CNA Classes in Louisville

Louisville is the 29th most populous city in the U.S., making it the most populated in the state of Kentucky. It borders Indiana, putting it close to popular riverboat gambling locations. The city was founded along the Ohio River in 1778 and named for King Louis XVI of France. It’s the home of Muhammad Ali, the Louisville Cardinals, Louisville Slugger baseball bats, and three Fortune 500 companies. Large companies find the city attractive because of its economy and its importance in the shipping and cargo industry. Jefferson Riverport International is one of the largest inland ports in the country.

There’s also plenty to do like the Kentucky Derby and its associated festival, The Great Steamboat Race, the largest annual fireworks display on the continent, and much more. It’s also a great place to work.

If you are looking for a career path in Louisville, particularly in the healthcare field, becoming a CNA is a great place to start. Currently, there are nearly 85,000 people aged 65 and older in the city, which makes up more than 14% of the population. This has increased the demand for CNAs in home health settings and long-term care environments.

To become a CNA in Kentucky, you must attend at least 75 hours of training in a state-approved program. Once the training is complete, you can sit for the nurse aide competency exam. Kentucky’s process for becoming a CNA is somewhat more relaxed than in other states.

The prerequisites that must be met to get started are pretty clear. One is that you don’t have to have your GED or high school diploma to register for some programs, but you will need proof of at least an eighth-grade education. Depending on the program, you might have to take an entrance exam or provide SAT or ACT scores. Other prerequisites include being at least 18 years of age and having a bill of good health, a negative TB test, up-to-date immunizations, a clear criminal background check, and the ability to speak and understand English.

If you need to renew your certification, which is required every two years in Kentucky, you don’t have to re-train. Instead, you must provide the Kentucky Board of Nursing with your personal information and proof that you are employed at a state-approved healthcare facility.

Once your certification is in place, it’s time to look at your employment options. CNA training puts a special emphasis on the care of the elderly and disabled. This provides a degree of flexibility. Where you work, however, determines how much you get paid. The average pay for a CNA in Kentucky is just under $30,000 per year. This is over the national average, which is reflective of the demand in the state.

The typical duties of a Kentucky CNA include helping patients with basic care such as taking a bath, eating, taking medications, communicating, and dressing and undressing. The CNA must log interactions and other matters and report them to the RN on the case. The CNA tends to be the first point of contact for a patient and is very important in helping preserve the patient’s quality of life. This is why CNAs are frequently employed by home health agencies, Hospice, and senior facilities.

In Louisville, it’s important to be able to get to and from school and work. Aside from driving your own vehicle on the city’s many roadways, there are public transit options. The main option is the bus system by the Transit Authority of the River City. There are also walking and biking paths.

Like most large cities in the U.S., the city focuses mainly on personal automobile traffic. If you absolutely can’t or don’t want to drive and you don’t want to take the bus, rideshare is available in the city. You can also take a cab, as there are a number of private cab companies that will take you wherever you need to go.

If your transit is limited to the downtown area, there is a fleet of zero-emission buses. These run throughout the hotel and shopping districts.

When it comes to finding an approved CNA training program, colleges are most likely to hold the necessary accreditation. One is the University of Louisville School of Nursing. Currently, the program is on hold, but, when active, the program provides the minimum number of hours through classwork and skills training. Once finished, students have all of the tools needed to pass the certification exam.

During its hold, the University of Louisville recommends seeking CNA training from the Kentucky Health Care Training Institute, Health Education Center, LLC, Jefferson Community College, Right Choice Health Care Training Institute, or Spaulding University. Because Louisville is so close to Ohio and Indiana, residents of these states that wish to practice in Kentucky can call the Nurse Aide Training Competency Evaluation Program to find training classes that accommodate their situation.

When the U of L program is not on hold, there are two objectives that they seek to meet: To ensure students are prepared and to reduce class time so basic skills can be learned while having additional time to learn higher level nursing skills. The skills include hand hygiene, environmental safety, taking vital signs, communication, reporting unsafe conditions, complete bed bath, occupied bed making, assisting in oxygen delivery, assist with bedpan or urinal, application of elastic stockings, range of motion, and others.

If you wish to not shoulder the cost of CNA training but still want to enter the field, there are approved programs at care facilities that will allow you to work in exchange for training. In Kentucky, non-certified nurse aides can provide care to patients for 120 days as part of the training process. This is a non-renewable period, which means you have one shot at learning everything you need before sitting for the certification exam.

The state’s allowance of on-the-job training increases the number of facilities that train workers, thus the training opportunities are vast. In some cases, you can earn a wage in addition to your training rather than working for free. That makes it a win-win for you and the facility.