Nurse Aide Training Programs in Wisconsin

The Grace Lutheran Foundation of Wisconsin is currently offering nurse aide training classes at their facilities in Eau Claire and Menomonie. Admission requirements for the CNA course include being at least eighteen (18) years old, and completing a program application. The current CNA class curriculum consists of a total of eighty (80) program hours which can be completed in two weeks and a half. The nurse assistant training program has been fully approved by the state of Wisconsin, and students may apply for state certification in approximately three weeks from the beginning of the course.

The cost for this nurse aide class is $500 and it includes the fee associated with the CNA certification test. The Grace Lutheran Foundation is planning to increase the nurse aide program hours from eighty (80) to one hundred and twenty (120) total hours. Program instructors expect this modification to most likely increase the length of the program to approximately four weeks. Students interested to enroll in the CNA course at this facility should expect to attend class at least four days per week with no absences being tolerated. Classes are conducted at a rapid pace and the facility enforces a strict mandatory attendance policy.

Nursing Assistant Programs in Grant County

Southwest Wisconsin Technical College - Blackboard - Fennimore
1800 Bronson Blvd., Fennimore, WI 53809
Phone: 608-822-3362

Southwest Wisconsin Technical College - Fennimore
1800 Bronson Blvd., Fennimore, WI 53809
Phone: 608-822-3362

Iron County

Villa Maria Health and Rehab Center - Hurley
300 Villa Drive, Hurley, WI 54534
Phone: 715-561-3200

Kenosha County

Gateway Technical College - Kenosha
3520 30th Avenue, Kenosha, WI 53144
Phone: 262-564-2374

La Crosse County

Gundersen Lutheran Medical Foundation, Inc. - La Crosse
1900 South Avenue, La Crosse, WI 54601
Phone: 608-775-4329

Western Technical College - La Crosse
400 7th Street North, La Crosse, WI 54602
Phone: 608-789-6105

Western Technical College - Blackboard - Lacrosse
400 7th Street North, Lacrosse, WI 54602
Phone: 608-785-9413

Manitowoc County

Lakeshore Technical College - Cleveland
1290 North Avenue, Cleveland, WI 53015
Phone: 920-693-1226

UW Manitowoc
705 Viebahn Street, Manitowoc, WI 54220
Phone: 920-683-4702

St. Mary's at Felician Village - Manitowoc
1635 South 21st Street, Manitowoc, WI 54220
Phone: 920-684-7171

Marathon County

Northcentral Technical College - Hybrid - Wausau
1000 Campus Drive, Wausau, WI 54401
Phone: 715-803-1338

Northcentral Technical College - Wausau
1000 Campus Drive, Wausau, WI 54401
Phone: 715-803-1338

Northcentral Technical College - ELL/ABE - Wausau
1000 Campus Drive, Wausau, WI 54401
Phone: 715-803-1338

CNA Programs in Wisconsin ( Page 4 )

Nursing assistant programs prepare individuals for challenging the nurse aide certification exam and for entry level positions in health care environments. Each state has the authority to decide how many hours of training a nursing assistant course must consist of, as long as the minimum federal requirement of seventy-five hours is met. Students interested in attending CNA classes have a wide array of choices when it comes to selecting a training facility.

Nursing assistant courses are conducted at nursing homes, vocational schools, private schools, and community colleges. Program length, admission requirements, and cost of training vary depending on the policies of every training facility. Several states have implemented legislation which requires licensed long-term care facilities to reimburse CNA employees for the costs associated with training. An individual who has paid for nursing assistant training classes and who becomes employed by a nursing home within a year of obtaining certification, is eligible for financial reimbursement. Compared to other training programs in the health care field, nursing assistant classes are relatively short and inexpensive. Obtaining state certification as a CNA is the main requirement for securing a nurse aide job at a nursing home, hospital, rehabilitation or skilled nursing facility.

CNA Training Schools and Programs

CNA classes, schools and programs by state.

Questions, Comments, Suggestions

Kensie M. on September 20, 2013 at 08:45 PM
I was just wondering since I am originally from North Dakota and have received my CNA license in North Dakota, which only required me to have 76 hours of training, how would I go about getting the other 44 hours needed for me to become a CNA in Wisconsin? Would I have to take the whole course over again or could I just take to 44 hours that I need to qualify to take the oral and written exam?


Admin on September 21, 2013 at 06:35 PM
In order to be included on the Wisconsin Nurse Aide Registry, an individual must complete an approved training program of a minimum of 120 hours and successfully pass both portions (written or oral examination and skills evaluation) of the competency test. According to the information provided by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services only nurse aides who completed a training program of 120 hours or more are eligible to transfer their licenses to Wisconsin from another state. If you are a nurse aide currently listed on another state's nurse aide (or equivalent) registry as active and in good standing, and have completed an approved nurse aide training program of at least one-hundred twenty (120) hours in another state, you may be eligible for placement on the Wisconsin Nurse Aide Registry. To apply for placement on the Wisconsin Nurse Aide Registry, you must complete an Out-of-State Application.


I am interested in an online CNA program. Are there any such training programs available in Wisconsin?

Who is eligible for placement on the Wisconsin Nurse Aide Registry?

Is it possible to enroll in a CNA class without a high school diploma or GED?

How long do CNA classes take and what exactly do you have to do?

After becoming a CNA how much more experience, training or school has to be done to become a registered nurse?

CNA Resources

CNA Training Requirements

There is a wide disparity between CNA training requirements among the states. The difference lies in the mandatory number of total training hours necessary to complete state-approved CNA classes.


While according to federal law each nursing assistant course should contain a minimum of seventy-five (75) instruction and clinical hours, individual states have the liberty to mandate extra training requirements for certified nursing assistants. The majority of states exceed the threshold federal minimum requirements for nurse aide training programs because they are considered insufficient to result in an optimal and safe level of care for clients.


A review of nationwide state requirements for nurse assistant courses has found that the following states have mandated highest number of CNA program hours: Maine with a minimum of 90 hours of theory, 20 hours of laboratory skills and 70 hours of clinical instruction for a total of 180 hours; California with one hundred and sixty (160) training hours; Delaware and Oregon each requiring one hundred and fifty (150) hours; followed by the state of Alaska with one hundred and forty (140) hours; Virginia, Arizona, and West Virginia have a minimum of one hundred and twenty (120) training hours for state-approved classes.

CNA Training Programs

Nurse Aide Registries

Alaska Wyoming Oklahoma Washington DC Delaware Maryland Maryland Delaware New Jersey New Jersey Connecticut Connecticut Rhode Island Rhode Island Massachusetts Massachusetts Vermont New Hampshire Vermont New Hampshire Missouri Indiana Pennsylvania Alabama Maine New York West Virginia Wisconsin Ohio Virginia North Carolina South Carolina Louisiana Mississippi Florida Georgia Tennessee Illinois Michigan Michigan Minnesota Utah Kentucky Kansas South Dakota Arizona Idaho Washington State California Arkansas Texas Nebraska North Dakota Iowa Hawaii Nevada Oregon New Mexico Colorado Montana