Certified Nursing assistant are in important part of our health care system. As such, if you are looking to become a CNA, it is extremely important that you have the best training available. Keeping in mind that not all CNA Classes in PA are certified, here are the top CNA Classes in PA and the reasons why they are the best of the best.
The Friendship Village of Upper South Hills
The Friendship Village of Upper South Hills is a life space community for the elderly. It is located in the South Hills of Pennsylvania in Upper Saint Clair. But location alone is not what makes the Friendship Village of Upper South Hills one of the top CNA programs in PA. This elderly community is also home to one of the best CCAC (Continuing Care Accreditation Commission) accredited CNA courses in PA. Having an elderly continued living facility on site while training to achieve your CNA is a very rare, and useful, opportunity. You will not only have some of the best teaching available to you, but you will also have first hand experience early on while learning, which is extremely important and can help you to better your learning at a much faster rate than usual. And of course it does not hurt that the Friendship Village of Upper South Hills has a remarkably beautiful “campus.”
Central Pennsylvania’s Community College
Central Pennsylvania’s Community College is one of the only community colleges that offer accredited CNA classes in PA. The Central Pennsylvania’s Community College course is geared to provide students with long term nursing skills for use in both casual medical surroundings, such as nursing homes for the elderly, or intensive surroundings such as the emergency room at the local hospital. The Central Pennsylvania’s Community College CNA training program is an intensive 120 hour course for those who are looking to make a career out of becoming a certified nurse aide. The main reason this school is in the top is because it offers a high level of flexibility that few other schools can. The CNA program offered at the Central Pennsylvania’s Community College can take between 16 and 29 evenings to complete, but can be complete in as little as three and a half weeks depending upon the classes that the student picks. This means that when you go to take certified nursing aide classes at the Central Pennsylvania’s Community College, you can be ready and out in the field in as little as a month, depending upon your skill level and your dedication. Note that even if you do choose to try and complete the course in as short a span as possible, you will still be required to complete all 120 hours of the course—it will simply be crammed closer together. Once you finish the course and complete all 120 hours requires, you will receive your certified nurse aide certification, authenticating you and giving you the ability to start working almost immediately.
The Pennsylvania Institute of Health and Technology
The Pennsylvania Institute of Health and Technology is not only currently one of the top schools offering CNA classes in PA, but it has been one of the top schools to do so for well over a decade. As a student at the Pennsylvania Institute of Health and Technology, you will have more hands on opportunities to work with real live “patients” than any other school. Why? Because the Pennsylvania Institute of Health and Technology specializes in the health field. This school offers state of the art facilities for your full use, and is fully certified by the health care accreditation board. Thus, once you graduate from the Pennsylvania Institute of Health and Technology after completing the required course work, you will be ready and able to work out in the field right away. The Pennsylvania Institute of Health and Technology is also one of the few colleges that offer health care classes as a specialty that is fully accredited by the ACICS (Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools).
YTI Career Institute
The YTI Career Institute is the school that rounds out our top four of CNA classes in PA. Coming in last in the top four does not mean that the YTI Career Institute is any less of a school than the others on our list. In fact, the YTI Career Institute offers more career options than any of the other schools mentioned above. However it is their CNA class that really shines. The YTI Career Institute is fully accredited to teach certified nursing aide students by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges. The program lasts a total of one hundred and twenty hours—as all CNA programs should. However where the YTI Career Institute differs is in its offerings; while taking classes to become a certified nursing aide at the YTI Career Institute, you will have many options available to you. At the YTI Career Institute, you will have the opportunity to work with live “patients” in order to best learn how to perform common nursing duties such as taking blood, taking temperature and even taking blood pressure. Located in Altoona PA, the YTI Career Institute also has a beautiful campus, and is located near the Veterans Administration Hospital, where many of the college’s students will not only take their classes, but go on to work after graduation.