Nursing Assistant

Overview

Nursing Assistants are in high demand by employers in Whatcom County! Choose BTC’s Nursing Assistant program to train for nursing assistant jobs in a wide variety of medical settings. The knowledge and skills you’ll gain are highly valued by healthcare industry employers such as hospitals, assisted living facilities, nursing homes, and home health agencies.

Nursing Assistant training meets the Healthcare Experience requirement for entry into the BTC Registered Nursing Program.

The Nursing Assistant Program at Bellingham Technical College is approved by the State of Washington, Department of Health, Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission.

Students who complete the Nursing Assistant program will be eligible to take their state certification exams.

Program Outcomes

Demonstrate clinical competencies as defined in WAC 246-841.
Identify and apply nursing knowledge necessary in the Nursing Assistant role.

Placement Requirements

ACCUPLACER Classic (valid for 5 years from testing date):

Reading Comprehension score of 50 or ABE 054 with a grade of C or higher.
Arithmetic score of 38 or MATH 090 or ABE 050 with a grade of C or higher.

ACCUPLACER Next-Generation (starting January 23, 2019):

Reading score of 232 or ABE 054 with a grade of C or higher.
Arithmetic score of 230 or MATH 090 or ABE 050 with a grade of C or higher.

There are no pre-program course requirements. Healthcare Provider CPR (HO 127) and 7-hour HIV/AIDS Education (HLTH 133) may be taken before the program starts but this is not required.

Clinical Placement Requirements

After registering for Nursing Assistant program classes but prior to beginning clinical rotations, students must complete the clinical placement process. Clinical requirements include:

Criminal background check
Tuberculous screening
Medical Insurance Coverage
7-hour HIV/AIDS Education
AHA BLS Provider CPR certification

More information about the clinical placement requirements process is available on the Nursing Assistant website.

Certificate Requirements

Certificate completion requires a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or high, a minimum grade of C (2.0) for required courses, and minimum required attendance in classroom, lab, and clinical rotations.

Programs

Certificate

Nursing Assistant Certificate