Nursing Assistant Certified (NAC)

About

The Nursing Assistant Program prepares students for a career as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA). Nursing assistants must complete a state-approved education program that includes both instruction on the principles of nursing and supervised clinical work. Upon completion of training, students are eligible to take their state examination to become a Nursing Assistant, Certified. The Nursing Assistant Program at TCC is approved by the State of Washington, Department of Health, and Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission.

Nursing Assistants work under the direction and supervision of licensed nursing staff, have a great deal of contact with patients, and provide personal care such as bathing, feeding, and dressing. They also perform support functions such as taking vital signs, making beds, helping patients become ambulatory, and answering patient calls. Nursing Assistants are responsible for documenting care given, observing, and reporting how patients respond to the care that is being given. Nursing Assistants have far more contact with residents than any other staff and are expected to develop ongoing relationships with the patients/residents and treat them in a positive, caring way. To be a successful Nursing Assistant, they will work in a multidisciplinary team, be able to follow directions, and have a great deal of patience.

The knowledge and skills gained in the Nursing Assistant program are highly valued by healthcare industry employers such as hospitals, assisted living facilities, nursing homes, and home health agencies. The training can also serve to meet requirements for patient care when applying to other health care education programs, such as nursing, sonography, respiratory care, and radiology.

 

 

Nursing Assistant Certification Program

The Nursing Assistant Program is 10 credits, is 5 weeks, and includes CPR certification. Prerequisite: None.

CORE REQUIREMENTS

TENTATIVE WINTER 2025 SCHEDULE (DOCX)

The nursing assistant student must be able to meet the Technical Standards, or required skills and abilities, with or without reasonable accommodation. Please connect with Access Services as needed.

Students who successfully complete the classroom, skills lab, and clinical requirements will be eligible to take the NNAAP Nurse Aide Exam.

If you are ready to enroll in the Nursing Assistant Program, here are the steps to get started:

1. Become a TCC student and get an ID number
2. Review the NAC Program Packet
3. Please review the estimated Fees and Costs associated with the Nursing Assistant Program. Find out if you are eligible for Workforce Education Funding or other types of aid at Studentaid.gov.
4. Complete the immunizations and titers listed in the NAC application packet. If you need a declination form, please see below.
   1. Declination of Influenza Vaccination (if applicable)
   2. Hepatitis B Declination Form (If you don't have a blood titer showing immunity to Hepatitis B, you MUST submit this document) 
   3. COVID Medical Exemption Form (if applicable)
   4. COVID Religious Exemption Form (if applicable)
5. Collect proof of vaccinations and immunity titers and sign any declination forms, if applicable. 
6. Apply to the NAC program. Directons are in the NAC application packet.
7. If you are accepted in to the cohort, you will be given next step information.
8. Get ready to begin classes

Application Cycle

Application cycles open on the following dates: 

• Fall quarter - August 19th; THIS COHORT IS NOW FULL
• Winter quarter - November 22nd 
• Spring quarter - February 20th 
• Summer quarter - May 20th

NOTE: The applications will close once cohorts are full.