CNA Training in Kentucky
A certified nursing assistant (CNA), or nurse's aide, must earn a certificate as a Kentucky Medicaid Program-Approved State Registered Nurse's Aide or a state-registered nurse's aide. The certificates are not licenses, but instead prove that the CNA is trained, has taken state-approved courses and has passed a competency exam. The Kentucky Nurse Aide Registry keeps records of certifications.
Work Preparation
A registered nurse supervises a CNA to provide non-medical services, such as bathing, feeding and providing information to patients and their families. A certified nursing assistant is trained to take patients' vital signs. The state examination tests the candidates' abilities to successfully enter the work force through an oral and written exam, as well as through demonstration of skills in a live health-care setting. Certified nursing aides typically find work in nursing homes, hospitals, private practices or home-health agencies.
Curriculum
CNA instruction in Kentucky must include basic nursing and personal care skills, patients' rights to privacy rules and procedures, mental health and social service skills and care for cognitively impaired patients, such as those with Alzheimer's disease. Kentucky CNA curriculum guidelines require 16 hours of training in infection control and safety procedures, in addition to direct patient care skills. CNAs learn to teach patients care for themselves at home, and they assist with counseling the family and preparing for imminent death.
Requirements
The Kentucky Cabinet for Health Services must approve the schools and training facilities. Students must be at least 18 years old and be able to read and write. A criminal background check is required in Kentucky for CNA training applicants. The course work can take anywhere from 4 to 8 weeks and must include a minimum of 75 hours of instruction.
Programs
Courses to train for a CNA certification are available through such facilities as the Nurse Aide Training Center & Kentucky Health Training LLC. CNA training is widely available through community colleges, the University of Kentucky Nursing School, the Red Cross and community service training facilities, such as Goodwill and other workforce development programs.
Renewal
In Kentucky, a CNA must renew certifications every 2 years. After working for pay in a health-care environment, a nurse's aide does not have to take the test again, but must prove work status. The state recognizes certifications from other states, and renewals are granted if the certificate is from a certified organization in another state. Kentucky nursing facilities must provide at least 12 hours of in-house continuing education for aides, in order to maintain compliance with state regulations.
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