Las Vegas CNA Classes

Las Vegas is the most visited city in Nevada. It is also the largest city in the state and the 28th largest city in the United States. Located in the southern part of Nevada just north of Arizona, it has a dry, warm, desert-like climate, appealing to tourists nearly all year long. While it may be best known for the Strip and its many casinos, it is also a great place to call home.

If you are interested in getting into a health care profession, you may want to look into becoming a CNA here. In a town of just over half a million, 14 percent of the population is over the age of 65, making this area ripe for growth in health care fields.

Nevada does not make it difficult to become a CNA in the state. If you are looking into getting a CNA job in Las Vegas, you will first have to complete the federal requirements for training, which include 75 hours minimum. Of these, 15 hours must be spent practicing hands-on skills in health care settings. If you are currently a nursing student, you may be able to forego CNA training altogether and simply take the competency evaluation.

To become a CNA, you must be at least 17 years old. Depending on your school of choice, you may need to have a high school diploma or prove that you have basic English reading skills and mathematics skills. In addition, you will need to undergo a federal criminal background check with fingerprinting, pass a physical and be up-to-date on immunizations.

During your CNA training classes, you will learn patient care skills as well as basic knowledge about human anatomy, disease processes and communication. For example, you will study healthy vital signs, mental health, patient relationships and infection prevention.

Once you successfully pass your CNA examination, you will be able to work legally as a CNA in Las Vegas. You will easily be able to find plenty of job opportunities in this thriving city in hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, home health agencies, hospice agencies and more. With over a dozen hospitals in the area, including Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center, Mountain View Hospital and Spring Valley Hospital, as well as multiple rehabilitation hospitals and medical treatment centers, you will have plenty of job opportunities throughout the city.

You can expect an average paycheck of $31,997 per year while making an average of $14.08 per hour. Although you may start at a lower rate initially, a job as a CNA can present you with plenty of opportunities to grow in your health care-based career. Your daily work will mainly be focused on providing direct care to patients who are unable to care fully for themselves. For example, you will help with many activities of daily living while also communicating necessary patient information to your supervising nurses.

Getting around Las Vegas is easy once you know your options for public transportation, parking, walking and biking. The Las Vegas Monorail provides easy access to the strip while the Deuce offers public transportation through the Regional Transportation Committee. There are also numerous ride-sharing and taxi services, including Uber and Lyft. However, you should know that you cannot hail a taxi here but will instead have to be picked up from a physical address.

If you prefer to get yourself around, driving here is fairly easy. You can find free parking in many parts of town. You can also choose the healthier transportation option of biking. Look for the few areas of town that offer bike lanes; the Arts District and Beverly Green get the top bike scores in town. Even if you do not own a bike, RTC Bike Share lets you pick up a bike at many locations throughout the city.

Finally, if your destination is not far away, you may be able to walk. However, Las Vegas is not generally known as a walkable city because it is so spread out.

There are currently four approved CNA training programs in Southern Nevada, all of which are conveniently located in Las Vegas. These include the College of Southern Nevada, Milan Institute, Standards of Excellence and Saint Therese Learning Institute. However, there are six additional options for high school students who are looking for solid-paying jobs that will help them advance their health care careers in adulthood.

The College of Southern Nevada is a particularly good choice as it is a large college offering over 180 degree and certificate programs of which two dozen of them are online-only options. The college has three campuses throughout Southern Nevada, one of which is in Las Vegas and one of which is in North Las Vegas. CSN boasts a fabulous 23:1 student-to-teacher ratio, which will allow you to get the hands-on support that you need for your classes.

Nursing Assistant classes are offered at CSN in the spring, summer and fall. You must be able to read and write in English at an eighth grade level and have a negative tuberculosis test, completed physical examination, current CPR card and valid medical insurance to get into the program. Classes will include patient safety, patient comfort, mental health, patient rights, reporting and more.

If you are a deserving student falling into certain financial parameters, you may be able to enjoy free CNA training Las Vegas. One option is Milan Institute, which provides training to individuals with a high school diploma or GED. Milan offers scholarship programs during certain registration periods for no-cost training. Scholarship programs that may completely cover the cost of CNA education may also be found at the College of Southern Nevada, the University of Nevada, East Career Technical Academy and North Las Vegas Community College.

In addition, you may be able to score free CNA training along with simultaneous paid work at certain skilled nursing facilities in Las Vegas. Torrey Pines Rehabilitation Hospital is one such option. You will be required to have perfect attendance to complete this program successfully. You may also want to call up area nursing homes, hospice agencies and home health agencies to find other free training options.