Alaska has a shortage of skilled and qualified nurses’ aides, which makes the demand for them that much higher. Therefore, if you live in Alaska and want a career as a Certified Nursing Assistant, it can happen. In order to become a CNA, you must meet the requirements put into effect by the Alaska State Board of Nursing and then be on your way.
If you want to be a CNA in Alaska, you must successfully complete a state approved training class in addition to passing the state exam. The training programs in Alaska must be 140 hours minimum. These hours are broken down into 60 hours of classroom instruction and 80 hours of clinical training. Sometimes these hours are divided up differently.
The state exam is made up of a written section and a skills section. You must pass both in order to get your license. In addition, you must be fingerprinted and agree to a criminal background check. If you’re relocating to Alaska from another state that you’re licensed in, you must bring proof of your CNA license to receive reciprocity in Alaska. You can make $10 to $14 an hour working as a CNA in Alaska. This translates to $24,440, $29,120 and $31,200 per year.
State approved CNA training programs in Alaska include:
- The Alaska’s Institute of Technology, or AVTEC, offers classes to train CNAs that are 38 days in length and total 230 hours. Textbooks are $580 and tuition is $1,320, which is a total cost of $1,900. There are classes at the Anchorage and Seward campuses.
- The University of Alaska Fairbanks has CNA training classes at $141 per credit hour and one semester of training.
- Other popular locations for CNA training courses are The University of Alaska Southeast, Sitka, Juneau and Ketchikan campuses. The fees range from $1,969 at Ketchikan to $2,171 at Juneau. Included in these fees are 10 weeks of training of 75 lecture hours and 80 clinical hours.
- A CNA training class is available at Kodiak College for the price of $1,465. This fee covers textbooks, uniform, white shoes, scrubs, CPR and First Aid, fingerprint services, passport photo, second hand wristwatch, stethoscope and the State Exam.
For additional information on becoming a CNA, get in touch with the AK Nurse Aide Registry in Anchorage.