The duties of a Certified Nursing Assistant, or CNA, in Maryland are the same as with other states. As a routine, they perform day to day personal caregiving tasks to patients in hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, and even working in the homes of patients for people with long term illnesses.
Many doctors’ offices employ CNAs to help with their daily patients. CNAs are trained to work in any type of medical setting so they have a variety of choices as to where they want to be employed.
As a resident of Maryland, there are certain requirements that you must pass in order to get a certification for a CNA, just as in the majority of other states. In Maryland, there are some prerequisites to becoming a CNA. These include a high school diploma or a GED, proof of immunization, 2 fingerprint cards, 2 passport size pictures, and a negative TB test taken within the previous 6 months.
Once you’ve met those prerequisites, there are other requirements that you have to meet. To begin with, there’s a minimum number of hours of training required, which is usually covered in 8 to 13 weeks. A minimum of 75 classroom hours along with 100 hours of hands on training performed in a clinical setting are typical.
CNA Training and Certification in Maryland
There are various ways of getting trained to become a CNA in Maryland. You can attend an accredited school, online classroom training, Red Cross training, or become trained by a medical facility. If you’re taking your training online, the school usually has arrangements with facilities close to you where you can get your hands on training. If you arrange to take training in a medical facility, it’s usually free as long as you agree to a certain amount of time working in the facility following your certification. This can actually be on the job training for which you’ll be paid. The facility will also make arrangements for you to sit for the state exam.
Once you’ve successfully completed both the classroom and hands on training, you’ll need to apply to sit for a state approved examination. Before you’re allowed to take the examination, you must submit to be fingerprinted along with passing a federal criminal background check. If you pass the background check, you’ll be allowed to sit for the Maryland State CNA Examination. This exam requires you to pass both written and practical portions.
Your training and licensing has the advantage of possibly carrying from state to state. However, there may be a few extra things that you have to abide by to make your license valid. Contact the proper authorities prior to moving to the state of relocation and find out what you’ll need to do to transfer your license.