CNA Training Programs in Northern Virginia — Become a Certified Nurse Aide in 150 Hours
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You’re Ready to Work in Healthcare. AVI Gets You There — Fast.
AVI Career Training’s Certified Nurse Aide program prepares Northern Virginia adults for a meaningful, stable healthcare career — in just 150 hours. No four-year degree. No endless waitlists. Just hands-on training, real credentials, and a clear path to employment.
Apply Now — Start Your CNA Journey →
📞 Questions? Call us: (703) 943-9841
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At a Glance
| ✅ 150-Hour Program | 🏅 COE Accredited & SCHEV Certified | 💰 Financial Aid & GI Bill® Accepted |
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| One of the fastest routes to a licensed healthcare career in Virginia | Credentials that employers and licensing boards recognize — and that fly-by-night programs can’t match | Flexible funding options so cost doesn’t stand between you and your future |
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Why Choose AVI Career Training for Your CNA Certification?
There’s no shortage of options when you search “CNA classes near me.” So why do motivated Northern Virginians choose AVI? Because we built this program specifically for people with real lives, real financial pressure, and real ambition — people who can’t afford to waste time or money on a program that doesn’t deliver.
Here’s what sets us apart:
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1. Accreditation You Can Verify — and Employers Respect
AVI Career Training is COE (Council on Occupational Education) accredited and SCHEV (State Council of Higher Education for Virginia) certified. These aren’t self-awarded badges. They’re rigorous third-party validations of our curriculum, faculty, and outcomes. When you hand an employer your CNA certificate from AVI, they see credentials backed by the same standards that govern the best vocational schools in the country.
Many lower-cost “bootcamps” you’ll find online cannot say the same. Before you enroll anywhere, ask for their accreditation status. We’ll show you ours proudly.
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2. GI Bill® Accepted — Built for Northern Virginia’s Military Community
Northern Virginia is home to one of the largest veteran and military spouse populations in the nation. If you’ve served — or if your partner has — your education benefits can work here. AVI accepts the GI Bill®, making CNA certification accessible without the financial stress that stops so many from taking the first step.
Whether you’re transitioning out of service or building a civilian career alongside your military household, AVI understands your situation and your schedule.
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3. Hands-On Training, Not Just Classroom Hours
Healthcare is a skills profession. Reading about how to take a patient’s vital signs is not the same as doing it. AVI’s CNA program is built around hands-on clinical skills practice that prepares you to walk into a facility on day one and perform with confidence. You’ll practice on real equipment, work through realistic patient scenarios, and develop the muscle memory that classroom-only programs simply can’t provide.
When the Virginia Board of Nursing calls your name for the skills competency exam, you’ll be ready — because you’ve done this before.
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4. No Waitlists. No Bureaucracy. Real Human Support.
NOVA’s CNA program has name recognition — but it also has waitlists, rigid semester schedules, and an enrollment process that can feel like navigating a government agency. AVI is different. When you contact us, you talk to a person. When you apply, you get a clear answer. When you need help with financial aid paperwork or have a question about your schedule, someone picks up the phone.
We’re a local school with a local team that genuinely wants to see you graduate and land a job. That’s not a marketing line — it’s how we operate every day.
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5. Designed for Working Adults in Northern Virginia
150 hours is the Virginia state requirement for CNA certification — and it’s a number that is achievable even when you’re balancing a job, kids, or other responsibilities. AVI’s program is structured for adult learners who need flexibility without sacrificing quality. If you’ve been telling yourself “someday” because the timing never feels right, consider this: the program is shorter than most people expect, and the income you gain by waiting is income you’re leaving on the table.
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CNA Program Curriculum — What You’ll Learn
AVI’s 150-hour Certified Nurse Aide program meets all requirements established by the Virginia Board of Nursing and prepares graduates for both the written and skills competency portions of the Virginia CNA Certification Exam.
Core Skill Areas
Patient Care Fundamentals
You’ll learn how to assist patients and residents with the activities of daily living (ADLs) — bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting, mobility, and feeding — with both technical competence and compassionate care. This is the core of what a CNA does every day.
Vital Signs Monitoring
Accurate measurement and recording of temperature, pulse, respiration, and blood pressure. You’ll learn what normal ranges look like, how to recognize deviations, and when and how to report findings to the nursing team.
Infection Prevention & Control
Proper hand hygiene, personal protective equipment (PPE), standard precautions, isolation procedures, and the science behind stopping the spread of infection in healthcare environments. This knowledge is non-negotiable for every clinical hire.
Communication & Documentation
Effective communication with patients, families, and the interdisciplinary care team. You’ll learn how to document care accurately, report changes in patient condition, and navigate the interpersonal dynamics of a healthcare team — skills that determine whether a CNA is good or exceptional.
Patient Rights & Ethics
Virginia law and federal regulations protect patients’ dignity, privacy, and autonomy. You’ll learn these protections not as abstract rules, but as the foundation of ethical care — so you always know the right thing to do, even in difficult situations.
Safety & Emergency Procedures
Fall prevention, proper body mechanics (protecting yourself and your patient), emergency response procedures, and safe use of mobility equipment. Working safely is a core professional competency — not an afterthought.
Long-Term Care & Acute Care Settings
CNAs work in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, hospitals, rehabilitation centers, and home health settings. AVI’s curriculum prepares you for the specific expectations, workflows, and patient populations you’ll encounter across these environments.
Virginia State Board Exam Preparation
Your 150 hours culminate in focused preparation for both the written knowledge exam and the clinical skills competency evaluation administered by Pearson VUE on behalf of the Virginia Department of Health Professions. We don’t just teach you nursing skills — we teach you how to demonstrate those skills under exam conditions, so you pass the first time.
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Career Outcomes — Where Your CNA Certificate Takes You
Immediate Job Opportunities in Northern Virginia
Northern Virginia’s healthcare market is one of the strongest in the country — and it’s growing. The region’s rapidly aging population, combined with the expansion of major healthcare systems like Inova Health System, Capital Health, and numerous long-term care and rehabilitation facilities, means demand for qualified CNAs is consistently high. This isn’t a market where you’ll certify and struggle to find work. Entry-level openings are abundant, and employers actively recruit from CNA programs like AVI’s.
What CNAs Earn in Virginia
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and Virginia workforce data:
The financial math is straightforward: the sooner you certify, the sooner you earn. Every week you spend researching instead of enrolling is a week of healthcare wages you don’t collect.
Job Titles You’ll Qualify For
CNA as a Career Launchpad
Many CNAs in Northern Virginia treat this credential not as a destination but as a deliberate first step. The patient care experience you accumulate as a CNA is the foundation employers and nursing programs look for when you’re ready to advance. Common pathways include:
Your CNA certificate is the door. What you do after you walk through it is up to you — and AVI’s team will support you in thinking through those next steps from the moment you enroll.
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Your Enrollment Path — Four Clear Steps From Here to Hired
We’ve made the process as straightforward as the program itself. Here’s exactly what happens when you decide you’re ready:
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Step 1: Explore & Connect
Start by reaching out. Use the link below to submit your information, or call us directly at (703) 943-9841. A real member of the AVI team will contact you to answer your questions, walk you through program details, and help you understand your financial aid options. No pressure. No sales tactics. Just honest information so you can make a confident decision.
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Step 2: Apply & Confirm Your Enrollment
Once you’re ready to move forward, you’ll complete a straightforward application. AVI’s admissions team will confirm your eligibility, help you identify financial aid you qualify for, and lock in your start date. Requirements are accessible — this program is designed for motivated adults, not people who need a perfect academic record.
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Step 3: Train — 150 Hours of Real-World Skills
Show up. Engage. Practice. Your 150 hours of training will cover every skill the Virginia Board of Nursing requires — in a hands-on environment with instructors who’ve worked in healthcare and know what employers expect. This isn’t passive learning. By the time you complete your last clinical skills session, you’ll have the confidence that only comes from actually doing the work.
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Step 4: Pass Your Exam & Get Licensed
After completing your program hours, you’ll be fully prepared to sit for the Virginia CNA Certification Exam — both the written and skills components — administered through Pearson VUE. Once you pass, you’ll be added to the Virginia Nurse Aide Registry, the official credentialing database that Virginia employers use to verify CNA status. From that moment on, you are a Certified Nurse Aide.
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Step 5: Launch Your Career
With your certification in hand, AVI’s team is here to support your job search in Northern Virginia. We’ll help you understand the local market, identify the settings that match your goals, and present yourself as the prepared, credentialed candidate you are. Our graduates go to work in some of Northern Virginia’s top healthcare facilities — and many go on to pursue advanced nursing credentials within a few years.
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Tuition & Financial Aid — Let’s Make This Work for Your Budget
We believe that financial barriers shouldn’t prevent motivated people from entering healthcare. AVI Career Training offers a range of financial assistance options, and our team will work with you to identify what you qualify for before you commit to anything.
Financial Aid Options at AVI
Think of This as an Investment, Not a Cost
Here’s a framing that matters: the CNA program is a finite, one-time investment that generates a return in the form of ongoing healthcare wages. The average CNA in Northern Virginia earns between $16 and $20+ per hour. Every month you delay enrollment is a month of that income you don’t earn. The question isn’t really whether you can afford to enroll — it’s whether you can afford to keep waiting.
Contact Us to Discuss Your Financial Aid Options →
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Frequently Asked Questions — Honest Answers to Real Questions
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Q: Do I need any prior healthcare experience or education to enroll in the CNA program?
A: No prior healthcare experience is required. You need a high school diploma or GED, and you need to be motivated. AVI’s program is designed to take students with no clinical background and build genuine competence from the ground up. If you care about helping people and you’re willing to work, you have what it takes to start.
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Q: How long does the CNA program take, and can I fit it into my schedule if I work or have kids?
A: The program is 150 hours — which sounds like a lot until you realize it’s one of the shortest legitimate routes into healthcare available. AVI structures the program to accommodate working adults and parents. Contact our admissions team to discuss current scheduling options, including what class formats and start dates are available. We know your life doesn’t pause while you train — so we don’t build a program that expects it to.
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Q: How does Virginia’s CNA licensing exam work, and how does AVI prepare me for it?
A: After completing your 150 program hours, you’ll take the Virginia CNA Certification Exam through Pearson VUE, which has testing locations throughout Northern Virginia and the greater DC area. The exam has two parts: a written (or oral) knowledge test and a hands-on clinical skills evaluation where you demonstrate specific nursing tasks to an evaluator. AVI’s curriculum is structured specifically around Virginia’s exam requirements — so the material you learn in class is the material you’ll be tested on. Our goal is for every graduate to pass on the first attempt.
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Q: Will AVI help me find a job after I graduate?
A: Yes. AVI’s team is invested in your employment success — not just your graduation. We’ll support your job search with knowledge of the Northern Virginia healthcare market, guidance on how to present your credentials, and insight into the types of facilities and roles where new CNAs thrive. We can’t guarantee employment — no ethical school can — but we are actively in your corner after you graduate, not just before you enroll.
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Q: Is AVI Career Training a legitimate, accredited school? How do I know I can trust this program?
A: It’s a fair and important question, and we respect you for asking it. 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 credentials require ongoing compliance with rigorous educational and institutional standards — they can’t be purchased or self-declared. AVI also accepts the GI Bill®, which requires additional federal vetting that further validates our legitimacy. You are welcome to verify our accreditation status directly with COE and SCHEV before you make any decision. We have nothing to hide and everything to prove.
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Start Your CNA Journey at AVI Career Training — Apply Today
You came to this page because something in your life is ready to change. Maybe you’re tired of work that doesn’t mean anything. Maybe you’re ready to earn more and build toward something. Maybe someone you loved needed a CNA and you thought: I could do that. I want to do that.
Whatever brought you here, you’re not wrong. Healthcare is one of the most stable, growing, and meaningful sectors in the Northern Virginia economy — and the CNA credential is the fastest legitimate entry point into it. 150 hours. A licensing exam. A career that pays you to show up and care for people.
AVI Career Training has built a program that’s accredited, accessible, and designed for real life. We’re not a waitlist. We’re not a website. We’re a team of real people at a physical address in Vienna, Virginia, who want to see you graduate, get licensed, and go to work.
The only thing standing between you and a healthcare career is the first step.
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Take It Now
📞 Call or Text: (703) 943-9841
📍 Visit Us: 1595 Spring Hill Rd #720, Vienna, VA 22182
🌐 Follow Along: @avicareertraining on Instagram & TikTok
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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. Acceptance of GI Bill® benefits does not constitute an endorsement of AVI Career Training by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or the U.S. Government.
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Serving students from Vienna, Tysons Corner, McLean, Reston, Herndon, Falls Church, Arlington, Fairfax, and communities throughout Northern Virginia and the greater Washington, DC metro area.