CNA Programs in Illinois

Illinois CNA Training

Medical technology is advancing at a rapid pace, and health care professionals are needed to help people understand new treatment methods and put preventative care practices into use. Certified nursing assistants are health care professionals that provide support and assistance to doctors and nurses as they go about their daily responsibilities. For anyone who has ever thought about becoming a nursing assistant, now might be the perfect time to consider enrolling in Illinois CNA classes.

It's easy to see that while deciding to go back to school is one of the most important foundations a person can lay for beginning a career, he or she must also make good decisions about the direction in which they choose to focus their education. Enrolling in Illinois CNA classes gives an individual the chance to develop a skill set that is in high demand in today's workforce. Additionally, CNAs received a lot of satisfaction from the face that there are thousands of people that will benefit from their help at work.

Becoming a CNA in Illinois

To become a CNA in the state of Illinois, an individual must meet at least one of the following criteria:

The applicant must have completed an CNA training program approved by the state of Illinois and passed a written competency test.
The applicant must have completed a nursing arts course. If the individual is a current Illinois LPN or RN with an active license, he or she can work as a CNA in Illinois without being on the CNA registry. If his or her license is inactive, the individual cannot work as a CNA until the registry shows that he or she has completed the necessary training requirements.

Likewise, an LPN or RN with an active license from another state must also wait until the registry shows that he or she has completed the necessary training requirements before working as a CNA in Illinois.

Nursing students who have not yet completed their LPN or RN training may work as CNAs while continuing their education as long as they can prove in writing that he or she has completed the fundamentals of nursing with 40 hours of supervised clinical experience in an accredited nurse training program and pass a written competency test.

A applicant can also become a CNA, having completed a U.S. military training program that includes a nurse aide training program. An individual in this situation would need to provide a copy of his or her diploma or certificate proving they have at least 40 hours of clinical experience and proof of employment authorization. Additionally, he or she would then have to pass a written competency exam.

An applicant who has completed a nursing program outside the United States which is the equivalent to LPN or RN but who is not yet licensed cannot work as a CNA in Illinois until the registry shows that they met all of the necessary requirements. These requirements include providing an a English-language copy of his or her diploma (or any proof of completion of the course), an English-language version of his or her transcripts, a copy of his or her social security card, and proof of employment authorization. Then, the individual must pass a written competency test.

Licensure by Reciprocity

If the applicant is currently listed as 'active' on another state's CNA registry, the individual may work as a CNA in Illinois if he or she provides proof that they are currently registered as a CNA in another state, have no administrative findings of any wrongdoing (such as abuse, neglect, etc.), and have no disqualifying convictions against them in their home state's registry.

An individual listed in the CNA registry who has gone at least 24 months without being paid for nursing or nursing-related services will lose his or her certification and can no longer work as a CNA in Illinois. To become recertified, an individual must pass the required manual skills and competency exams.