Certified Nurse Aide (CNA) – Hybrid/Online

About Our Hybrid/Online CNA Program

Northern Colorado Training Institute offers a blended “hybrid” CNA course, which prepares students to provide a variety of crucial services—from taking vital signs to monitoring patient treatment plans—and leverages the most effective elements of online learning and face-to-face teaching.

The hybrid CNA course is our most popular program. Each week, students can expect 20-hours of online “theory” coursework along with two 8-hour hands-on skills sessions in our classroom. Additionally, two 8-hour (16-hours total) clinical rotations, at a NoCo Training Institute-approved health care location, is also required. Students who successfully complete all of the course requirements receive a Certificate of Completion and are able to register for the Colorado State CNA Exam for full CNA certification.

This hybrid healthcare training course is a program that consists of both online instruction and in-class instruction. This is very exciting because this type of program gives the student more flexibility. Hybrid programs allow students the opportunity to plan their study time around the rest of their day, instead of the other way around. Also, hybrid programs are a good option for students who need to balance their work and family commitments.

The hybrid CNA training program is broken down into three different sections of coursework that is required for graduation. The first is the theory component. The theory component of the hybrid CNA training program consists of 40 hours, with the majority being completed online.

The second portion of the hybrid CNA training program is the laboratory or “skills” component. The laboratory component consists of 28 hours and this training will be completed face-to-face in class. The student will learn basic nursing skills that include hygiene, grooming, nutrition, toileting, principles of infection control, taking vital signs, how to safely lift, position and move patients and more.

The third and final component of the hybrid CNA classes is the clinical component and is comprised of 16 hours of training. This section will be completed in a NoCo Training Institute-approved healthcare facility, like all CNA training programs. During this clinical experience, students will gain hands-on practical experience. You will also be under the guidance and supervision of a registered nurse.

Upcoming Class CNA Program Dates

About Our CNA Program

Northern Colorado Training Institute is offering an 82-hour Certificate Nurse Aide (CNA) program approved by the Colorado State Board of Nursing that ensures students will be prepared to meet the needs of medical practices, hospitals, nursing homes, and in-home care. The classes are taught by qualified, professional instructors who utilize highly effective teaching methods to prepare the students for working efficiently and effectively in the real life environment.

Our certified nurse aide training course includes basic nursing skills required to provide safe, competent personal care for individuals.

During our CNA program, emphasis is placed on: person-centered care, the aging process, communication, safety/emergencies, infection prevention, legal and ethical issues, vital signs, height and weight measurements, elimination, nutrition, basic restorative care/rehabilitation, dementia, mental health and end-of-life care, sterile technique and specific tasks such as urinary catheterization, wound care, respiratory procedures, ostomy care, peripheral IV assistive activities, and alternative feeding methods.

Upon completion of our CNA training and program, students should be able to demonstrate necessary knowledge and skills, and be eligible to test for Colorado Certified Nurse Aide certification.

Who Should Become A Certified Nurse Aide?

The Certified Nurse Aide (CNA) Program is an opportunity to learn skills and prepare for a career in the healthcare field. If you have the desire to help people, are comfortable working closely with clients while providing personal care, are willing to accept delegated tasks, and are ready to work as the member of a team, then a career as a nursing assistant may be right for you. This kind of job also serves as a stepping-stone for advanced nursing or health care occupations.

Why Become A CNA?

Nurse aides provide basic nursing care to the elderly, ill, and persons with disabilities in long-term care, hospitals, clinics, schools, and home health settings. Healthcare is always in need of talented certified nurse aides. Not just the elderly but many types of patients and their families also interact with CNAs on regular basis. There are many reasons to become a CNA but here are a few good reasons students enroll in our program.

CNA certification is becoming a Nursing School requirement. Another reason to enroll in our CNA program is to help satisfy the requirements for admission to some nursing schools in Colorado. Several nursing programs now require prospective students have their CNA certification as a pre-requisite for enrollment. In just 3 short weeks, we can help you meet this requirement.

Not everyone wants or chooses to be a healthcare provider. Sometimes it just happens. We fully recognize there are many situations where parents become the primary caregiver for their children with disabilities and/or adult children become caregivers of their elderly parents. Parent caregivers should consider becoming a CNA - for several reasons, including financial considerations. Full-time, and even part-time, basic nursing care can be very expensive. In Colorado, a parent of a disabled child and who becomes a CNA could qualify for compensation from the State of Colorado.

Finally, as the baby-boomers population ages, more nurse aides will be needed to care for patients. In addition, growing rates of several chronic conditions and of dementia will lead to increased demand for patient care. As medical care continues to become more facilitated, the demand for nursing staff also keeps increasing. Employment of nursing assistants is projected to grow 11 percent from 2016 to 2026, faster than the average for all occupations.

You don't need to have a medical background to be successful in our CNA class. Contact us to learn more about becoming a CNA.

What Are The Job Responsibilities?

Nursing assistants, sometimes called nursing aides, provide basic care and help with activities of daily living. The nursing assistant is responsible for assisting a client with personal care; fluid and nutrition; mobility; and elimination needs. In addition to meeting physical needs, nursing assistants also play an important role in meeting the emotional needs of clients.

In nursing homes, nurse aides are often the principal caregivers. CNA’s generally work directly under the supervision of a registered nurse. Often the CNA has more direct contact with the individual patient than doctors, specialists, nurses or other members of the staff due to the fact that the CNA is responsible for direct patient care and patient’s need.

They typically do the following:

  • Clean, bathe, and dress patients
  • Serve meals and help patients eat
  • Turn, reposition, and transfer patients between beds and wheelchairs
  • Measure and record vital signs, such as pulse, blood pressure, respiration, and temperature
  • Listen to and record patients health concerns and report that information to nurses

Job Outlook & Wages Information For Nursing Assistants

Click here for latest Bureau of Labor Statistics

Admission Requirements

  • Be at least 16-years old
  • Ability to read, write and speak English
  • Criminal background check/urine drug screen
  • Proof of citizenship or legal residency
  • Vaccines: Please check Course Catalog for current vaccine requirements

Completion Requirements For CNA Courses

A minimum of 40 hours of theory done online, 28 hours of lab/skills done in classroom, and 16 hours of clinical experience at an NCTI approved healthcare facility. Must score a minimum average of 75% in theory on each written test from all the modules and pass the clinical experience (Clinicals are pass or fail). Upon successful completion of the course, the student is eligible to take the exam to become a Colorado Certified Nurse Aide.

Sample Schedule

Week 1

  • Theory (Online) = Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday
  • Skills Practice (In Classroom) = Thursday, Friday

Week 2

  • Theory (Online) = Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday
  • Skills Practice (In Classroom) = Thursday, Friday

Week 3

  • Final Exam/Skills Testing (In Classroom) = Monday, Tuesday
  • Clinical Experience (NoCo Approved Clinical Site) = Wednesday, Thursday

Upcoming CNA Program Dates

CNA Program Cost
2021 Tuition Rate - $995.00Payment plans are available during the registration process. Click "Course Schedules" button below to find a course that works for you.

A $250.00 non-refundable deposit (administrative fee) is required once accepted to CNA Program. The balance is due prior to the first day of class. Non-payment of deposit and/or tuition will result in a delay in processing and your seat may be given to another applicant.

We accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover Card or American Express. We also accept Cash or Cashier's Check - sorry no personal checks.

Program Cost Includes:
  • Tuition
  • Textbook, Workbook & Course Materials
  • Online Access to CNA Course via Canvas
  • Student Identification Card w/ Retracting ID Holder
  • AHA Basic Life Support (BLS) for Healthcare Provider w/ 2-Year (eCard) Certification
  • Uniform (Loaner) Scrubs for Clinical Experience – To Be Returned After Clinical Experience
  • Colorado Background Check*
  • Urine Drug Screening
  • Canvas Tote Bag – “NCTI CNA Program”

*Program Cost Does Not Include:

  • Immunizations (Can be obtained at your doctor’s office or most healthcare clinics – Ex. Walgreens, CVS, Walmart, or The Little Clinic)
  • Wrist Watch w/ Second Hand (Required)
  • Transportation
  • Out of State Background Check - Call for Details
  • Colorado CNA Certification Exam - Voucher may be purchased from NCTI for $135.00

CNA PROGRAM BROCHURE

Click here for PDF of brochure

Technical Requirements For Online CNA Heathcare Training

Which devices and browsers does NoCo Training Online support?

Because it's built using web standards, NoCo Training Online runs on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, & Android or any other device with a modern web browser.

If you are interested in minimums here they are:

Internet Explorer 8
Chrome 19
Safari 5
Firefox 12
Flash 9 (if you want to use the audio/video recording or viewing feature, the Chat feature or upload files)

But rather than focusing on minimums, we highly recommend updating to the newest version of whatever browser you are using as well as the most up to date Flash plug-in.

Other Notes:

Flash is required in several places in NoCo Training Online: media recording/streaming and viewing, chat, and uploading files to a course or an assignment. Other than these features, Flash is not required to use most areas of NoCo Training Online.

The Java plug-in is required for screen sharing in Conferences. Otherwise, there are no other browser plug-ins used by Canvas.

NoCo Training Online was optimized for desktop displays, small form factors such as phones may not be as pleasant to use NoCo Training Online with. We recommend trying out our Mobile App (instructure.com/mobile) if you are on an iPhone or have an iPad.

There are only 2 hard requirements:

You have to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
No IE 6 or 7, they're just too old to be able to do do the interactive things NoCo Training Online does.