CNA Program in Northern Virginia — Launch Your Healthcare Career in 150 Hours
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You’re Ready to Do Work That Matters. We’ll Get You There Fast.
AVI Career Training’s Certified Nurse Aide program is Northern Virginia’s hands-on, COE-accredited path to a stable, meaningful healthcare career — without semesters, waitlists, or wasted time. If you’re ready to start, we’re ready for you.
Apply Now — It’s Free to Get Started
📞 Questions? Call us: (703) 943-9841
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| ✅ 150 Hours of Focused Training | 🏅 COE Accredited · SCHEV Certified | 💰 Financial Aid Available · GI Bill® Accepted |
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| One of Virginia’s most efficient, career-ready CNA programs | Credentials employers and licensing boards actually recognize | Flexible funding options for every budget |
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Why Choose AVI Career Training for Your CNA Certification?
There are other ways to become a CNA in Northern Virginia. So why do motivated, career-focused people choose AVI? Because we’re built differently — and the difference shows up where it matters: in the clinic, on the state exam, and on your first day of work.
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1. COE Accreditation + SCHEV Certification — The Credentials That Actually Matter
Anyone can open a school and call it a “training program.” 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 marketing badges — they’re rigorous, independently verified standards that Virginia employers, licensing boards, and the U.S. Department of Education all recognize.
What this means for you: your credential is legitimate, portable, and respected. Northern Virginia’s largest healthcare employers — including Inova, Sentara, and local skilled nursing facilities — know what a SCHEV-certified, COE-accredited program means. You walk in the door with credibility on day one.
> “Is this program legitimate?” is one of the first questions prospective students ask us. The answer is yes — and we can prove it.
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2. Hands-On Clinical Training — Not Just Slides and Videos
CNA work is physical, relational, and real. You can’t learn to take vital signs from a YouTube video, and you can’t learn patient communication from a multiple-choice quiz. AVI’s program is built around hands-on, skills-based clinical training in a real learning environment — because that’s what prepares you for the actual job.
You’ll practice patient care techniques, infection control procedures, activities of daily living (ADLs), and more under the direct supervision of experienced instructors before you ever set foot in a clinical facility. When your state competency exam comes, you won’t just know the theory — you’ll have the muscle memory.
This is the gap that online-heavy programs can’t close. Real skills require real practice. We deliver that.
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3. Small Classes, Real Instructor Attention
You’re not a number at AVI. Our small class sizes mean your instructor actually knows your name, tracks your progress, and can work with you when a skill doesn’t click the first time. If you’ve ever felt lost in a large classroom or sidelined in a huge lecture hall, you’ll notice the difference immediately.
This matters especially as you approach your Virginia state competency exam. Personalized attention during training is one of the strongest predictors of exam success — and exam success is what gets you hired.
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4. No Semester Waitlists — Start When You’re Ready
One of the biggest frustrations with community college CNA programs is the wait. Semester scheduling, waitlists, and bureaucratic enrollment processes can delay your start by months — months you could be earning a healthcare income.
AVI operates on an open enrollment model. When you’re ready to commit to your future, we’re ready to get you started. Contact us today to find out about upcoming start dates and get your spot.
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5. Central Northern Virginia Location — Accessible from Across the Region
Our campus is located at 1595 Spring Hill Rd #720, Vienna, VA 22182 — right in the heart of the NoVA commuter belt, minutes from Tysons Corner, Reston, McLean, Falls Church, Herndon, and Fairfax. Whether you’re coming from Chantilly or Merrifield, you won’t spend half your day in traffic just to get to class.
We’re also accessible to military families in the region. We proudly accept the GI Bill®, and we understand the specific scheduling and financial realities that veterans and military spouses navigate.
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What You’ll Learn — CNA Program Curriculum
AVI’s 150-hour CNA program is structured to build your confidence and competency systematically — starting with foundational knowledge and advancing to the hands-on clinical skills that employers and state licensing boards expect.
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Core Competency Areas
🫁 Patient Care Fundamentals
Understanding the role of the nurse aide, patient rights and dignity, ethical and legal responsibilities, communication with patients, families, and the nursing team. You’ll learn how to interact with patients as whole people — not just clinical cases.
❤️ Vital Signs & Clinical Measurements
Accurately measuring and recording blood pressure, pulse, respiration rate, and temperature. These are non-negotiable clinical skills, and you’ll practice them until they’re second nature.
🧼 Infection Control & Safety
Standard precautions, proper hand hygiene, personal protective equipment (PPE), isolation procedures, and maintaining a safe environment for patients and staff. Infection control isn’t optional — it’s foundational.
🛁 Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)
Assisting patients with bathing, grooming, dressing, oral hygiene, toileting, and feeding. You’ll learn to provide this assistance with both clinical precision and genuine human dignity — a balance that separates exceptional CNAs from adequate ones.
🧠 Cognitive & Emotional Support
Working with patients who have dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, or other cognitive impairments. Understanding behavioral approaches, communication strategies, and emotional support for patients and families.
🏥 Restorative Care & Mobility
Safe patient positioning, transferring techniques, range-of-motion exercises, ambulation assistance, and use of assistive devices. Proper body mechanics protect both patients and CNAs from injury.
📋 Documentation & Reporting
Accurate observation, documentation, and reporting of patient status changes. Understanding what to report to supervising nurses and how to do it effectively.
📝 Virginia State Exam Preparation
Your entire 150-hour program is aligned with the Virginia nurse aide competency evaluation. We integrate test preparation throughout — so by the time your exam date arrives, you’re not cramming. You’re reviewing material you already know.
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Program At a Glance
| Detail | Information |
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| Total Hours | 150 hours |
| Format | Classroom instruction + hands-on clinical lab |
| Location | Vienna, VA (1595 Spring Hill Rd #720) |
| State Exam Prep | Integrated throughout program |
| Credential Earned | Certificate of Completion; eligibility to sit for Virginia CNA Competency Exam |
| Accreditation | COE Accredited · SCHEV Certified |
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Career Outcomes — What’s Waiting on the Other Side
Completing your CNA certification isn’t the finish line. It’s the starting line for a healthcare career with real earning potential, genuine job security, and room to grow.
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What CNAs Earn in Northern Virginia
Northern Virginia is one of the strongest healthcare labor markets on the East Coast. The region’s combination of major hospital systems, a dense network of skilled nursing facilities, assisted living communities, and a rapidly aging population creates consistent, recession-resistant demand for qualified nurse aides.
CNA starting salaries in the Northern Virginia / DC metro area typically range from $38,000 to $48,000 per year — with experienced CNAs, those in specialized settings, and those who work overtime or pick up agency shifts earning more. Many facilities also offer shift differentials, sign-on bonuses, and tuition reimbursement for CNAs who want to advance.
This is the ROI conversation worth having: a short, focused training investment at AVI can pay for itself in your first few months of work.
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Where AVI CNA Graduates Work
CNAs are needed across a wide range of healthcare settings in Northern Virginia:
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Job Titles You Can Hold With Your CNA Credential
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The Stepping Stone — Where CNAs Go Next
One of the most powerful things about becoming a CNA is that it opens doors rather than closing them. Many AVI CNA graduates use their certification and clinical experience as a launchpad:
When you train with AVI, we respect your long-term ambition — not just your immediate credential. We want to see where this takes you.
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Your Path From Application to Employment
We’ve made the enrollment process clear and straightforward because we know your time is valuable and your commitment is real. Here’s what the journey looks like:
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Step 1: Explore & Connect
Still have questions? That’s normal. Reach out to us or call (703) 943-9841 to speak with an admissions advisor who can walk you through program details, upcoming start dates, and financial aid options. There’s no pressure — just real answers.
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Step 2: Apply
When you’re ready, submit your application here. The process is straightforward, and our admissions team will guide you through documentation requirements and next steps. Basic eligibility requirements include a high school diploma or GED and meeting Virginia state prerequisites for CNA training.
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Step 3: Secure Your Funding
Our financial aid team will work with you to explore available funding options — including federal financial aid, payment plans, and GI Bill® benefits for eligible veterans and military family members. We don’t want cost to be the thing that stands between you and a healthcare career.
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Step 4: Attend, Train, and Excel
Show up. Engage. Practice. Ask questions. Take advantage of the small class environment and experienced instructors. Your 150 hours of training are where everything comes together — the knowledge, the skills, the confidence.
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Step 5: Pass Your Virginia CNA Competency Exam
After completing your program, you’ll sit for Virginia’s nurse aide competency evaluation. Your entire 150-hour program has been building toward this moment. AVI’s curriculum is designed to prepare you for both the written and skills portions of the exam.
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Step 6: Get Licensed and Get Hired
Once you pass, you’ll be listed on the Virginia Nurse Aide Registry — the official credential that unlocks employment across the state. From there, our team will support your job search with guidance and resources. Your career starts here.
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Tuition & Financial Aid
We believe that the cost of training shouldn’t determine who gets to have a meaningful healthcare career. AVI Career Training works to make the CNA program financially accessible for students across Northern Virginia.
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Financial Aid Options
Federal Financial Aid
AVI Career Training is approved to participate in federal financial aid programs. Eligible students may be able to access grants and other forms of aid to offset tuition costs. Complete the FAFSA at studentaid.gov and speak with our financial aid team about what you may qualify for.
GI Bill® Accepted
AVI proudly accepts GI Bill® education benefits. If you’re a veteran, active-duty service member, or military spouse eligible for GI Bill® benefits, our admissions team will help you navigate the process. Northern Virginia’s large military community is part of who we serve.
Payment Plans
We offer payment options designed to make tuition manageable. Speak with our financial aid team about structuring a payment plan that works with your budget.
Scholarships & Workforce Funding
Depending on your circumstances, you may qualify for workforce development grants or scholarship opportunities. Ask our admissions team — these options are worth exploring before you assume cost is a barrier.
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The ROI Perspective
Here’s a number worth sitting with: CNA starting salaries in Northern Virginia typically range from $38,000 to $48,000 per year. A focused, efficient training investment at AVI is one that the majority of our graduates recoup within their first several months of employment. This isn’t just education — it’s a calculated investment in your earning future.
Speak to a Financial Aid Advisor
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Q: Do I need any prior healthcare experience to enroll in AVI’s CNA program?
No prior healthcare experience is required. AVI’s CNA program is designed to take students from the fundamentals all the way through clinical competency — whether you’ve worked in healthcare before or you’re coming from retail, food service, office work, or anywhere else. What you do need is a high school diploma or GED and a genuine commitment to showing up and doing the work. Our instructors will take care of the rest.
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Q: How does the scheduling work? Can I attend if I’m currently working?
We understand that most of our students can’t simply stop working while they train. Contact our admissions team to discuss current schedule options — including any available evening or accelerated formats — and to find out which upcoming start dates might work best for your situation. Reach out here or call (703) 943-9841 to have that conversation directly.
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Q: What is the Virginia CNA state exam, and how does AVI prepare me for it?
After completing your 150-hour program, you’ll sit for Virginia’s nurse aide competency evaluation — typically administered by a state-approved testing vendor. The exam has two components: a written (or oral) knowledge test and a hands-on skills demonstration. AVI’s entire curriculum is aligned with these exam requirements. Rather than treating exam prep as a last-minute add-on, we integrate it throughout your training — so that by the time exam day arrives, you’re reviewing familiar material, not learning anything new under pressure.
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Q: Will AVI help me find a job after I graduate?
Yes. While we can’t guarantee employment (no school can, honestly — and you should be wary of those that claim to), we actively support our graduates in their job searches. Northern Virginia’s healthcare job market is strong, and a COE-accredited, SCHEV-certified CNA credential is one that employers in this region recognize and respect. We’ll provide guidance, connections, and resources to help you move from graduation to employment as quickly as possible.
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Q: I’m nervous about entering healthcare with no clinical background. Is that normal?
Completely normal — and more common than you’d think. Many of our most successful CNA graduates came to us with zero clinical experience and significant self-doubt. What they had was motivation, a willingness to learn, and the courage to start. Our small class environment, experienced instructors, and hands-on approach are specifically designed to build confidence alongside competency. You don’t need to walk in the door knowing everything. You just need to walk in the door.
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Apply Today — Your Healthcare Career Starts Here
The need for qualified, compassionate Certified Nurse Aides in Northern Virginia is real, growing, and not going away. Inova is hiring. Skilled nursing facilities are hiring. Home health agencies are hiring. The question isn’t whether there’s a job waiting for you — it’s whether you’ll be ready to take it.
AVI Career Training’s 150-hour CNA program is the fastest, most credible, most personally supported path to that job in Northern Virginia. COE accredited. SCHEV certified. Hands-on clinical training. Small class sizes. Financial aid available. GI Bill® accepted.
You’ve already thought about this long enough. The next step is simple.
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🎓 Apply Now — Secure Your Spot
Free to apply. No obligation. Just the first step.
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📞 Call or Text: (703) 943-9841
📍 Campus: 1595 Spring Hill Rd #720, Vienna, VA 22182
💻 Apply Online: avi.orbund.com/einstein-freshair/public\_contact\_form.jsp?id=48&fid=5
Conveniently located for students commuting from Tysons, Reston, McLean, Falls Church, Herndon, Chantilly, and Fairfax.
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AVI Career Training is COE Accredited and SCHEV Certified. GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government website at benefits.va.gov/gibill.