Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) in the City of Honolulu, Hawaii

Did you realize that all state approved nursing aide training programs in the state of Hawaii must have a minimum of one hundred hours (100) of instruction? This is somewhat above the national requirement of at least seventy-five (75) hours, which is the norm as established by most other states (although some of the states do, in fact, require more than the minimum of seventy-five hours, and this reflects mostly in the types of patients there are in the state as well as a host of other factors). At least thirty (30) hours must be spent in classroom activities, while seventy (70) hours must be spent or dedicated to the clinical training. If you are interested in the Certified Nursing Assistant career in the Honolulu area, you must first choose a program in the state that is approved and follows all of the stringent requirements set forth by the state of Hawaii.

Basic requirements to become CNA in Honolulu, Hawaii

Certified Nursing Assistant programs existing in the Honolulu area may take anywhere from three weeks to three months to complete, and it all depends on the facility to which you choose to attend and other important factors. To enroll in one of the programs, you must be able to meet specific admission requirements pertaining to education, health as well as background history. Upon completion of the program, one must also complete the final examination which tests the individual’s skills and abilities to practice correctly and safely. Like in most other states, the final examination is a direct reflection on the skills and practices that one learns while taking and passing the course materials.

How about the Shortage of Certified Nursing Assistants in Honolulu?

The state of Hawaii currently employs roughly 4,870 Certified Nursing Assistants, which makes it ranked 49^th in the United States and DC. Hawaii employs less than 1% of the country’s CNAs; but there is currently an extreme shortage of the certified nursing assistants in the state, overall, and more specifically in the area of Honolulu. To help reduce the current shortage of CNAs in and around the area, there has been a steady increase in the number of institutions offering the approved courses that, upon completion, will allow one to practice as a CNA in the area or anywhere within the state of Hawaii.

What is the sallary of a CNA in Honolulu, Hawaii

Everyone is well aware that the cost of living in Hawaii is much higher than in the other states, and because this is true, the average salary for a certified nursing assistant is usually commensurate with the cost of living. Whereas the average salary for the certified nursing assistant does vary from region to region as well as from state to state, Hawaii Certified Nursing Assistants can usually expect to earn approximately $29,420 per annum, but there are those certified nursing assistants who earn as high as $38,680 per annum. This disparity exists among the different areas of Honolulu as well as throughout the entire state and the average salaries are typically dependent upon the shortages in the area as well as the amount of patients for whom a CNA might be responsible (although there are limits as to how many patients one person can treat at one given time and this limit is established by both national and state law). In the year 2008, the average salary of the CNA was $14.15. In some cases, however, there are those CNAs who have earned as high as $18.60 an hour.

What can one expect to do as a Certified Nursing Assistant in Honolulu?

As in most of the other states in the union, the CNA is responsible for the direct patient care that is afforded to them by the hospital, under the supervision and direction of a Registered Nurse. Essentially, a CNA can become the eyes and the ears for the nurse, while also assisting patients with bed changing, toileting, bathing, eating and other essential “activities of daily living” that we all seem to take for granted, even as patients.

Cost of a CNA Training program in Honolulu, Hawaii

The price for the education one needs in order to become a CNA in the area of Honolulu does not differ that much from the other states. Typically, it will cost anywhere from $400 to $800 in order to enroll and complete the course materials. There will be an additional cost for licensing, but this is usually nominal and it differs from one region to the next. Recently, however, there has been legislation enacted that requires employers to actually reimburse the student for the cost of his or her education if the employee agrees to remain employed for a specific time period. Interesting parties should first check with the institutions to which he or she might be working before deciding where one might want to work after graudation.