The CNA class instructor is a registered nurse who will provide a student with clinical instruction and the nursing theory that’s required in order to pass the certified nursing assistant exam.  CNA class instructors are required to be licensed practical nurses or registered nurses and will need to have an associate’s degree or a bachelor’s of science in nursing. The amount of clinical hours required for an RN and LPN will vary by state.

The Role and Responsibility of the CNA Teacher

As a teacher you will be responsible for implementing and developing curriculum that can prepare an individual to pass the certified nursing assistant certification exam. Teachers are required to create informative lectures and will need to evaluate each student through clinical work, assignments and exams.   A teacher will need to be able to clearly explain both the practical and theoretical aspects or working as a nursing assistant in a manner that educates a student so that they will be qualified for employment in a long term care facility, nursing home or hospital.  It’s common for the CNA instructor to continue working as an RN or LPN in order to stay abreast on current developments in the healthcare field.

The teacher will need to have excellent nursing skills in addition to the ability to communicate their experiences and knowledge to students. Teachers in this position are commonly found employed by universities, colleges, health care facilities and technical schools.

Position Requirements

To become a CNA instructor the teacher will need to complete a training course that is referred to as a training the trainer program. This program will provide the teacher in training with basic evaluation and instructional methods that are commonly used in a classroom setting. An applicant for this type of program will be required to have two years of work experience as either an LPN or RN, a bachelor’s of science nursing degree and will also be required to have prior experience caring for patients with chronic diseases, geriatric patients and experience in adult education.

During a CNA training program the instructor will teach all subjects involved and will also travel with students to their clinical training location, remaining there in order to ensure the students carry out their tasks as required and will be available to answer questions. The courses that are taught in this program include medical terminology, basic nursing procedures, medical law and ethics, patient’s rights, medication administration, and anatomy and infection control.

Instructors will need to carefully document all of the clinical hours each student performs in order for the students to pass the course and be eligible for the certification exam.

A CNA class instructor can advance in their careers by obtaining a master’s in nursing with RN educator specialization. This type of degree program will explore different teaching methods used when training  nursing student’s, feature clinical experience criteria instruction classes and courses on how to  train students on the theoretical knowledge for nursing. As a teaching LPN or RN they can prove their competency in this field by completing a certification exam. The NLN, also known as the National League for Nursing is an accredited organization that administers the certification for the nurse educator credential. To qualify for the exam the nurse will need to have obtained a bachelor’s and master’s degree and have a minimum of three years of field experience.