Individuals who are interested in becoming CNAs in Massachusetts can complete training at Bunker Hill Community College in Boston or Bristol Community College in Fall River. Bunker Hill Community College offers a patient care technician certificate program that lasts one year and requires students to complete 26 credits. The program teaches students how to perform direct patient care effectively as well as how to perform basic computer skills. Bristol Community College offers 121 hours of instruction through a CNA certification program. Students learn through classroom instruction as well as lab practice and clinical experiences.
To get into a Massachusetts CNA training program, students must have a high school diploma or GED. Aspiring CNAs also might have to complete an interview with nursing assistant program staff along with college placement tests in English, math and reading. Students must be willing to complete drug or alcohol tests and tuberculosis skin tests as well as be up to date with various other immunizations as required by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. They also must complete a criminal background check.
Classes in a Massachusetts CNA training program cover topics such as patient care skills and principles of clinical practice. Their studies cover anatomy and physiology, ethics, communications and medical terminology. Students also study health employment issues as well as human growth and development. In addition, students learn cardiopulmonary resuscitation. They must complete practical experience hours at local health care facilities to fulfill the state nurse aid certification requirement as well. Afterward, they are eligible to sit for the state nurse aide or home health aide examinations to be certified.
After completing Massachusetts CNA training, students can find work in chronic care facilities, clinics, hospitals, nursing homes and home care agencies. CNAs in Massachusetts usually migrate toward Lowell, New Bedford and Haverhill, where jobs are more common relative to the population, according to CityTownInfo.com. Students at Bunker Hill Community College also can continue studies to enter the fields of nursing, respiratory therapy, clinical laboratory sciences or medical imaging because the school's one-year patient care technician program includes pre-requisite courses for these programs.
Employment of nursing assistants is expected to grow 18 percent from 2008 to 2018, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This projected growth fits the outlook of Massachusetts, where health care is a top industry in the capital city Boston, according to City-Data.com. The average salary for a CNA in Massachusetts in 2010 was $39,000, according to Indeed.com. The highest median salaries for these professionals are in the metro areas of Worcester, Haverhill and Framingham, reports CityTownInfo.com.