Certified Nursing Assistant Study Guides

To begin work as a certified nursing assistant, you must pass at least 75-hours from a training institution approved by your state’s nursing board as well as successfully completing an intense certification examination. Like most other specialized healthcare professions, the certification examination covers all portions of your education. With sections covering theoretical situations and clinical applications, study guides are an essential component in your examination artillery. While many guides are available, it’s essential to choose study materials that cover current exam modules and questions.

Ultimate Guide to Choose a Study Guide

It seems rather fitting that a guide is needed to choose a CNA study guide. While your brain may be overloaded with information, an effective study guide is laid out to catalogue and display learned information for quick recall and accurate application during the examination and beyond. When searching for a CNA study guide, look for the following qualities:

Current Information – The healthcare field is unique as its one of the most rapidly changing professions out of all industries. With the extreme changes in patient care, treatments and rehabilitation, the role of a CNA has been ever-evolving. Therefore, only select a study guide with the most current information. Publishers such as Pearson Vue and Learing Express continually release CNA study guides for the latest examinations.

Theoretical and Clinical Sections – Essentially, the CNA examination consists of two primary units: written (or theoretical) and clinical (or practical) applications. Select study guides with in-depth information covering theoretical topics, such as patient health and CNA responsibilities in a facility, as well as clinical topics such as checking vital signs and procedures to protect patient hygiene and comfort.

Practice Exams – You hold a full-understanding of all CNA requirements, but without a solid test-taking ability, you may find yourself without certification. The most effective study guides are those with various practice examinations based upon previous CNA exams. Moreover, practice exams should follow past and current exam modules for brain training. Because questions may be worded in strange ways, it’s essential to understand how exam questions may be phrased and how to decipher hidden answers and clues within situational questions.

State-Specific CNA Candidate Handbook

Perhaps the most effective study guide for aspiring certified nursing assistants is the candidate handbook released annually by your nursing board or board of professional licensing. These handbooks offer up-to-date information regarding eligibility requirements and sections within the actual examination. For example, the Georgia Certified Nursing Assistant Candidate Handbook offers a detailed look at each exam level as well as how the exam is scored. Other information such as what to do if you fail and how to read exam results is also included. Never attempt to take the CNA examination without fully reading and understanding your states’ Candidate Handbook for CNAs.