Get CNA Certified in Georgia

Want to become a CNA in Georgia?

Career Growth:

CNA jobs are projected to grow 11% by 2026, and the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell metro has 20,000 CNA jobs.

Salary & Jobs:

The top 10% of the nation’s CNAs earn $50,000, and there are 1,000 nursing and assisted living homes in Georgia.

Requirements:

To become a registered CNA, you must graduate from an accredited course, some as short as 4 weeks, and pass the state exam.

What are the CNA requirements in Georgia? Here’s how to prepare for your CNA state exam and how to become a Certified Nurse Assistant in Georgia.

What is a Certified Nurse Aide?

CNAs are Certified Nurse Aids, also known as Certified Nursing Assistants. CNAs typically work at nursing homes, hospitals, and other medical centers. They have nursing skills such as recording vital signs, recognizing abnormal changes in their patients, assisting a patient with primary activities such as eating and drinking, and helping a patient become more independent. Many CNAs describe their job as very rewarding because they help patients in their daily lives.

CNA Requirements in Georgia

Graduate from a state-approved Certified Nursing Assistant School
Pass the Nurse Aide Exam in Georgia
Become a Certified CNA on the Georgia Nurse Registry

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How to Become a CNA in Georgia

The Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH) contracts with Alliant Health Solutions to oversee the rules and regulations for the Georgia CNA programs. The state guidelines originate from the Federal Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (OBRA) that ensure nurse aids have quality training to work at long-term care facilities. To become a Certified Nursing Assistant, you must graduate from a state-approved school.

You do not need to be a minimum age to become a CNA and you don’t need a high school diploma or its equivalent. You also don’t need to undergo a background check to become a registered nurse aide. However, your employer may require a background check during your interview process. Personal care homes and nursing homes are required to conduct criminal background checks for employees.

Nurse Aide training programs in Georgia require 85 hours of total instruction time. This includes classroom time and at least 24 of these hours must be clinical experience in a nursing home. Before you get hands-on experience with a patient at a nursing home you will need 16 training hours in the six following subjects:

Communication and interpersonal skills (include stress management)
Infection control
Safety/emergency/FBAO/Body Mechanics
Promoting residents’ independence
Respecting residents’ rights
Legal/ethical behavior and scope of practice

Nurse aide training programs typically take 8 weeks to 1 year long to complete. However, there are many options for accelerated programs with 4-week CNA classes. You can find some of these fast CNA programs at the top of this page in our Free School Search. Just enter your zip code to find CNA schools near you.

Once you pass the Georgia CNA test, congratulations! You are now eligible to become a Certified Nurse Assistant on the Georgia Nurse Registry and will receive your certification card.

If you choose to work at a licensed Medicaid/Medicare nursing home, you must complete at least 12 hours of in-service education offered by the facility. Employers must record all participating CNAs with the Georgia Nurse Aide Program.

A Closer Look at CNA Training

A typical CNA program in Georgia will include 85 hours of instruction that covers technical medical knowledge. You can expect to take CNA classes that cover topics such as:

Physical Therapy
Anatomy
Dressing & Grooming
Basic Nutrition
Health Education
Safety & Emergency Procedures
Personal Care & Hygiene
Infection Control
Data Collection & Reporting
Patient Independence
Patients’ Rights

A CNA Training Program can cost anywhere from $400 to $1,500, depending on the program. However, these fees do not include classroom materials, uniforms, or textbooks. Some facilities, such as nursing homes, offer free CNA classes, while other schools and facilities accept financial aid and payment plans. If you are employed in a Medicare/Medicaid-certified nursing home as a nurse aide, then your employer must pay your CNA exam fee and any retest fee. You must start your CNA training within the first 4 months of the date you were hired.

The CNA Test in Georgia

The state certification exam is called the National Nurse Aide Assessment Program (NNAAP) and is administered by Pearson VUE. The exam includes a written portion and a clinical skills evaluation. Both are administered on the same day and you must arrive 30 minutes before your start time. The written exam has 70 multiple choice questions. During the clinical skills test, you must correctly perform 5 skills integral to becoming a CNA. There are a possible 23 skills that the test administrator will choose from. The test administrator will notify you just prior to the test of which skills you will need to demonstrate. You will have 30 minutes to complete all 5 skills. The person playing the “patient” during your test will be a volunteer acting as an elderly patient. You may also be required to act as a “patient” during someone else’s clinical skills test.

The Pearson VUE testing centers in Georgia are listed here. You’ll need to pay and make an online reservation at least 12 days before the test date. The test score results are listed online at Pearson VUE 24 hours after the test.

If English is your second language, you are able to opt out and take the written exam orally. You can take CNA classes en Español as well. You must, however, request to take the oral exam when you initially submit your application. The oral exam offers 60 multiple choice questions and 10 multiple choice comprehensive reading questions.

CNA students with disabilities can also request certain test accommodations such as a separate testing room, an amplified stethoscope, extra testing time, and a reader or recorder for individuals with mobility or vision impairments and cannot read or write on their own. All accommodations are considered on a case-by-case basis.

It’s important to note that you must take the CNA test in Georgia no later than 1 year after graduating from your CNA program. However, you do not have to do your training in Georgia in order to be eligible to take the Georgia CNA test and become a registered CNA in Georgia. If you are an out-of-state trained CNA and wish to be certified in Georgia, then you’ll need to still take the CNA state exam in Georgia. You’ll also need to submit a form to Allied Health. For more information, you can contact them at:

Allied Health Solutions

1455 Lincoln Parkway, Suite 800

Atlanta, GA 30346

Phone: (678) 527-3100

CNA Exam Cost Broken Down:

$112 - Written & Clinical Skills Evaluation
$112 - Oral & Clinical Skills Evaluation
$27 - Written (Or Oral) Exam re-test
$85 - Clinical Skills Evaluation re-test

On the Day of the Exam, Plan to Bring:

Government-issued photo identification card
Social Security Card
Non-skid, closed-toe shoes for the clinical evaluation
Three No. 2 pencils and eraser
A watch with a second hand
Scrub-like clothes for the clinical evaluation

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CNA Jobs in Georgia

Georgia has some of the highest CNA employment in the country, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The metro area of Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell is one of the top cities in the country for high CNA employment. There are nearly 20,000 nurse aides employed there. In every 1,000 jobs there are 7 CNA jobs. These are decently condensed as well. Nurse Assistants in the Atlanta metro area earn an average wage of nearly $14/hour with an average annual wage of nearly $28,000. And these jobs can be immediately accessible with fast CNA programs or paid-for training by specific nursing homes.

The top 10% of CNAs in the country can make $50,000 annually, and nursing assistant jobs are relatively easy to find in both cities and more rural areas.

More than 50% of CNAs in the country work in nursing care facilities. There are 360 nursing homes and 807 assisted living facilities in Georgia, according to the U.S. News. You can search these possible employers by location, facility size, and reviews by the residents.

CNAs play a such vital role in patient care for the elderly, that the growth of CNA jobs is projected to grow 11% by 2026. Besides nursing homes, other CNA jobs can be found at hospitals, medical offices, home care, mental health facilities, outpatient care centers, and even film and television housing facilities. An aging population will significantly increase nurse aide jobs throughout the country.

CNA Job Advancement

The great opportunity about becoming a CNA is that you can become certified very fast - in as little as 4-weeks with some accelerated classes. You can also get financial aid or sponsored classes through some employers. This means becoming a nurse aide is a great way to “test-drive” nursing while gaining experience and increasing your skills. When you fall in love with the nursing industry, you can then decide if you want to advance. The next level above a CNA is a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) and then the next step up is a Registered Nurse (RN). These positions are higher salaries. But the programs are also much more expensive and time-consuming, so it’s a good idea to try out being a CNA first to make sure you enjoy the nursing field.

And for current news, CNA tips, and job information, become a regular reader of our CNA Blog.

Renewal of a CNA License in Georgia

You need to renew your CNA license in Georgia every 24 months. To be eligible, you must have been employed as a nurse aide for at least 8 hours during the past 2 years. Send in a renewal application 60 days before your CNA license expires. Your most recent employer will need to provide a signature on your renewal application and you’ll need to include proof of your employment. You can renew your license for free! There is also no fee for changing a name or address on the registry.

For the renewal form and more information contact the Georgia Department of Community Health:

1249 Donald Lee Hollowell Pkwy NW,

Atlanta, GA 30318

Phone: (404) 656-4507

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State-Approved Nursing Assistant Programs in Georgia

Albany Technical College

1704 South Slappey Blvd, Albany, GA 31701

229-430-2832

Atlanta Technical College

1560 Metropolitan Parkway Sw, Atlanta, GA 30310

404-225-4420

Augusta Technical College

216 Hyw 24S, Waynesboro, GA 30830

706-437-6801

Augusta Technical College

3200 Augusta Tech Drive, 900 Building, Augusta, GA 30906

706-771-4175

Augusta Technical College

388 Tech Drive Nw, Thomson, GA 30824

706-595-0166