect to pay around $605 in tuition plus additional fees. International students can expect to pay around $995 in tuition plus additional fees.
Butler Community College
Butler Community College, first established in 1927 under the name El Dorado Junior College, a 2-year postsecondary educational community college situated in the city of El Dorado.
BCC’s Certified Nursing Assistant course (AH 122), is composed of 5-credit hours and 104 clock hours in total. Included within those hours is in-class lecture and discussion, laboratory skills practice, and clinical skills experience in a local nursing home.
Healthcare facilities in and around the city El Dorado currently hiring CNAs
- Anthem Memory Care
- Wheat State Manor
- The Little Clinic
Tuition
CNA students residing within Butler County can expect to pay approximately $530 plus additional fees to attend the program. Out of state and out of county students can expect to pay somewhere around $585 plus additional fees. International students will be required to pay an approximate cost of $1,110 plus additional fees.
Fort Scott Community College
First chartered in 1919, Fort Scott Community College in Kansas is the oldest community college in the state. FSCC operates a number of satellite campuses in the following cities in Crawford County: Frontenac, Pittsburg, and Paola.
FSCC offers students a state certified 5-credit hour, 90-contact hour Geriatric Certified Nurse Aide course that also follows federal guidelines. The program is composed of two separate parts: an in-class, didactic lecture portion mixed with a lab skills simulation and a clinical skills internship at a local healthcare center. The clinical skills internship requires the student to perform a number of direct care tasks in a licensed adult care home facility.
Healthcare facilities located in and around the city of Fort Scott currently hiring CNAs
- MEDICALODGES Inc.
- Mission Health Communities
- Presbyterian Manors
Tuition
Students residing within the county will be required to pay a tuition fee of approximately $480 plus additional fees. Tuition for out of state students is around $555 plus additional fees. International students who are planning on enrolling in FSCC’s program will be required to pay an approximate course registration fee of $885 plus additional fees.
Highland Community College
Highland Community College is a 2-year, post-secondary educational institution situated in the northeast corner of the state in the city of Highland.
HCC’s 6-credit hour, 90-contact hour NUR201 Certified Nursing Aide course seeks to prepare students for the state certification exam by giving them the appropriate skills and knowledge needed to work effectively with the geriatric patient population.
Healthcare facilities located close to Highland currently hiring CNAs
- Atchison Hospital
- Joseph Chateau Nursing & Rehab
- RehabCare
Tuition
Both in-state and out-of-state CNA students who are planning on enrolling in HCC’s program are required to pay an approximate course registration fee of $1,038. Prospective international students can expect to pay around $1,926.
Neosho County Community College
Neosho County Community College is a 2-year, post-secondary education institution with a primary campus in Chanute originally established in 1936, while a secondary campus in Ottawa was built later in 1991.
NCCC offers students a 6-credit, state certified CNA course composed of a total of 90 hours which is designed specifically to prepare prospective CNAs for entry-level positions in direct care geriatric healthcare. Students enrolled in the course vigorously study the aging process, the health conditions related to it, and how to assist patients in maintaining their health at the highest level possible. Included in the 90 clock hours in the course is 45 hours of theory and lecture, 25 hours of supervised clinical experience in a geriatric healthcare facility, and 20 hours of on-campus lab practice.
Healthcare facilities located near the cities of Chanute and Ottawa currently hiring CNAs
- Chanute Nursing & Rehab Center
- Lawrence Memorial Hospitals
- Heritage Health Care
Tuition
High school students who are planning to enroll in the CNA program at NCCC are required to pay a course registration fee of $390. All other students can expect to pay an approximate amount of $792.
