If you are thinking of getting your certification to be a nurse aide in Missouri, there are a few things that you are going to have to do. You must go to a school that provides training for a CNA certification, and this institution needs to be approved for this type of training by the Missouri Department of Health. Once CNA training is complete, you will need to get a successful result on the state’s licensing examination which will allow you to be placed on the Missouri Nurse Aide Registry.

Before enrolling in your CNA classes, you will be bound by state and federal law to complete a criminal history examination and physical health checkup. Also, if you are not at least 18 years old, you will need to be a valid student enrolled in a course for an occupational  health career program in your local high school.You will need to choose your nurse aide training courses carefully to ensure that they are accredit and approved by the health department and meet their minimum hourly requirements of at least 75 course hours.

Classes are regulated to be no less than 175 hours of study. Seventy five of these hours will be held within the classroom setting, and you will learn medical terminology, CPR basics, the psychology of dealing with elderly patients facing death, how to document and measure vital signs, and much more. The remaining 100 hours are to be spend working hands-on in a medical setting. This is where you will learn to take the skills you have learned and put them into action. This portion is essential, as ou will practice the daily grooming, care, and other physical tasks that are expected of nurse aides.

Both portions of this training will be encountered on the CNA certification exam in Missouri, so take care to get as much from the courses as possible.The state nurse test is conducted at the end of your CNA training and contains a theoretical multiple choice section, as well as a hands-on clinical exam. You will most likely take your test at your training school if they are approved as a testing center, but you may need to preregister at a different location. If you receive at least a 70 or above on both sections of the test, you will be added as a valid member of the Missouri State Nurse Aide Registry and will have all you need to practice as a certified nurse aide in this state.

The Missouri nurse aide enjoys an average starting CNA  salary of $20,820, and wages will rise along with experience and additional training or certifications in the allied health fields.

If your interested in additional information regarding free cna training in Missouri, check out our supplemental articles concerning who qualifies for reduced or free training classes. We also offer a variety of scenario training skills assessments and quizzes that may be able to help you perform better on your CNA exam.