One semester, a lifetime of skills! Our CNA course provides 60 hours of classroom instruction and 80 hours of supervised skills with clinical training.
certified nursing assistant
Thank you for your interest in the HCA A105 Certified Nurse Aide course being offered at the University of Alaska Anchorage. The course is a six-credit course that prepares students to become a Certified Nurse Aide (CNA) in the state of Alaska.
Certified nurse aides assist in nearly every aspect of nursing care in hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, assisted living, and home health. CNAs are responsible for recording vital signs such as pulse, respiration, blood pressure, and temperature, recording fluid intake and outputs, weights, and recording other observations. They also provide daily care to patients, such as helping with meals, baths, exercises, and treatments.
In outpatient clinics, CNAs are primarily responsible for preparing patients for the examination by a physician or nurse. They are also responsible for making sure the patients, nurses, and physicians receive the help they need during examinations or treatments. Other duties involve monitoring and stocking medical supplies, and scheduling. In rural Alaska, Native speaking CNAs are often called upon to provide crucial translation skills.
Certified nurse aides work wherever nurses are employed. Rural Alaska employers include regional hospitals, specialty clinics operated by regional health corporations or state and federal agencies, community-based health care programs and home health employers.
WHY CHOOSE certified nursing assistant AT UAA?
Demand for CNAs in the stat of Alaska is strong with high job placement rate
Cost-effective course includes CPR training, medical terminology, basic anatomy, first aid, and skills labs.
Students receive on-site clinical training at local health care facilities.
Course prepares students for entry into the health care field and for the State of Alaska Certification Examination.
NEWS & Stories
Dr. Jean Snyder’s career in family medicine has spanned decades, continents, and nearly every corner of patient care. Now, after years of serving communities across Alaska and beyond, she has been recognized as the Alaska Family Physician of the Year by the Alaska Academy of Family Physicians.
Division of Population Health Sciences Associate Professor Dr. Britteny Howell recently published two new studies that investigates the relationship between aging and mental health. Her research seeks to explore gaps in existing literature about how the experience of aging is shape by factors like social context, culture, activities, beliefs, environment, and more.
Dr. Corrie Whitmore, an associate professor in the Division of Population Health Sciences, and her team at UAA’s Center for Behavioral Health Research and Services are celebrating the recent publication of a new article. The paper, which was published in the Dec. 2025 issue of Nursing for Women’s Health, offers a framework and actionable strategies for nurses to improve communication and patient experience in discussions around substance use and contraception.
School of Social Work Assistant Professor Amana Mbise and ISER Research Assistant Professor Nathan West are exploring the relationships that Black barbershops play in men's health. Their community-based research prioritizes the lived experiences of the men they talk to, and is revealing how barbershops function not just as grooming spaces, but as social and cultural hubs.
As a neonatal nurse practitioner at Providence Alaska Children’s Hospital and adjunct faculty member for the UAA School of Nursing, Doctor of Nursing Practice alumna and graduate student hooding ceremony speaker for the fall Class of 2025 Stacy Brunquist weaves education into everything she does — training new caregivers, guiding parents learning to care for their newborns, and sharing knowledge with professionals from Utqiaġvik to Sitka.
Thank you for your interest in the UAA Certified Nurse Aide Program. This state of Alaska Board of Nursing approved training program prepares you for the state CNA examination in just one semester. This 6-credit course includes 60 hours of classroom instruction that will get you ready to take the written portion of the examination. It also includes 32 hours of skills instruction in the classroom lab. Additionally, students in the CNA class will get 48 hours of valuable hands-on training in a healthcare facility working with actual residents. This 80 hours of clinical and skills training prepares students for the skills portion of the state exam. Students who have taken UAA’s CNA class have an excellent pass rate and are well prepared to join the healthcare workforce.
-Marsha Bailey, RN
PROGRAM INFORMATION
Contact Us
Phone: (907) 786-4346
Email: uaa_cnaprogram@alaska.edu
UAA School of Allied Health
Allied Health Sciences Building
3500 Seawolf Drive, AHS 148
Anchorage, Alaska 99508
Mailing Address
UAA Certified Nursing Assistant
3211 Providence Drive, AHS 148
Anchorage, Alaska, 99508
