How to Become a Certified Nurse Aide in Kansas

There are 29 state-approved Certified Nurse Aide programs in Kansas. You can find the best local CNA school in the following list. The school list is updated in November 2017.

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Program Length and Structure

Programs vary in length and structure. For example:

• The Kansas City Kansas Community College (KCKCC) enrolls high school seniors in its program. The training program is one-semester in duration and classes are offered on-campus. It is a credit program, meaning the student can apply the five (5) credits towards a degree program at a later time.
• Midwestern College offers on-campus CNA classes and CNA hybrid courses, meaning some classes are attended online and others are attended on campus. It also takes a semester to complete. The on-campus weekday class that requires full-time attendance takes approximately four weeks to complete. The CNA hybrid course, with Saturday only attendance, takes approximately eight weeks.
• Washburn Tech offers a CNA training program that is 106 hours of instruction and accepts high school juniors and seniors, and post-secondary students. It is a five-credit course, and credits can be applied to a future degree program.

CNA Training Costs

The costs of training also vary for CNA classes in Kansas. KCKCC charges $86 plus a per-credit fee, tech fee and allied health special fee for a total of $331. The student must still buy uniforms and cover other expenses. Washburn Tech’s CNA program for high school students costs $164 for tuition, materials and technology fee, textbook, supplies and a certification fee. The program costs for post-secondary students are $794. Midwestern College charges $550 for tuition, textbook and testing fees. All students, no matter where they attend, will have to buy uniforms.

All the amounts mentioned are subject to change by the training facility. Generally, the cost of training can run from $500 to $1,000. Students should discuss payment options and potential funding sources with the school’s financial aid office. Some students may qualify for workforce training funds, and the financial aid office can direct them to the appropriate state agencies.

Step 3: Meet CNA Training Program Prerequisites

Some CNA training programs in Kansas require the student to show proof of a high school diploma or GED before they will allow enrollment. There are also programs that allow high school students or people who did not complete high school to enroll. Other prerequisites to enrollment include:

• Complete a health examination
• Be at least 18 years with the exception of training programs enrolling non-high school graduates (must pass a reading and comprehension assessment)
• Pass a criminal background check via the live scan fingerprint method
• Pass a drug test
• Show proof of immunizations
• Show proof of a negative TB skin test or chest x-ray
• Achieve a minimum on math and reading assessment tests, like WorkKeys

Step 4: Complete CNA Training

A state-approved CNA course in Kansas is a minimum of 90 hours which includes classroom, lab and clinical training. The program has two parts, and each part is required to consist of 50 percent clinical training that can take place in an adult care facility, school setting or simulated laboratory.

The curriculum guidelines are maintained by HOC. The training covers a variety of general healthcare topics and topics specific to nursing assistant duties and skills. They include:

• Infection control
• Communication and interpersonal skills
• Safety and emergency procedures
• Respecting residents’ legal and ethical rights
• Promoting residents’ independence
• The aging process
• Basic human needs
• Resident mobility and body mechanics
• Transferring and positioning patients
• Using mechanical assistive devices
• Managing resident’s personal living space

• Client personal care and grooming

• Nutrition and fluids
• Measuring and recording vital signs
• Working with healthcare team members
• End-of-life care
• Dementia and problem behaviors

Step 5: Take the Competency Evaluation Exam

The Kansas state exam consists of a Written Test that consists of 100 multiple-choice questions, and a minimum score of 75 percent is a passing grade. Testing individuals are allowed three attempts within 12 months. The 12-month period begins on the first day the training program began. If the individual does not pass the test within 12 months, he or she must retrain and retest.

Step 6: Get Name Placed on the Kansas Nurse Aide Registry

After successfully meeting state CNA certification requirements, the individual’s name is added to the Kansas CNA Registry. Once on the Registry, the person can use the CNA designation and accept jobs that require certification.

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How to Keep CNA Certification Active

CNA certification in Kansas is good for two years. To renew CNA certification, the nurse aide needs to work a minimum of eight (8) hours during the 2-year certification period. Nurse aides who have not worked, and their status becomes inactive, can reactivate their status in one of two ways:

• Complete a 2-day refresher course at a community college, or
• Have a hospital or RN in a long-term care facility administer a checklist

The checklist process involves a RN watching the nurse aide perform 18 skills to determine if the individual can perform the skills in a satisfactory manner.

CNA Refresher Courses in Kansas by City

The HOC maintains a list of state-approved training sites offering a CNA refresher course. There are 7 state-approved Certified Nurse Aide refresher programs in Kansas. The program list is updated in November 2017.

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Salary and Job Outlook for CNAs in Kansas

Certified Nurse Aides in Kansas can work in long-term care facilities, nursing homes and long-term units of hospitals, in addition to all other types of healthcare settings. It is necessary to get certified as a Home Health Aide to work for a Medicare-certified home health agency. Certification is not required to work in non-Medicare/Medicaid funded healthcare facilities, or in areas of the hospital other than the long-term unit of a hospital. However, many employers prefer certification, so becoming a CNA offers many more employment opportunities. | See Job Openings

CNA Salary in Kansas

The annual mean wage for Kansas CNAs is $24,530 or $11.79 per hour. The long-term projected growth in the number of Kansas nursing assistant jobs is 4.5 percent for the period 2014-2024. | See Job Openings

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Becoming a CNA in Bordering States

• Colorado
• Nebraska
• Missouri
• Oklahoma