BACK TO PROGRAMSProgram Overview
This 12-week program prepares students to enter the workforce as qualified healthcare professionals. Through a combination of classroom instruction, hands-on skills practice, and clinical experience, students will gain the skills necessary for safe and competent practice as a nursing assistant and will leave class prepared to take the state exams required to be placed on the Idaho Nurse Aide Registry.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, participants will be equipped to:
- Discuss and understand the roles and responsibilities of the nursing assistant in the State of Idaho
- Demonstrate basic competencies required of nursing assistants in the State of Idaho
- Demonstrate safe, competent care within the practice guidelines of a nursing assistant
- Demonstrate the ability to communicate effectively with other healthcare team members, residents, and patients
- Demonstrate the knowledge required to pass the Idaho State manuals skills and written exams
Certification
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be eligible to take the Idaho State Skills Exam. Once students pass the skills exam, they will be eligible to sit for the Idaho State Written Exam administered at CEI’s Testing Center. Students who pass their written exam will be added to the Idaho Nurse Aide Registry and will be qualified to work in the state of Idaho as Certified Nursing Assistants.
Target Audience
This class is ideal for:
- Students preparing to enter a Practical Nursing or Registered Nursing program
- Students interested in a career path in the healthcare field
- Currently employed nursing assistants or patient aides seeking certification
Tuition Cost: $1,115.00
Registration for the CNA program can only be completed once a student has received approval of their prerequisite submissions. Seats are limited, and submission does not guarantee a seat in class. To register:
- Create a student profile and browse available course sessions on our student registration platform
- Complete prerequisite submission using the Certified Nursing Assistant Enrollment Form
- Once prerequisites have been reviewed and approved, students will receive an email containing instructions for completing the registration process
- Complete registration by following the instructions in approval email and paying tuition in full
Please click the drop-down menu below to see a current list of prerequisites. The associated costs are the student's responsibility and are not included in the cost of tuition. Vaccination requirements are set by clinical locations, not the College of Eastern Idaho.
Prerequisites
- Complete the Certified Nursing Assistant Class Orientation video and download certificate of completion
- Clear Background Check
- Background checks must be run through StudentCheck. This is the only background check accepted for this program, and it must be fully processed before class registration is allowed. Student background checks must have been run within the last year and cannot be set to expire during the student’s class session.
- Background Check Instructions
- Healthcare Provider BLS CPR Certificate
- All students are required to have their Basic Life Support CPR for Healthcare Providers certification through the American Heart Association prior to registration and start of class. No online CPR cards are valid for this class, and CPR/AED/First-Aid cards will not be accepted. Certification will only be accepted from the American Heart Association.
- MMR vaccine OR positive titer to all 3 components (measles, mumps, rubella)
- If titer is negative, a booster is required.
- Varicella vaccine OR positive titer
- If titer is negative, a booster is required.
- Quantitative Gold blood testing to evaluate for TB
- This test is only good for one year and cannot be set to expire during the course.
- Flu vaccine
- This is only required if class occurs during flu season (October – March)
- Tdap within 10 years’ time
- Hepatitis B Immunization Series
- Hepatitis B surface antibody titer with positive/reactive results
- This blood test is required in addition to the Hepatitis B immunization series to evaluate for immunity. If the titer is negative, a booster is required.
Additional requirements for hospital clinical rotations (these are optional and arrangements will be made once enrolled in the course):
- 10panel drug urine test or higher
- IFCH/MVH booklet completion
Required Books & Supplies
- Two-piece blood pressure kit
- Stethoscope & sphygmomanometer
- Textbook
- Nursing Assistant: A Foundation in Caregiving, 6th Edition by Diana Dugan
- ISBN-13: 978-1-60425-154-8 (Paperback)
- ISBN-13: 978-1-60425-157-9 (Hardback)
- This textbook can be purchased through CEI’s online bookstore
- Nursing Assistant: A Foundation in Caregiving, 6th Edition by Diana Dugan
- Scrubs
- Scrubs must be solid colors (no patterns, no white), and students must wear matching tops and bottoms. Students will be permitted to wear a solid-colored long sleeve shirt underneath their scrubs if they desire.
- Analog wristwatch with a sweeping hand
- No digital or smartwatches allowed
- Comfortable closed toe shoes
The Hybrid CNA course is approximately 10 weeks from start to finish. Hybrid CNA students will complete the majority of their coursework asynchronously online but will be required to attend class in person on set dates. Students will always be required to attend class in person on the first day of class and should expect to have 2-3 weeks of additional in-person days. The scheduled in-person dates include labs and clinical rotations.
Attendance Policy
Due to state mandated contact hour requirements, students may only miss one of the scheduled in-person meeting days for this course.
Clinical Rotations
Lab and clinical days are mandatory for all CNA students. Clinical arrangements are made by the clinical coordinator at approved clinical sites on set dates. Students do not get to choose or set their clinical days or sites.
2026 Idaho Falls Classes
| Registration Opens | Registration Closes | In-person or Hybrid | Classes Begin |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 2 | March 6 | In-person | Week of April 6 |
| February 2 | March 13 | Hybrid | April 27 |
| May 4 | June 5 | In-person | Week of July 6 |
| August 3 | September 4 | In-person | Week of October 5 |
| August 3 | September 11 | Hybrid | October 26 |
| November 2 | December 4 | In-person | Week of January 4 (2027) |
| November 2 | December 11 | Hybrid | January 25, 2027 |
In-person class schedules are either Monday/Wednesday or Tuesday/Thursday. Actual schedules will be available at the time of registration.
Hybrid classes have specific dates that will be in-person. That schedule will be available at the time of registration.
Skills testing typically occurs immediately following the end of class.
2026 Salmon Valley Classes
These classes occur as available. Contact Diane Smith at 208-640-6836 for more information.
CNA state skills and written exams must be scheduled ahead of time for both CEI students and non-CEI students. Skills exams are held at the Idaho Healthcare Institute; written exams are administered at the CEI Testing Center. All students must first pass their skills exam before they are eligible to take their written exam.
Please see the dropdown menus below for specific scheduling processes.
CEI Students
Upon successful completion of the course, students will be required to take their State Skills Exam.
- Students will work with their instructor during the last week of class to schedule their skills exam
- Students have three attempts to pass their skills exam
- The cost of the first attempt is included in the cost of tuition; additional attempts are $75.00 each
- Skills exams are held at the Idaho Healthcare Institute
- Students must wear scrubs and bring a photo ID and a pencil
After passing their skills exam, students will receive an email containing instructions for scheduling their written exam at the CEI Testing Center.
- Students have three attempts to pass their written exam
- The proctoring fee ($21.00) for first attempts is included in the cost of tuition
- The exam fee ($29.00) is not included in the cost of tuition and will be collected at the testing center during the student’s scheduled exam time
- For additional attempts, students will be required to pay both the proctoring fee and the exam fee
- Students do not need to wear scrubs for their written exam but must bring a photo ID and a credit card with them to the Testing Center
Non-CEI Students
Non-CEI students who are interested in taking their CNA skills/written exams through CEI should follow these steps:
- Create an account on our student registration platform
- Once your student account is created, email your Letter of Approval to Test to healthcareed@cei.edu
- Your letter may have come from the state or from your educational institution if you recently completed your program. Letters from other colleges or universities must be signed and on official school letterhead.
- Once we have received and reviewed this documentation, the Healthcare Coordinator will respond with further instructions for scheduling your exams
Payment is due when scheduling your exams. The cost of CNA exams is as follows:
- Skills Exam: $75.00 per attempt
- Written Exam: $50.00 per attempt
- This price reflects a $21.00 proctoring fee and a $29.00 exam fee. The proctoring fee will be collected along with your skills exam fee, and the written exam fee will be collected during your scheduled exam time at the CEI Testing Center. You will need to bring a photo ID and a credit card to your written exam.
WHAT JOBS CAN I GET AS A CNA?
CNAs can find employment at assisted living facilities, long-term care facilities, home healthcare companies, doctor’s offices, clinics, and hospitals.
IS THERE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE AVAILABLE?
This program is approved for Idaho Launch and Advanced Opportunities funding. Scholarships may be available through Idaho Healthcare Institute. You can find more information on potential sources of financial assistance in the mandatory online orientation video.
DO YOU OFFER PAYMENT PLANS?
No. Payment is due in full at the time of registration for all WTCE classes.
WHERE DO I FIND MY CNA CERTIFICATION?
CNA certification is issued by the State of Idaho, not CEI. Students who pass their written exam will be added to the Idaho Nurse Aide Registry within 48-72 hours of exam completion. If you do not see your name on the registry within this time frame, please contact Prometric at 1-888-843-2341. For more information, please visit: https://healthandwelfare.idaho.gov/providers/certified-nurse-assistant/about-certified-nurse-assistant-registry.
IS THERE A MINIMUM AGE TO ENROLL?
Students must be at least sixteen years of age to enroll in our CNA Program.
DO HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS NEED A BACKGROUND CHECK?
High school students can do a background check through Precheck, or they can complete the CEI Early College Background Check. If you would like a copy of the Early College Background Check Form, please email healthcareed@cei.edu.
IS THIS COURSE REQUIRED FOR ENTRY INTO THE LPN OR RN PROGRAMS AT CEI?
No. Although this course can serve as a prerequisite and make you a competitive candidate for entry into the academic nursing programs at CEI, it is not a requirement. For more information, visit the Health Sciences webpage and see the application guide for your program of interest.
HOW OFTEN DO YOU OFFER THIS COURSE?
This course is offered four times per year. Classes typically begin in January, April, July, and October.
CAN I TAKE THE STATE TESTS AT CEI IF I TOOK MY CNA COURSE SOMEWHERE ELSE?
Yes, students who have completed their CNA training elsewhere may complete their CNA skills and written examinations with CEI. For more information, please see the ‘State Testing’ tab on this page.
WHAT IS THE ATTENDANCE POLICY?
Per CNA program guidelines and state requirements, students may miss no more than one day of class in order to successfully complete the program and meet the required training hours.
If a student misses a class day, it is the student's responsibility to communicate with the instructor to arrange for the completion of any missed assignments and to make up any missed attendance hours.
Contact us at 208-535-5345 or healthcareed@cei.edu