How to Become a Certified Nurse Aide in South Dakota

(found 109 schools, updated in May 2017)

The Certified Nursing Assistant or Certified Nurse Aide assists the Registered Nurse, Licensed Practical Nurse and other healthcare professionals in hospitals, hospices, nursing homes and long-term care facilities. Many CNAs discover they truly enjoy providing healthcare services and decide to pursue a degree to become a Registered Nurse or Licensed Practical Nurse. It is a rewarding career that offers people with a variety of medical needs the attention and basic services required to preserve the quality of life.

• 6 Steps to Becoming a CNA in South Dakota
• How to Keep CNA Certification Active in South Dakota
• Salary and Job Outlook for CNAs in South Dakota
• A List of Nearby or Bordering States

6 Steps to Becoming a CNA in South Dakota

The South Dakota State Board of Nursing (SDBON) is the government agency that is responsible for approving state-approved CNA training programs and maintaining the CNA State Registry. The Certified Nurse Aide falls in the category of Unlicensed Assistive Personnel (UAP) in South Dakota. The Nursing Aide must maintain active SD CNA Registry status but is not required to obtain a license.

Following are guidelines to assist people interested in achieving CNA status in South Dakota.

Step 1: Research and Choose Preferred State-Approved Schools

In South Dakota, the SDBON approves nurse aide training programs. The state requires a minimum of 75 hours of didactic and clinical training. It is very important to attend a state-approved program because the SDBON has reviewed the curriculum and made sure it meets minimum state and federal requirements.

There are approximately 107 state-approved CNA programs in South Dakota, but the number is not fixed. Always check current listings when looking for CNA classes in South Dakota to ensure all options are considered. The large majority of South Dakota CNA programs are offered at nursing homes and assisted living facilities. That is where the greatest need is found for Certified Nurse Aides as the population ages. There are a few non-nursing home facilities offering CNA programs. The Avera CNA Online Training Solutions Curriculum and We Care Online offer online coursework. The coursework is completed online, but the student must satisfy clinical training requirements.

CNA Classes in South Dakota by City

If you want to become a Certified Nurse Aide in South Dakota by taking one of the state-approved CNA programs in the state, check the following school table to find the best school near you. The data is updated in May 2017.

Step 2: Consider the Training Costs

Students who get training in Medicare or Medicaid funded nursing homes or assisted living facilities can work while completing training. In those situations, the training is free per requirements of the federal OBRA 87 law. The law says:

• The nurse aide who is employed by a facility when nurse aide training begins cannot be charged for any portion of the program, including course materials
• The nurse aide who is employed by a facility within 12 months of completing a Certified Nurse Aide training program will be reimbursed by the nursing facility

The student may be employed for up to four (4) months while training but must obtain registry status before the end of the four months.

Costs at educational facilities can vary. As of 2017, Southeast Tech Community College‘s CNA training program costs were $710. Students accepted into the Boxelder Job Corps Certified Nurse Assistant are not charged any fees, but they must live in campus dormitories while in the program. The We Care Online CNA course costs $290, but 50 hours of didactic learning is completed online and 40 hours of clinical training is completed at a long term care facility.

Step 3: Select a School and Ensure Prerequisites Are Met

To register for a CNA training program in South Dakota, the student needs to meet program prerequisites. They can vary slightly from school to school, but as a minimum will require:

• Completing a school application
• Completing a program application
• Providing proof of having earned a High School diploma or GED
• Passing a drug screen test
• Passing a criminal background check

Step 4: Complete CNA Training

Every curriculum approved by the South Dakota Board of Nursing will include learning and training that is critical to doing a good job as a Certified Nursing Assistant. The areas of instruction and skills training include the following:

1. Protecting the safety of residents, CNAs and other personnel
2. Providing personal care to patients
3. Infection control, including hand-washing techniques
4. Care of patients with impairments
5. Understanding the signs and stages of mental health
6. Protecting resident rights
7. Data collection of patient vital signs and other statistics
8. Understanding the role and responsibilities of the nurse aide
9. Effective verbal and non-verbal communication with patients or residents
10. Older adult growth and development
11. Basic nursing skills
12. Understanding the disease process

Step 5: Take the CNA Examination

After completing the 75 hours of didactic and clinical training in a state-approved program, the Nursing Assistant will then take the Competency Evaluation Exam. In South Dakota, D&S Diversified Technologies dba Headmaster is under contract with the South Dakota Health Care Association to provide the CNA testing and scoring services. The employer or the CNA program staff will submit the student’s name for testing. The examination has two sections including a Knowledge/Oral Test and a Manual Skill Test.

Knowledge/Oral Test

This section has 75 questions that are selected from 9 major subject areas: such as safety, communication, infection control, basic rights, basic nursing skills and personal care, role and responsibility, physical health and illness, mental health and illness, the aging process and other areas. The student has 90 minutes to do the test and must get a minimum score of 75 percent.

Skill Test

This section of the test assesses three or four CNA skills including one mandatory task and two or three randomly selected ones. The mandatory skills tasks are toileting using a bedpan and emptying a urinary drainage bag.

The randomly chosen skills are selected from a list provided in the Headmaster’s Candidate Handbook. They include skills like abdominal thrust to address choking, ambulation with a cane or walker, ambulation with use of a gait belt, applying antiembolic stockings, taking patient vital signs, brushing resident teeth, changing an occupied bed, denture care, assisting with dining, measuring total fluid consumed, donning and removing gown and gloves, resident hair care, mouth care of a comatose resident and others. The student must get a minimum score of 75 percent on each skill.

Certification requirements require passing both exam parts. Headmaster provides test results to the South Dakota Health Care Association which then provides test results to the student and the employer. If the exam taker fails a Knowledge or Skill Test, the failed test will have to be retaken.

Step 6: Get Certified as a CNA in South Dakota

Completing CNA training and passing the competency evaluation exam is one path for earning CNA certification in South Dakota. The South Dakota Health Care Association maintains the South Dakota Nurse Aides Registry, and enters the nurse aide’s name after verification the student passed the exam.

There are other paths to becoming a CNA in South Dakota.

Active CNAs from Other States

Out of state Certified Nursing Assistants can request to be included on the South Dakota CNA Registry by submitting the CNA Interstate Endorsement Application to the South Dakota Board of Nursing.

Nursing Students

Nursing students who completed a Fundamentals of Nursing course – RN or LPN students who successfully complete a Fundamentals of Nursing course can request a waiver from the requirement to complete a 75-hour nurse aide training program. If approved, the student can take the CNA Competency Evaluation exam.

Equivalency of Education in Other Healthcare Fields

A Nurse Aide training program instructor can review the competence of students who were educated in other healthcare fields. This applies to a healthcare professional who is a physical therapist, EMT, respiratory therapist, occupational therapist, paramedic or medical assistant. The person has to enroll in a state-approved CNA training program, and the instructor determines the areas where the person needs additional training in order to meet state curriculum requirements. The instructor qualifies the person to take the competency evaluation test.

Back to Top

How to Keep CNA Certification Active in South Dakota

Certified Nurse Aides in South Dakota must renew their CNA certification every two years. There are two requirements to renew CNA certification:

1. Complete at least 12 hours of training each year, and
2. Work as a paid CNA for at least 12 hours during the prior 24 months

Lapsed Certification

If the CNA has a lapsed certification but meets the two renewal requirements, the person can contact the SDBON to request certification reinstatement. A person with a lapsed certification cannot renew online. If someone with a lapsed certification cannot meet the annual training and paid employment requirements, the person will need to retrain and take the CNA state tests.

Back to Top

Salary and Job Outlook for CNAs in South Dakota

Per the Department of Labor, the average annual CNA salary in South Dakota, as of May 2016, was $24,960 or $12.00 per hour. For the period 2014-2024, long term employment projections show a 7.8 percent increase in the number of CNA jobs. | See Job Openings

CNA Salaries in South Dakota

Back to Top

A List of Nearby or Bordering States

• Iowa
• Minnesota
• Montana
• Nebraska
• North Dakota
• Wyoming