Nurse Aide Training Programs in Alaska

The Alaska Institute of Technology (AVTEC) has partnered with Providence Health System to offer certified nursing assistant classes in Anchorage, Alaska. The eight week long nurse aide program combines classroom lectures with laboratory and clinical experiences for a total of 230 hours of training. Classes are fast paced and require student attendance for approximately six hours a day. Nursing assistant students receive classroom instruction and laboratory practice during the first four weeks of the course. The following four weeks are dedicated to hands-on practice in the clinical setting. Nurse aide skills are practiced in assisted living facilities, for six hours each day, under the supervision of the program instructor.

During these four weeks students learn to care for an increased number of residents, which simulates real job responsibilities while building organizational and time management skills. The nursing assistant training also includes a course of basic life support skills which is mandatory for health care workers in Alaska. Specific enrollment criteria must be met for acceptance into the nursing assistant program. A high school diploma or GED is required, and potential students must meet with the program coordinator for an interview. Course graduates are eligible to take the Alaska nurse aide exam leading to state certification as a nursing assistant. If you are interested in this program, contact the Allied Health Department of the Alaska Institute of Technology.

CNA Classes in Anchorage

Providence Extended Care - Anchorage
4900 Eagle Street, Anchorage, AK 99504
Phone: 907-212-0268

Alaska Vocational Technical Center - Anchorage
1251 Muldoon Rd., Anchorage, AK 99508
Phone: 907-334-2031

Caregiver Training Academy - Anchorage
203 West 15th Avenue #104, Anchorage, AK 99501
Phone: 907-258-0503

Anchorage School District - King Career Center
2650 E. Northern Lts. Blvd., Anchorage, AK 99508
Phone: 907-742-8900
This CNA training program is offered exclusively to enrolled high school students.

Providence Alaska Medical Center - Anchorage
3200 Providence Dr., Anchorage, AK 99508
Phone: 907-261-2047

Anchorage School District - Service High School
5577 Abbott Rd., Anchorage, AK 99507
Phone: 907-742-8100
This CNA training program is offered exclusively to enrolled high school students.

Bethel Area

University of Alaska Fairbanks - Kuskokwim Campus - Bethel
201 Akiak Drive, Bethel, AK 99559
Phone: 907-543-4500

Fairbanks North Star Borough

University of Alaska Fairbanks - Community Technical College
604 Barnette Street, Room 417, Fairbanks, AK 99701
Phone: 907-456-7532

Fairbanks School District
520 5th Avenue, Fairbanks, AK 99701
Phone: 907-455-2876
This CNA training program is offered exclusively to enrolled high school students.

Nursing Assistant Programs in Juneau

University of Alaska Southeast - Juneau
11120 Glacier Hwy, Juneau, AK 99801
Phone: 907-796-6131

Kenai Peninsula Borough

Kachemak Bay Community College - Homer
4300 Bartlett Street, Homer, AK 99603
Phone: 907-235-7743

Heritage Place - Soldotna
232 Rockwell, Soldotna, AK 99669
Phone: 907-252-7337

Kenai Peninsula College - Soldotna
156 College Road, Soldotna, AK 99669
Phone: 907-260-3156

Ketchikan Gateway Borough

University of Alaska Southeast - Ketchikan
2600 7th Avenue, Ketchikan, AK 99901
Phone: 907-228-4523

Kodiak Island Borough

Kodiak College
117 Benny Benson Dr., Kodiak, AK 99615
Phone: 907-539-2805

Matanuska-Susitna Borough

Alaska Job Corps - Palmer
800 E Lynn Martin Drive, Palmer, AK 99645
Phone: 907-861-8779
This CNA training program is offered exclusively to enrolled high school students.

Mat-Su Career and Tech High School - Wasilla
2472 Seward Meridian, Wasilla, AK 99654
Phone: 907-352-0426
This CNA training program is offered exclusively to enrolled high school students.

Northwest Arctic Borough

Alaska Technical Center - Kotzebue
P. O. Box 51, Kotzebue, AK 99752
Phone: 907-442-3733

Petersburg County

Petersburg General Hospital
P. O. Box 589, Petersburg, AK 99833
Phone: 907-772-4291

Sitka Borough

University of Alaska Southeast - Sitka
1332 Seward Avenue, Sitka, AK 99835
Phone: 907-747-9476

Valdez-Cordova Area

Prince William Sound Community College - Cordova
P.O. Box 160, Cordova, AK 99574
Phone: 907-424-7598

Prince William Sound Community College - Valdez
P.O. Box 97, Valdez, AK 99686
Phone: 907-835-8774

Wrangell-Petersburg Area

Wrangell General Hospital
P.O. Box 1081, Wrangell, AK 99929
Phone: 907-874-7000

A survey conducted by the Alaska Board of Nursing revealed several important statistics regarding Alaska's nurse aide workforce. Approximately 96% of certified nursing assistants working in Alaska have completed a formal CNA training program prior to seeking employment as a nurse aide. The majority (82%) of CNAs have been enrolled in a nursing assistant training program in Alaska, while a small percentage completed a CNA program in another state and transferred their certificate to Alaska.

Half of the nurse aide survey respondents have attended CNA training programs at a health care facility while the others have been prepared in nurse aide courses offered at senior centers, schools of nursing assistants, and developmental centers. A large number of nursing assistants who responded to this study are planning to further their education and pursue a nursing degree. More than 40% intend to become licensed practical nurses, while others plan to obtain a two-year, associate degree in nursing and work as registered nurses. Certified nurse aides in Alaska are predominately female and work in long-term care facilities as well as assisted living and acute care facilities.

CNA Training Schools and Programs

CNA classes, schools and programs by state.

Questions, Comments, Suggestions

Name: Gale G. Date posted: August 31, 2013 - 11:42 AM
Message: If I take the classes through a nursing home, how long will I be obligated to work there after I graduate? Because if a job comes along making more money I was wondering if I could take it, or if I have to sign something at he nursing home to be obligated to them.


Name: Admin Date posted: August 31, 2013 - 10:22 PM
Message: Each nursing home which offers nursing assistant training classes has its own policies and rules regarding student obligations after graduation. It all depends on what you agree to prior to enrolling in a CNA program at a LTC facility. Their policy may be to provide nursing assistant classes for free in return for six months of work upon graduation. If this is the case, most facilities have a work contract or agreement that must be signed if you accept the terms. Some nursing homes offer free CNA training classes without any strings attached. If they make an offer of employment upon graduation you are free to accept or refuse it. Make sure you ask and understand all the terms of your agreement with a training facility before you sign any paperwork. If you agree to work (in writing) for a facility then you may not break that contract without consequences.


Felica G. on July 16, 2014 at 02:23 PM
How long do CNA classes take and what exactly do you have to do?


Admin on July 19, 2014 at 10:51 PM
Nursing assistant training courses may take anywhere between three weeks to three months to complete, depending on the facility or school which offers the program. To enroll in nurse aide classes you must meet certain admission criteria pertaining to education, health, and background history. Those who are accepted into CNA classes must complete both the classroom and hands-on practice sessions to graduate. Finally, one must pass a final exam which tests a candidate's skills and abilities to practice correctly and safely. When you pass this final test you become a certified nurse aide.


After becoming a CNA how much more training does it take to become an RN?

I am really interested in becoming a certified nursing assistant. I am in the military and we go out to sea continuously. I do not have too much time to actually attend a program until next year. Who offers online CNA classes?

How do I sign up for CNA training?

How long does it take to get a CNA certificate?

Do you have any advice for someone having to go to a CNA job interview?

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