Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)
Non-Credit Certificate
You’ll be ready for rewarding work with only three weeks of training. CNAs are vital to healthcare teams, directly caring for patients’ physical, social, and emotional needs. You'll learn in the classroom, the laboratory, and a clinical setting.
Get Started
Course Information
This course introduces the student to the knowledge, skills, and communication techniques to function as an accountable member of the health care team in a variety of healthcare settings including long term care facilities. Classroom theory, laboratory practice, and clinical experience will be incorporated to prepare the student to address the patient’s physical, social, and emotional needs. Students successfully completing this course will be awarded a CNA 76-hour course certificate. Students will also be prepared to take the State written and skills exams to be placed on the Iowa Direct Care Workers Registry should they desire.
Are you a High School student? Did you know that you can take the CNA course through IHCC at age 16? A CNA certificate is a prerequisite for enrolling in a nursing degree program.
- Option 1: Take a CNA course through your Health Science Academy and earn high school and college credit. Ask your academic counselor for information on how to enroll.
- Option 2: Take classes directly through IHCC Continuing Education, register through our Continuning Education website.
Financial Assistance
Tuition assistance for this program may be available through the GAP Tuition Assistance program or PACE programs. Eligibility is based on the family household income of the individual. Students
are eligible to receive GAP tuition assistance only once. This process should be started
at least 2 weeks before class start. Contact Maggie at 641-683-5149 or [email protected]
to check eligibility for GAP or PACE tuition assistance for the program.
CNA Program Information
A CNA certificate is not a license. Upon successful completion of the 76/75 hour CNA class, you will receive a course completion certificate. You will be a “Certified” Nursing Assistant.
- There are currently no continuing education requirements to maintain this certification. Your CNA certificate/certification from class does not expire.
- If you misplace your certificate, contact the community college where you took your CNA course for a duplicate copy (there may be a small charge).
- You must be 16 years old at the time of enrollment.
- You must be able to read, write, and speak English (this is a state requirement).
- You must possess or be currently working toward a high school diploma or equivalent.
The Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals and Licensing (DIAL) requires a state criminal and abuse background check.
- Verification is conducted through the Iowa Department of Human Services. The form to complete this will be handed out at the mandatory orientation.
- If you believe your background check may be flagged, you can download the criminal background check form (below) prior to orientation. Fill it out, sign it, and return it to IHCC immediately.
- You will not be allowed to attend clinical classes until your background check has been cleared by the state. This process can take several weeks.
- If your verification is more than 30 days old, it is considered invalid and will need to be repeated for the $20 fee.
Indian Hills will require a national background check completed by Viewpoint. This will be done within the first few days of class.
You must provide proof of a physical examination, a two-step tuberculosis (TB) test, and required vaccinations before you can start class.
- Required immunizations (or immunity) include: MMR, Varicella, TDAP, and the flu (during flu season).
- All documentation must be transferred onto the physical form. Please do not attach documentation to it.
- The form must be signed by a practitioner (ARNP, PA, MD, DO) after the form is completely filled out and your physical is complete.
- Bring your completed documentation to your instructor at the mandatory orientation the week prior to the start of class.
- If you do not have your complete forms, you will not be allowed to start the CNA course.
You can register for the CNA course online through IHCC’s Continuing Education program.
- If you have not taken a continuing education class since September 2021, create a new profile. If you have, log into your account.
- Once you have logged in or created a new profile, go to Browse > Health & Public Safety > Long Term Care. Then look for classes titled “Certified Nursing Assistant CNA [Date].”
- After we receive your registration, we’ll send you an email with more information about your classes.
- Mandatory orientation is held at 1:00 p.m. on the Tuesday before the class starts in room 126 in the Rosenman Training Center.
All nurse aide classes have a registration deadline of noon on the Monday before the start date of class.
Classes are held in Jan, Feb, March, May, June, July, Sept, Oct, Nov, and Dec on the Ottumwa Main Campus.
Clinicals are held during the third week from 6:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Day classes last three weeks. Classes and labs are held the first two weeks from 7:45 a.m. to 3:15 p.m., Monday through Thursday.
Evening classes are also offered in Ottumwa, usually, spring, summer, and fall. Contact us for more information on evening classes.
Classes are also occasionally held in Centerville. Contact us for more information.
IHCC offers both written and skills testing for the Iowa Direct Care Worker Registry.
- Testing fees are $65 for the written exam and $125 for the skills exam.
- You must pre-register for each test online. Testing fees must be paid at the time of preregistration, and you will not be able to register for testing until fees are received.
- If your employer or program is paying for your testing, they must provide a letter on company letterhead via email to [email protected] indicating their intent to pay.
- Exams are conducted at IHCC’s Ottumwa campus. You must show proof of payment and a photo ID.
- No walk-ins are allowed for either exam.
- If you register and pay for testing and fail to cancel or show, you will forfeit your testing fee.
Additional details about the Iowa Direct Care Worker Registry are outlined in the FAQs below.
“If you want to get an education that will lead to a successful career, I recommend Indian Hills. The instructors believe in the mission of changing students’ lives and teaching what you need to know to grow in your future career.”
Frequently Asked Questions
After selecting your class, you may pay with either Visa or Mastercard. You can also pay in person at our office during normal business hours: Ottumwa Campus, Advanced Technology Center, Monday-Thursday, 7:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Unless other arrangements have been made for a 3rd party to cover your tuition, you need to pay at the time of registration.
Yes, please have your company contact us at [email protected] or (641) 683-5249 to make arrangements to pay for your class.
Please note: You will not be considered officially registered for the class until we have received confirmation from your company that they will cover your tuition cost.
To qualify for a refund, you must cancel your registration at least 3 business days prior to the class start date.
- If you have not prepaid for the class, charges will be assessed to your account if you do not cancel within the required timeframe, or if you do not show up for the class.
- In extreme circumstances, we might make an exception to our policy. To cancel a registration because of extreme circumstances, call us at (641) 683-5249.
- A few of our class offerings do have special refund policies. If your course has a different refund policy than the one listed above, this information will be conveyed to you at the time of registration.
- If a class is cancelled by Indian Hills, you will have the option of receiving a full refund or having your registration moved to the next available class date.
If Indian Hills announces that classes are canceled, this will include all continuing education courses. When Indian Hills' makes this announcement college wide, the message is posted on our homepage at www.indianhills.edu.
- If your class is scheduled Monday-Thursday, please check the IHCC homepage for weather related announcements.
- If your class is scheduled Friday-Sunday, you will receive an email letting you know if your class has been canceled.
Please check both our website and your email before heading to class.
Some Continuing Education classes qualify for GAP Funding.
For more information, contact our GAP office at 641.683.5131
Iowa Direct Care Worker Registry Frequently Asked Questions
No, there is no CNA license.
Upon successful completion of a state-approved CNA course you will receive a course completion certificate to become “Certified Nursing Assistant." This certification does not expire and there are currently no continuing education requirements for this certification.
Iowa's community colleges offer state-approved training for individuals interested in becoming CNAs. The colleges offer both classroom studies and hands-on clinical training, in addition to the required skills and written exams to be certified.
Some health care facilities and other private entities offer training for individuals interested in becoming CNAs, but are not able to offer the skills and written exam portions.
Only those individuals who have completed a state-approved CNA course can be considered a CNA. Some health care providers, facilities, or other related employers will only hire CNAs, but others may be willing to hire a non-certified Nursing Assistant or Nurse Aide (NA).
An NA is someone that has not completed a state-approved CNA course and instead chose to “challenge” or take and pass the required written and skills training tests to be placed on the Iowa Direct Care Worker Registry.
The Iowa Direct Care Worker Registry is a database of individuals who have passed both a Skills and a Written Exam (also called Registry Exams or OBRA testing) making them eligible to work in a Long-Term Care (LTC) Center as a nurse’s aide or assistant.
It is a Federal requirement that nurse’s aides must be on the Registry to work in a LTC Facility, which includes nursing homes, skilled nursing facilities, or a skilled or swing bed unit of a hospital.
In Iowa, The Department of Inspections, Appeals & Licensing (DIAL) oversees the Registry at https://dial.iowa.gov/i-need/licenses/health/direct-care
- To be placed on the registry, candidates must take and pass the registry skills and written exams.
- Both tests must be passed within three attempts.
- Once you pass one exam, you only have one year to pass the second before the first one becomes invalid.
- If you do not pass the written or skills test after three attempts, you must take or retake the 76/75-hour course and begin a new testing cycle.
Individuals may visit the Health Facilities website to see if they are currently active on the registry.
Select “DCW Search” on the left side of the page, and search by Registry ID number, first or last name, city, or county.
- To maintain active status on the Registry, you must work as an employee and complete a minimum of 8 hours of nursing or nursing-related duties every two years.
- If you work in an LTC facility, they are required to provide at least 12 hours of in-service training per year, which you are required to complete.
Hospices, hospitals, home health care agencies (HHAs), and ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs) may, but are not required to, report CNA's qualifying work hours if the work done by the CNA includes typical CNA nursing duties. If these entities choose to report CNA work hours to the Registry, they may do so electronically.
If you perform typical CNA nursing duties at a different type of facility, that facility may report those hours for consideration to keep your CNA active on the Registry. If your employer chooses to submit the CNA’s hours, it cannot be done electronically — they must do so by mail, providing DIAL with your job description and a letter on facility letterhead showing that you have performed at least eight hours of paid nursing or nursing-related duties.
Your employer must provide enough details to show that you’ve met met the long-term care employment guidelines. DIAL will make the determination if this work qualifies you to remain active on the Registry.
- If you’re a certified nurse’s aide who successfully completed a 76 (75) hour CNA course, you may enroll in the CNA Refresher Course through an Iowa community college.
- If you challenged Registry exams to get onto the registry initially, you are not eligible to take the CNA Refresher Course.
- If you wish to transfer from Iowa to another state registry, please first contact the registry in that state.
- If you wish to transfer to Iowa from another state registry, you must complete the Iowa Direct Care Registry application available from DIAL.
Talk To a Real Person
Talk About the Program
Lori Reeves
Program Director