Certified Nurse Assistant - Accelerated Program

Department: Health Occupations

This program is offered in an accelerated, hybrid format during the summer semester (lasting approximately eight weeks). Students can expect to complete coursework online, attend three in-person lab days, and participate in twelve clinical shifts at a long-term care facility. Please see the breakdown below for specific dates.

Program Dates: May 28th - Jul. 21st 

Registration Deadline: May 10th (unless class fills before that date)

        Course Instruction:

• • Hybrid

In-Person Lab Hours:

• • Jun. 5th, Jun. 13th, Jun. 20th, 8:00am - 4:00pm

Clinical Internship:

• • Jun. 24th - Jun. 27th
  • Jul. 1st - Jul 3rd
  • Jul 8th - July 10th
  • Jul 15th - July 17th

Lab times are 8:00am - 4:00pm; Clinical hours will be day time shift

Tuition: $900

Book: Hartman's Nursing Assistant Care: Long-Term Care, 5th Edition (ISBN #978-1604251371) AND Workbook for Hartman's Nursing Assistant Care: Long-Term Care, 5th Edition (ISBN #978-1604251388) **Both are available at the SCC Campus Bookstore along with other book sellers, including Amazon**

This program, approved by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS), provides the instruction and on-the-job training required to become a Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) in the state of Missouri. The program teaches basic nursing skills, resident rights, safety, communication techniques and infection control. CNA's are eligible for employment in nursing homes, hospitals, home care agencies and doctor’s offices.

There are three different components that make up the CNA Program and St. Charles Community College offers two of them: classroom instruction/lab hours and clinical internship. The state certification exam is coordinated and proctored through an outside agency. Students must complete all three components in order to be certified in the state of Missouri. 

Individuals MUST be at least 18 years of age to qualify for this course.

For additional information, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions Web page.

Classroom Instruction/Lab Hours

The classroom instruction and lab hours provide the cognitive education required by DHSS. Classwork will be completed online and lab hours will be completed in person at the Center for Healthy Living on the SCC - Dardenne Creek Campus. Because of the accelerated nature of this course, no lab absences will be permitted. Failure to attend a lab session may result in failure of the program.

Clinical Internship

The clinical internship provides the 100 hours of on-the-job training required for CNA certification in the state of Missouri. Students will be placed at one of our clinical partner facilities to complete these hours and will be required to be at the clinical site four times per week (see schedule above for dates). ATTENDANCE ON ALL CLINICAL DAYS IS MANDATORY. Because of the accelerated nature of this course, no absences will be permitted. Failure to attend a clinical session may result in failure of the program.

Prior to beginning their clinical hours, students will be required to complete and pass a urine drug screening (done at a facility designated by SCC). Information and required paperwork will be provided to the student during the registration process. 

Final Exam

The state certification exam is completed through a third-party vendor. Information on how to register and pay for this exam will be provided in class.

Eligibility Requirements

• Must be at least 18 years of age
• Must have acceptable background screening from the Missouri Family Care Safety Registry (https://health.mo.gov/safety/fcsr/) (no older than 90 days at time of registration)
• Must have be free from TB and provide documentation of negative 2-step TB tests (no older than one year)
• Must have been vaccinated against Covid-19 and provide documentation.
• Must apply to St. Charles Community College: https://www.stchas.edu/admissions/apply

Registration Requirements

Complete before registration:

• College Application: all students must apply to St. Charles Community College prior to registering for class. Please complete and submit the application here: https://www.stchas.edu/admissions/apply

Items due during registration: (bring copies with you for in-person registration or send as attachments for email registrations):

• Acceptable background screening results from the Family Care Safety Registry (https://health.mo.gov/safety/fcsr/) (no older than 90 days at time of registration)
• Results from 2-step TB Test (no older than one year)
• Covid-19 Vaccine Documentation

Registration can be done:

• Click the link to register online: CNA Registration Form
• In-person (1 Academy Place, Dardenne Prairie, MO 63368) - office hours are Monday - Friday from 8:00am - 4:00pm
• Through email (healthoccupations@stchas.edu)

Tuition will be due within three business day of your registration being processed. Individualized information will be communicated during the enrollment process.

Students who do not provide documentation of receiving the Covid vaccination are not guaranteed clinical placement. Tuition is non-refundable for students failing to submit Covid vaccination documentation. Please forward inquiries to HealthOccupations@stchas.edu  

Salary Outlook

In the state of Missouri, nursing assistants earn a mean average of $25,360 per year. 
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, earnings increase significantly as a worker’s degree of education rises.