CNAs in Arkansas are responsible for performing simple nursing procedures to help licensed practical nurses or registered nurses care for patients, according to South Arkansas Community College in El Dorado. These procedures could include taking a patient's blood pressure, temperature or pulse rate. Arkansas CNAs must form relationships with nursing patients and help these individuals maintain their functional independence. For example, these health care professionals help patients to bathe, dress and groom themselves or help them to sit or stand. Arkansas CNA training programs teach students how to perform these various duties effectively.
Individuals who are interested in becoming CNAs in Arkansas can complete a proficiency certificate program at one of several schools. For example, Southern Arkansas University Tech in Camden and South Arkansas Community College in El Dorado offer training in this field. Arkansas Northeastern College, which has its main campus in Blytheville along with several other campuses, train aspiring CNAs as well. These programs require students to complete seven credit hours, which equals about 90 clock hours.
To get into an Arkansas CNA training program, students typically must be at least 16 years old. They also must complete an enrollment application for the school and/or nursing assistant training program and might have to submit recommendation letters as well. Arkansas applicants additionally must complete a criminal background check as required by the Arkansas Department of Health and Human Services Office of Long-Term Care because individuals who have been convicted of specific crimes are not eligible to take the state's certification test to become a CNA. Students additionally must complete a serial tuberculosis skin test as soon as they are admitted.
Courses in an Arkansas CNA training program include topics such as medical terminology and nursing assistant concepts. Medical terminology instruction covers structural analysis, spelling, pronunciation and suffixes. Students in an Arkansas CNA training program also complete clinical experiences. These clinical experiences can occur at prospective places of employment such as hospitals, rest homes, convalescent homes and long-term care facilities. After completing hands-on training, students can look for jobs, with nursing assistants in Arkansas tending to migrate toward Pine Bluff, Hot Springs and Jonesboro because jobs are more common in these cities relative to the population, according to CityTownInfo.com.
Employment of CNAs is projected to climb 18 percent from 2008 to 2018, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is fitting in Arkansas, where health care is one of the top industries in cities such as the capital of Little Rock, according to City-Data.com. The average salary for a CNA in Arkansas in 2010 was $31,000, according to Indeed.com. The highest median salaries for these professionals are in Fayetteville, Little Rock and Hot Springs, reports CityTownInfo.com.