How To Become a Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) in Michigan

Becoming a Certified Nursing Assistant or CNA in Michigan is a detailed process but can be made easy by following the steps outlined below. A nurse aide is defined as any individual who holds a registration. A certified nurse assistant must complete a training program and pass a knowledge and a clinical skills test in order to be registered and work as a nurse aide in Michigan.

For more information on the job duties and role of a CNA in Michigan as well as job outlook and pay please go to our blog post titled – Working As A Certified Nurse Assistant in Michigan.

Step 1 – Meet the Basic Requirements

The basic requirements to be accepted into a nurse assistant class can vary depending on the school. However, most schools require the same basic requirements. You must be at least 17 years old, submit a negative TB test within the past year, pass a criminal background check, and demonstrate the ability to read and write English. Some schools may have more requirements such as high school diploma or GED or requiring the applicant to be at least 18 years old.

Step 2 – Choose a Nurse Assistant School

Choosing the correct school for you, is a very important step in your journey to become a Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) in the state of Michigan. This school, the instructors and your classmates will be your first introduction into the healthcare field and help shape your experience in becoming a CNA. You want to feel comfortable with your instructor and classmates as you learn these new skills and tasks. Most importantly you want to have this be a positive experience.

There are several schools located through the state of Michigan who offer nurse assistant classes. The first thing you want to check is to make sure that the school you choose is approved through the state of Michigan to offer the course.

These are general questions you may want to ask before choosing a school –

What is the passing percentage in the class?

What is the passing percentage on the state exam?

What assistance do they provide to their students before, during and after class?

Do they help with job placement?

What is the class size?

Do they assist with resumes and applications?

What are the costs?

What do the costs include?

A great way to tell if a school is a good fit for you and your needs would be reviews left of social media, google, yelp and other sites. Visiting the school and speaking with the instructor is also another great way to see if the school would be best for you.

Step 3 – Register for Classes

Registering for a CNA class is usually a simple process but may vary depending on the school. Typically registering for a nurse assistant class consists of filling out application, making deposit or paying tuition in full, and providing the required documents to begin. Some schools require a deposit to be made to secure your spot in the class of your choosing and some require full payment at the time of applying.

Step 4 – Successfully Pass Nurse Assistant Class.

The nurse assistant class in the state of Michigan is a minimum of 75 hours length. The class should consist of lecture, lab and clinical. The clinical portion you will go to a local nursing home where you will see practical experience. Most classes will include written tests, lab skill checkoffs, and clinical skills checks. After successfully completing the nursing assistant class, you should receive a certificate of completion. This will now make you eligible to apply for the state exam in Michigan.

Step 5 – About the state of Michigan Nurse Aide Exam.

Michigan has contracted the company, Prometric, to proctor the state exam. The total cost of the state exam is $125. You have 24 months from completing your nurse assistant training program to apply and pass the state exam. You will have three attempts to pass the Clinical Skills exam and three attempts to pass the Written or Oral exam before you are required to re-take the nurse assistant training class. There are testing centers located throughout the state of Michigan.

There are two portions to the state exam, a written portion and a clinical portion.

The written portion consist of 60 questions, and you have 90 minutes to complete it. The written state exam will test the candidate in the following areas – role of the nurse aide (20%), promotion of safety (22%), promotion of function and health of residents (20%), basic nursing care provided by the nurse aide (24%) and providing specialized care for residents with changes in health (14%).

The clinical portion of the state exams consists of 22 skills that the candidate can be testing on. The candidate will be tested on a total of 5 of the 22 skills. All candidates will be tested on Handwashing and Indirect Care skills. The remaining 3 skills the candidate will be tested on are chosen at random by a computer. Instructions will be given that describe how the skill is being tested. Each skill on the state exam has checkpoints the evaluator giving your test, will be using these checkpoints to rate your performance.

Step 6 – Applying for the Michigan Nurse Aide Exam through Prometric.

You can apply for the Michigan Nurse Aide Exam in two different ways online or by submitting a paper application.

You should follow the steps below when applying online for the Michigan Nurse Aide Exam –

1. Go to the Prometric website.
2. Click Online Application
3. Create New Account
4. Verify your account through your email.
5. Login and click submit new application.
6. Fill out every portion of the online application (all areas must be filled, in order to submit application).
7. Under Test Site Information, you must select Regional Test Center and you can choose what location is best for you.
8. Insert Payment Information. For the Michigan Nurse Aide Exam, you can pay using credit/debit card, certified check, money order or a third-party check.
9. There is no need for supporting documents to be sent unless you are applying for ADA accommodations.
10. Select the submit application button at the bottom of the screen.

You should follow the steps below when applying via mail for the Michigan Nurse Aide Exam –

1. Go to prometric.com/nurseaide/mi
2. Click on Application Form.
3. Fill out the entire form.
4. Insert payment information (credit/debit card on application) or include money order, certified check, or third-party check.
5. Mail form to the address provided on the application form.

After submitting the application, you should receive a status email from Prometric stating that they received your application, and that the application is either completed or incomplete. This may take a several business days to receive. If Incomplete, you will receive a separate email that will state what information is missing and how to submit the incomplete information. If the exam date section is blank, this means there is currently no available test dates. Prometric will send another status email once an exam date is available. Once you have been scheduled for an exam date you will receive an authorization to test letter. Your authorization to test letter will include the test site location as well as the start time of the exam and any additional information needed.

Step 7 – The Day of the Exam

On the day of the exam, you must arrive on time, or you will not be allowed to test. The authorization to test letter you receive when your exam date is scheduled will explain that you should arrive 30 minutes early to your exam. You are required to bring a few items with you to the test. You must bring your authorization to test letter as well as two forms of identification. As far as forms of identification you should bring your Michigan State Identification card or your Michigan’s Driver’s license, it cannot be expired, ripped or torn. You will also need a second piece of identification such as school identification, library card, work identification, or debit/credit card).

You will know if you passed or failed after you take the test. You will receive an official printed result at the regional test site.

Step 8 – Receive Certification

Once you have successfully completed the Michigan Nurse Aide Exam (both written and clinical) you will be added to the Michigan Nurse Aide Registry. Your Nurse Aide Registry document is valid for two years from the date of issue. Before an individual can be hired as a nurse aide, the employer must contact the Registry and verify that the person has met the competency evaluation requirements and that the individual is in good standing on the Registry.

Step 9 – Renewing Your Nurse Aide Registry Document

You are eligible for renewal if you have worked as a Certified Nurse Aide (CNA) for pay within the immediate 24-month period prior to your current Registry document expiration date.

You must have been performing nursing or nursing-related services for pay under the supervision of a licensed registered nurse. Nurse aides that are flagged on the Registry for resident abuse, neglect, or misappropriation of property are not eligible for renewal.

Approximately 45 days prior to the expiration of the Registry document, a renewal notification will be mailed to you. The notice will go to your home address currently listed on the Registry. You will then be required to go to the Prometric website to print off a registry renewal application. Applications must be completed and returned to Prometric with the required Registry document renewal fee and requested supporting documentation.

Why should Heart to Heart Healthcare Training be the school you choose for your Nurse Aide Training Class in the state of Michigan?

Our CNA class consists of 75 hours of instructional time in the classroom that includes 3 days of clinical time. You will work on skills from vital signs to ambulation to catheter care. Your day will be filled with lecture, skills learning and skills testing.

At Heart to Heart Healthcare Training, we offer a program of book learning, hands-on labs where you will learn the skill needed to become a successful nurse assistant. You will also attend a comprehensive clinical at a local nursing home where you will use the techniques you learned on real patients. Our instructors work in the healthcare field and are extremely thorough in making sure that you feel prepared for your clinical experience as well as your state exam. Our standard of care at Heart to Heart Healthcare Training is for every one of our graduating students to treat their patients as if they were their own loved ones.

We have received several 5 star-reviews from our past students who speak about the exceptional instruction and positive experience they received while attending Heart to Heart. Our two-week CNA class is a one-of-a-kind experience, where you will receive individualized attention provided by instructors who truly care about your success both in the classroom and in the real world.

Heart to Heart has an extremely high passing percentage on the first try of the Michigan Nurse Aide Exam. We pride ourselves in our student’s success. Our hands-on focus, attention to detail, and study materials will make you feel comfortable and confident to not only pass the state exam on the first try, but to also safely give high quality care to our communities loved ones.

1. Register Online – Go to Apply Now section located at the top of the homepage.

4. Make an Appointment –

• Call (734) 890-9574 to schedule an appointment to come into the school to register.

A deposit of $300 is required at registration to hold your seat in the class. Payment in full is due before your class begins.