Whether you are looking for a new field of work or just getting started, nothing is more satisfying or rewarding than working in the medical field. While you could spend years going to universities to receive your doctorate or nursing degree, these options cost significant amounts of money. If time and money are not on your side, then perhaps you want to look into becoming a Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA). As a CNA, you are responsible for caring and providing great quality of life care for patients in nursing homes, adult daycare centers, hospitals, or home care. Best of all, there are multiple options on how to achieve your certification for free. Here are a few options that are available to receive your license as a CNA.
1. Job Corps
The Job Corps of America is a workforce program that is supported and funded by the United States Department of Labor. They offer programs for technical training for 16 to 24 year old students that fall within low income requirements. In addition to free training, students may receive living accommodations and monetary allowances.
To sign up, locate the nearest Job Corps site in your area by visiting http://www.recruiting.jobcorps.gov/en/centers.aspx. Once you have located the nearest Job Corps center, you will be able to sign up for their nursing assistant program.
2. WIA
Workforce Investment Act (WIA) is designed to assist people who are seeking training for suitable work. WIA is generally available through your county’s unemployment office. To join the CNA program you must be at least 18 years of age and be unemployed, or working at a job that you will not progress at and has low income. Those who are eligible may also receive a clothing allowance, transportation reimbursement, and any additional reimbursement for out of pocket expenses that were billed to you due to the training.
3. Your Local Hospital or Nursing Home
If you do not meet the eligibility requirements for either of the programs above, you can still find options to receive free CNA training. There are multiple nursing homes, hospitals, and other medical facilities that are understaffed and desperately seeking out qualified CNA’s to help with their heavy workloads. Because of this, these facilities offer free CNA training from time to time to those who agree to work for them once the training is complete.
Beware Of Scams
While there are several programs designed to help you receive free CNA training, there are just as many scams out there. There are programs that will offer you free classes or classes for a small fee, but they are not accredited, meaning their certification is not accepted by the medical board.
People who have fallen victim to these scams spend several hours in training but will not be able to obtain work. In addition to these schools, there are other programs that offer to “reimburse” you once you have paid for their classes and agreed to work for their company. Many have paid for classes only to find out that there are no jobs available with the company or the jobs didn’t exist at all.
Prior to signing up for classes, take the time to read through every piece of documentation you are given. Try to rely on using well-known companies, as listed above, for your training. As always, if the offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
This post was written by Catherine Bynes. You can get more details on free cna training in your state over at her blog: http://nursingcareertips.com/free-cna-training/
