CNA Classes in North Dakota | 9 Best Schools to Get a Certificate for Nursing Assistants

North Dakota has some of the warmers, most caring people in the country. Everyone there is incredibly helpful. If you’re tired of a dead end job you hate and want a career that lets you put your compassion to good use helping people, then consider CNA classes in North Dakota! A CNA, or Certified Nurse Aide, is an integral part of the patient care team.

There are tons of CNA jobs in North Dakota, and getting your CNA license in North Dakota is easy! Unlike medical school, it doesn’t require years and years of expensive training that won’t work around your schedule. The North Dakota CNA requirements are easy to complete, and you can have your CNA certification in North Dakota in almost no time at all! 

Who is the regulatory body for CNAs in North Dakota?

The North Dakota Department of Health regulates CNAs in North Dakota. The Division of Health Facilities is designated as the authorized agency responsible for the registration f CNAs by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Along with registry maintenance, they also receive and investigate abuse allegations for long-term care facilities. They set the rules for training programs, as well.

Who administers the CNA exam in North Dakota?

D&S Diversified Technologies (Headmaster) is the authorized testing facilitator for the state of North Dakota. Their website includes practice exams, details on exam preparation, test scheduling, registration forms, and more.

North Dakota State Requirements for CNAs

In North Dakota, candidates wishing to receive CNA certification must attend and graduate successfully from a state approved CNA training program. This program must be at least 75 hours long; ad must include clinical supervision in real facilities with real patients. 

Once you’ve graduated from the program, you must take and pass the CNA certification exam. It consists of a knowledge test and a skills test, and you must pass both tests to become certified. 

North Dakota CNA Exam Details

When you have completed your training, you apply to sit for your competency examinations with Headmaster. Once approved, they will send you a letter and login information so you can schedule your test. New candidates must take both examinations the same day. Make sure to follow their guidelines when it comes to rescheduling or cancelling tests, or you may end up having to pay the full price for your exam twice over because they don’t refund no shows and have set windows for allowed rescheduling.

On the day of your exam, you should report at least 30 minutes earlier than your exam time. Late students will not be allowed to take the exam, and will be considered no shows that have to repay the full reexamination fee to be allowed to test. Be prepared to stay for 8 hours because of the way they schedule clinical tests.

Bring several sharpened No. 2 pencils and an eraser for your written knowledge test. Wear nursing scrubs, non-slip, closed toe shoes, and a watch with a second hand so you will be prepared for your clinical skill test. If your hair is long, make sure it is pulled back according to health standards. If you’re not dressed appropriately, you will not be allowed to take your exam and you will be considered a no show.

You will also need 2 forms of identification. One form must be a signed, valid government issued photo ID. Both forms of identification must match the name you used to register for your exam.

If your IDs are invalid, expired, or do not match, you will not be permitted to take your test and you will be considered a no show.

Keep them with you all day, because they will be re-checked by each proctor before you begin your exams.

You are not permitted to bring anything but the pencils and eraser into the exam room with you. There is also not a secure location for you to store your personal property while taking the exam. For this reason, it is recommended that you leave everything except your exam materials and IDs locked in the car or do not bring them with you to the facility.

Your written exam will take 90 minutes to complete. If you have difficulty reading, you may request an oral examination instead. You must do so where you submit your application. You will be given a 15-minute warning during the exam. You may not ask questions about the content of the test. You must clearly mark your answers on the answer sheet; marks in the test booklet do not count as answers. You must score a 75% to pass the exam. 

The test will cover a variety of basic nursing topics. It will include questions about resident safety, facility safety, and safety in general. Communication and interpersonal skills will also be tested; this will include verbal and nonverbal cues relating to hearing, seeing, feeling, tasting, or smelling. You will also be asked about infection control – like causes and prevention and correct procedures for handling infection – and disease process – like the stages of diseases and the detection and prevention of them. Data acquisition, handling, and routing will be tested, including some measurement and math questions. 

You will need to know about resident rights and the CNA roles in insuring them, the role and responsibility of a CNA in relation to patients and the healthcare team, and basic nursing skills. Personal care and care-impaired questions will be asked, and you will need to know about mental and social health care as well, such as cultural sensitivity and the mental states of residents. Finally, you will have to know about development of aging individuals. 

When you have completed your written test, you will be assigned a time for your clinical test. The computer randomly assigns 5 skills tasks for you to complete to prove competency. You must score an 80% on this exam, and you must not fail any 1 skill or ay key safety issue or you will fail even with an 80% overall. 

You will be given around 30 minutes to compete your skills test. A Nurse Aid Observer will evaluate you based on a predetermined checklist that is standard among all candidates. The list includes safety and mandatory key steps, but also includes things like how you interact with your patient, so treat them like real world patients and not like practice dummies. 

If you believe you made a mistake during your task, you may self correct by telling your examiner what step you messed up with and correctly performing them in order.

You may not correct tasks from prior skills so take a moment to review before moving on to the next skill. 

Your observer will not be allowed to answer questions once your test has begun.

They will speak up if you have failed a safety protocol and you will not be allowed to self-correct these once they have been addressed. 

How much does the North Dakota CNA exam cost?

Several strong programs include the certification exam as part of their program’s fees. If this is the case, you will not have to pay additional money for your exam fees.

If not, it isn’t expensive to take the exam in North Dakota. Taking your knowledge test in written form costs $30. An oral version is $40. Taking the skills test is $65. The fee is the same for re-tests. This makes it $95 or $105 to take your CNA certification exam.

If you fax in your application, there’s a $5 fee. Overnight shipping costs $40. Express service is a $15 fee. If you need to reschedule or cancel an exam it will cost $15. There is no refund for no shows on exams. If you believe there was an error when scoring your test, you can have it reviewed for $25, and if you were correct the fee will be refunded.

The good news is that if you are a nurse aide already, and just need certification to finalize employment, you are not allowed to be charged for any portion of your training or competency evaluation program, including textbook fees. Your employer bears the cost. The exception to this mandate is students at approved educational sites.

Where can I take the CNA exam in North Dakota?

A lot of programs contract with Headmaster and arrange for students to take their certification exam at the end of the program as part of graduation. If this is the case, then Headmaster will administer the test in your home facility. Otherwise, there is a list full of approved test sites on the Headmaster website.

In Beulah, you test at the Knife River Care Center. Bismarck applicants will test at Bismarck State College. Fargo residents can choose between the Skills and Technology Training Center or the DATA School of Nursing. In Grafton, exams are offered at the North Valley Career and Technology Center.

Grand Forks residents take their exams at the Valley Eldercare Center. Mandan students go to Dakota Travel nurse. Mayville candidates can test at the Traill-Steele Affordable Rural Coalition for Health Board, and Oakes residents can go to the Good Samaritan Society – Oakes.

Rugby residents can test at the Heart of America Medical Center. Valley City’s location is the Sheyenne Care Center. If you live in Velva, go to the Soun’s Valley Care Center. Williston residents should test at Williston State College. Finally, if you’re in Wishek, you report to the Wishek Living Center. 

How much does a CNA get paid in North Dakota?

CNAs make about $15.50 per hour in North Dakota. They are paid well above the national average given the cost of living in this state. They can expect around $5000 in overtime pay per year. These numbers are on the rise, with several job openings posting $20 an hour. Fargo, Bismarck, and Mandan pay the best, and Dickinson and Minot pay the least.

CNA Training in North Dakota

You’re ready to move forward with CNA classes in North Dakota, but where can you get trained? Take a look at this list of programs throughout the state. All of these programs are among the best training programs for CNAs, and you will be prepared to pass your certification exam and add your name to the North Dakota CNA registry at the end of your program! 

Bismarck State College

Bismarck’s program offers an 80-hour program that includes classroom and clinical training. This can be taken for college credit towards their other programs for students who want to pursue other degrees or grab a useful real-world certification as an elective while they’re studying for other careers.

Williston State College

Williston State College offers extremely cheap tuition for their CNA program. Their program has 3 sections: online instruction, clinical instruction, and testing.

Their online program can be completed within a month. After that, you receive clinical training at TrainND, and then take the examination.

Lake Region State College

Lake Region residents have a great CNA training program available through TrainND. This is a 1-month course that prepares you for your CNA exam. After the 1 month you will attend labs and clinical to prepare you for your exam.

North Dakota State College of Science

This program prepares students for a CNA career or to pursue their education in a nursing program. Scholarships are available, so you may be able to attend CNA training for free. They also offer a pre-exam CNA refresher course for anyone who needs to recertify or certify through alternate means.

Maryhill Manor

Maryhill manor is looking for CNAs. They offer a training program in correlation with hiring. They have a 3 week, 120 hour crash course that rapidly prepares you for your exam. You are paid for your time while a student, your testing fees are covered, you are guaranteed employment after passing your exam, and you receive a sign on bonus after 6 months f employment. If you work full time, you receive benefits!

North Valley Career and Technical Center

NVCTC in Grafton offers a variety of medical education and career training opportunities.
If you are still in high school but want to be ready to work right out of high school, then their CNA program is a great way to prepare.

Trinity Health

Trinity Health is another facility that is actively recruiting CNAs. They provide training and allow students to take the CNA exams and then become full time employees upon passing the program. They even offer free training classes periodically.

Dakota Travel Nurse

Dakota Travel nurse offers great programs. They’ve recently rebranded as DTN Staffing. When you complete their CNA training, they will get you a job right away! 

Cooperstown Medical Center

Another facility that is actively recruiting CNA candidates is Cooperstown Medical Center.

Let them pay for your training and exam fees and go to work right after you pass certification!