CNA Program in Northern Virginia — Become a Certified Nurse Aide in 150 Hours
Start Your Healthcare Career Faster Than You Think
You want to work in healthcare. You want a job that matters, a paycheck that’s real, and a credential that opens doors — not a four-year wait and a mountain of debt to get there.
AVI Career Training’s Certified Nurse Aide program in Vienna, Virginia gives you everything you need to earn your Virginia CNA certification: state-required hands-on clinical training, expert instruction, and dedicated preparation for the Virginia CNA competency exam — all in as few as 150 hours.
This is your starting line.
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✔ COE-Accredited Program | ✔ GI Bill® Accepted | ✔ Virginia State Board–Eligible
Why Choose AVI Career Training for Your CNA Certification?
There are options out there. Community college waitlists. Employer-tied programs that limit where you can work. Online prep courses that can’t give you the supervised clinical hours Virginia actually requires. AVI is different — and the difference matters.
1. You Get a Real Virginia-Compliant Education — Not a Shortcut That Fails You
Virginia’s Board of Nursing requires that CNA candidates complete a state-approved training program that includes supervised hands-on clinical hours. No online-only course can fulfill this requirement. AVI’s 150-hour program is designed from the ground up to meet Virginia’s certification standards, which means when you walk out of our program, you’re eligible to sit for the Virginia CNA competency examination. No guesswork. No wasted tuition.
2. COE Accreditation Means Employers Trust Your Credential
AVI Career Training is accredited by the Council on Occupational Education (COE) and certified by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV). These aren’t decorative letters. They signal to every hospital, nursing home, home health agency, and assisted living facility that your training met rigorous, independently verified standards. When you hand a hiring manager your certificate, it holds weight.
3. Small Classes, Real Attention
You’re not a number here. AVI’s intimate class environment means your instructors know your name, notice when you’re struggling with a skill, and work with you directly until you’ve got it. This matters enormously when you’re building clinical technique — and when you’re preparing for a competency exam where hands-on skills are tested in person.
4. Hands-On Training From Day One
CNA work is physical, relational, and technical. You learn by doing — not by watching videos. From your first week, you’ll practice the skills that will define your daily work as a nurse aide: taking vital signs, assisting patients with activities of daily living, applying infection control protocols, and communicating effectively with patients, families, and care teams. By the time you graduate, these aren’t concepts you’ve read about. They’re things you’ve done.
5. Career Freedom — Work Anywhere You Want
Some programs train you specifically to work for one employer. AVI doesn’t work that way. Our graduates earn a Virginia state certification that is recognized across the entire Northern Virginia healthcare market — Inova, HCA Healthcare, Sentara, Kaiser Permanente, independent nursing homes, memory care communities, home health agencies, pediatric settings, and more. Your credential belongs to you. Your career path is yours to choose.
6. GI Bill® Accepted — Serving Those Who Served
Northern Virginia has one of the largest military-connected populations in the country. AVI is proud to accept GI Bill® education benefits, making this program accessible to veterans, active-duty service members, and qualifying military spouses. If you’ve served, your benefits can work here.
What You’ll Learn: CNA Program Curriculum
AVI’s 150-hour CNA program covers the full scope of knowledge and competency required to pass the Virginia CNA certification exam and succeed on the job from day one.
Core Knowledge Areas
Patient Care Fundamentals
Understanding the role of the nurse aide within the healthcare team; patient rights and dignity; ethical and legal responsibilities; professional communication with patients, families, and supervising nurses.
Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)
Assisting patients with bathing, dressing, grooming, oral hygiene, toileting, and mobility. You’ll learn proper body mechanics to protect yourself and your patients during transfers and repositioning.
Vital Signs & Clinical Measurements
Accurate measurement and documentation of temperature, pulse, respiration, blood pressure, and oxygen saturation. Understanding normal versus abnormal ranges and when to escalate concerns to the nursing team.
Infection Control & Safety
Standard precautions, hand hygiene, personal protective equipment (PPE), isolation techniques, and fall prevention. These skills are non-negotiable in every clinical setting.
Nutrition & Elimination
Assisting with meals, recognizing nutritional needs, monitoring intake and output, and supporting patients with elimination needs including catheter care.
Restorative & Rehabilitative Care
Range-of-motion exercises, ambulation assistance, and supporting patients in maintaining maximum independence.
Cognitive & Psychosocial Support
Communicating with patients experiencing dementia, confusion, or emotional distress. Understanding the emotional needs of elderly and chronically ill patients and families.
Documentation & Reporting
Accurate observation and documentation practices; understanding what must be reported immediately to the charge nurse and why.
Virginia State Board Exam Preparation
The Virginia CNA competency examination has two components: a written (or oral) knowledge test and a clinical skills evaluation in which candidates demonstrate specific hands-on skills before a state evaluator.
AVI’s curriculum is explicitly structured to prepare you for both. You’ll take practice written exams under exam conditions. You’ll perform and be evaluated on clinical skills repeatedly until they become second nature. Your instructors know exactly what state evaluators look for — and they’ll make sure you do too.
Career Outcomes: What Happens After You Graduate
The Northern Virginia Healthcare Market Is One of the Best in the Country
You’re training in one of the most healthcare-dense regions on the East Coast. The Northern Virginia–Washington DC metro area is home to major health systems including Inova Health System, HCA Healthcare, Sentara, Kaiser Permanente, and dozens of long-term care, assisted living, and home health employers actively recruiting CNAs right now. The NIH campus is minutes away. This is not a market where healthcare jobs are scarce.
What CNAs Earn in Northern Virginia
- Entry-level CNA: approximately $18–$22/hour in the Northern Virginia market
- Experienced CNAs: $22–$26/hour and above, particularly in specialty settings
- Annual salary range: approximately $38,000–$48,000 for full-time positions, with overtime opportunities common in long-term care settings
The cost of your training investment pays for itself within weeks of your first paycheck.
Where AVI CNA Graduates Work
- Hospital systems (acute care, surgical, emergency settings)
- Skilled nursing facilities and long-term care communities
- Assisted living and memory care communities
- Home health agencies (patient home visits)
- Rehabilitation centers
- Pediatric care settings
- Hospice organizations
The CNA Credential Is a Launchpad
Many of our students see the CNA not as a destination but as a launching pad — and they’re right. Virginia-certified CNAs with active certifications are frequently eligible for accelerated LPN and RN programs. Every hour you spend working as a CNA deepens your clinical knowledge and strengthens your nursing school application. You’re not just taking a job. You’re building a healthcare career from the inside out.
How to Enroll: Your Path From Here to Certified
We’ve designed the enrollment process to be as straightforward as your schedule allows. Here’s how it works:
Step 1 — Explore & Ask Questions
Use our contact form to request program details, current schedule options, start dates, and financial aid information. This step costs nothing and obligates you to nothing. It’s just information — and you deserve to have it.
Step 2 — Apply & Set Up Your Financial Aid
Complete your application and connect with our enrollment team to discuss your financial aid options, including federal aid eligibility and GI Bill® benefits. We’ll walk you through what’s available so cost doesn’t stand between you and your certification.
Step 3 — Start Training
Show up. Engage. Practice. Ask questions. The 150-hour program is demanding in the best possible way — every hour prepares you for something real.
Step 4 — Pass Your State Boards
With AVI’s exam preparation woven throughout the program, you’ll sit for the Virginia CNA competency examination with genuine confidence. Written knowledge. Clinical skills. Ready.
Step 5 — Get Hired
Your Virginia CNA certification is active, your credential is recognized statewide, and Northern Virginia’s healthcare employers are hiring. You’re ready.
Tuition & Financial Aid
We believe that financial barriers shouldn’t determine who gets to build a meaningful career in healthcare.
Financial aid is available for students who qualify, including federal financial assistance programs for eligible applicants. AVI Career Training also accepts GI Bill® education benefits — an important resource for the many veterans and military-connected individuals in our Northern Virginia community.
Our enrollment team will work with you personally to identify every financial resource available to you and help you understand your full picture before you commit to anything.
Ready to talk numbers?
→ Request a Free Financial Aid Conversation
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need any prior healthcare experience or education to enroll in the CNA program?
No prior healthcare experience is required. AVI’s CNA program is designed for students entering healthcare for the first time. You will need a high school diploma or GED to enroll. If you have questions about specific prerequisites, reach out to our enrollment team and they’ll give you a clear, honest answer.
How long does the CNA program take, and is it flexible enough to fit around my life?
The program is 150 hours total. Contact our admissions team to ask about current schedule formats and start dates — this is one of the first things we’ll walk you through. We understand that many of our students are working, raising children, or managing other commitments, and we want to help you find a path that works.
Will your program prepare me for the Virginia state CNA certification exam?
Yes — explicitly and thoroughly. Virginia’s CNA competency examination tests both written knowledge and hands-on clinical skills. AVI’s curriculum is structured around these two components. You’ll practice clinical skills repeatedly until they’re solid, and you’ll take written practice exams under realistic conditions. State exam preparation isn’t a last-minute add-on here — it’s built into every week of training.
Can I work as a CNA anywhere in Virginia after I graduate, or only at specific facilities?
You can work anywhere in Virginia that employs CNAs. Your credential comes from the Virginia Board of Nursing’s Nurse Aide Registry — it’s a statewide certification. AVI does not place you exclusively with one employer or health system. You choose where you apply, where you interview, and where you work. That freedom is yours.
What kind of support does AVI provide when it comes to finding a job after graduation?
Our team will connect with you about career resources and guidance as you approach graduation. Beyond that, Virginia’s healthcare job market — particularly in Northern Virginia — is genuinely strong for certified nurse aides. Employers in this region actively recruit new graduates. Your Virginia CNA certification is the credential they’re looking for, and AVI’s COE-accredited program is one they recognize.
Start Your Healthcare Career at AVI Career Training
You’ve been thinking about this long enough. Every week you wait is a week you could have spent building something — a credential, a career, a future in one of the most stable, meaningful fields there is.
The Northern Virginia healthcare market isn’t waiting. Patients need care. Facilities are hiring. And 150 hours from now, you could be certified, job-ready, and working in a career you’re proud of.
The next step is simple. Fill out the form. Ask your questions. Let’s talk.
→ Apply Now or Request Information
📞 Call or text us: (703) 943-9841
📍 Visit us: 1595 Spring Hill Rd #720, Vienna, VA 22182
AVI Career Training is COE-accredited and SCHEV-certified. GI Bill® benefits accepted. Financial aid available for qualifying students.
Ready to take the first step? We’ll meet you there.