Become a Nursing Assistant Certified (NAC)
Looking for fast track into a healthcare career? You can move from training to certification to work in about three months by completing our Nursing Assistant Certified (NAC) program.
The NAC course (NURS 100) is offered every fall, winter, and spring quarter. There are no prerequisites for the course and anyone 18 years of age or older may register.
This program is approved and certified by both the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of Social and Health Care Services (DSHS).
Upon completion of the program, students are eligible to take the National Nurse Aide Assessment Program (NNAAP) examination. When successful, students will be certified in Washington State and qualified to work in nursing homes, hospitals, assisted living, group homes, and other home care agencies.
Course Description
Prepares students to become nursing assistants in convalescent centers, hospitals, home, and community settings. Covers the nursing assistant’s role and responsibilities on the health care team. Meets Washington State and federal requirements for nursing assistant education.
Nursing Assistant Certified (NAC)
This one-term course prepares individual students with the technical skills to provide direct hands-on care for clients under the supervision of a licensed professional nurse in a variety of health care settings, including hospitals, physician's offices, home health agencies, correctional facilities, nursing homes, private homes, and mental health institutions. As a Nursing Assistant, your job will be to assist clients with activities of daily living and assist clients to their highest level of functioning, while maintaining patient confidentiality and the client's Bill of Rights.
This face-to-face course will combine classroom/lab experience in which theory-based concepts are presented via lecture/discussion, videotapes, and lab practice of skills, along with time in the long-term care clinical setting working with clients.
Examples of basic and technical skills students will learn are:
- Ambulation and transfers
- Bed-making
- Personal care grooming and hygiene (e.g. toileting, dressing/undressing, pericare, bathing, oral care, and feeding)
- Measuring intake and output
- Transporting clients
- Taking and recording vital signs (e.g. temperature, pulse, respirations, height, and weight)
- Meeting client’s needs that they cannot do for themselves
- Documenting care given, observing, and reporting how clients respond to the care given
Students who successful complete the classroom, skills lab, and clinical requirement will be eligible to apply for the Washington State skills and written competency testing. Students who pass this State competency skills and written test will then be able to apply to be certified to work as a Nursing Assistant in Washington State. You can learn more at the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
In addition to tuition and fees, students will be responsible for paying for textbooks, equipment, CPR certification, and required immunizations.
NAC is a limited-entry course. Only the first 20 applicants will be accepted into the course each quarter offered. All students:
- Must be at least 18 years of age by week six (6) of the current quarter.
- Running Start students may apply with written authorization from their high school counselor (proof must be provided).
- Must be able to meet the Technical Standards independently, with or without reasonable accommodation.
- Please contact Disability and Access Services as needed.
- Must successfully pass criminal background check(s).
- Immediate disqualifiers to the program can be found at: Disqualifying Crimes and Negative Actions.
- Valid CPR certification through the American Heart Association’s Basic Life Support Providers course.
- Reading and writing competencies measured by placement test(s) or previous college coursework (unofficial transcript).
- Current Immunizations:
- MMR (proof of 2 vaccinations)
- Tdap (proof of 1 within the last 10 years)
- Hepatitis B (proof of at least the 1st dose)
- Varicella
- Seasonal flu
- Covid
- TB - either PPD/TST skin tests (2 separate tests) OR one blood test (QuantiFERON or T-spot)
