CNA Classes in Northern Virginia: Launch Your Healthcare Career in 150 Hours
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You Have the Heart for Healthcare. We’ll Give You the Credential to Prove It.
AVI Career Training’s Certified Nurse Aide program is one of Northern Virginia’s fastest routes from caring person to credentialed healthcare professional. In just 150 hours of focused, hands-on training at our Vienna, VA campus, you’ll graduate ready to sit for the Virginia state certification exam — and walk into a career that pays, grows, and matters.
Get Started Today — Request Information
📞 Have questions first? Call us at (703) 943-9841
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Why Students Choose AVI:
| ✅ 150-Hour Program | ✅ COE Accredited · SCHEV Certified | ✅ Financial Aid Available |
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| One of the most focused, direct paths to CNA certification in the region — measured in hours, not semesters. | Our accreditation isn’t just a badge. It’s what makes your credential recognized by Northern Virginia hospitals, nursing homes, and healthcare networks. | Federal financial aid eligibility and GI Bill® acceptance mean this investment costs less than you think. |
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Why Choose AVI Career Training for Your CNA Program?
Northern Virginia has no shortage of CNA training options. What it does have a shortage of is programs that combine real credentials, real instructors, real clinical skills, and real career support — all in one focused, accessible place. Here’s what makes AVI different.
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1. Accreditation That Employers Actually Trust
AVI Career Training is COE (Council on Occupational Education) accredited and SCHEV (State Council of Higher Education for Virginia) certified. Those aren’t just initials on a brochure. They’re the markers that hospital systems, long-term care facilities, and home health agencies use to screen new hires.
When you graduate from AVI and pass your Virginia state exam, employers in Fairfax County, Arlington, Loudoun County, and across the DMV will recognize your credential. That’s not guaranteed with every CNA program you’ll find online or posted on a community bulletin board.
> The difference between a “cheap CNA class” and an accredited program can be the difference between getting hired and getting turned away at orientation.
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2. Hands-On Clinical Training — The Way Virginia Requires It
Virginia law requires that CNA candidates complete in-person, hands-on clinical training hours before sitting for the state certification exam. That means any program promising you a full CNA credential through a screen is misleading you — and potentially wasting your time and money.
At AVI’s Vienna campus, you’ll practice real clinical skills in a structured hands-on environment that mirrors actual healthcare settings. You won’t just read about taking vital signs or performing activities of daily living — you’ll do them, repeatedly, until they’re second nature. That’s how you pass the skills portion of the Virginia CNA state exam. That’s how you walk into your first shift with confidence.
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3. Instructors Who Know Healthcare — and Know How to Teach It
AVI’s instructors aren’t rotating adjuncts or remote facilitators. They’re credentialed healthcare professionals who bring clinical experience into the classroom. They know what hiring managers at Northern Virginia nursing homes and hospitals expect, and they train you accordingly. When you have questions — about a clinical technique, about the state exam, about where your career might go — you’ll have real people to ask.
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4. A Launching Pad, Not Just a Credential
Many of our CNA students aren’t stopping at CNA. They’re using this credential as the first step on a longer healthcare career path: CNA → LPN → RN → and beyond. AVI understands that ambition. We’ll equip you with the foundational skills, professional habits, and state certification that make every next step more achievable. Think of your 150 hours here as the foundation of a career, not just the completion of a course.
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5. Accessible for Working Adults and Caregivers
If you’re currently working a job, raising kids, or supporting a family while trying to build something better — you’re exactly who this program is designed for. The CNA program’s 150-hour structure is achievable around real life. Speak with our enrollment team about scheduling options and how other students just like you have made it work.
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CNA Program Curriculum: What You’ll Learn in 150 Hours
The Virginia Board of Nursing sets the standards. AVI’s curriculum meets and reinforces every one of them — preparing you not just to pass the state exam, but to perform confidently on day one of your healthcare career.
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Core Competency Areas
#### 🫀 Patient Care Fundamentals
The bedrock of everything you’ll do as a CNA. You’ll learn how to provide safe, respectful, person-centered care across a range of patient needs and conditions. This includes proper body mechanics, positioning, transferring patients, and supporting mobility — skills that protect both you and the people in your care.
#### 📊 Vital Signs Monitoring
Measuring and recording blood pressure, pulse, respiration, temperature, and oxygen saturation. You’ll practice until accuracy and consistency are automatic — because in healthcare, those numbers matter.
#### 🛁 Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)
Bathing, dressing, grooming, oral hygiene, toileting, and feeding assistance. ADL support is the core of a CNA’s daily work. You’ll learn to perform these tasks skillfully and with the dignity your patients deserve.
#### 🦠 Infection Control and Safety
Standard precautions, hand hygiene, personal protective equipment, isolation procedures, and understanding how infection spreads in healthcare settings. This training protects your patients, your coworkers, and yourself.
#### 💬 Communication and Professionalism
Healthcare teams run on communication. You’ll develop the skills to document observations accurately, report changes in patient condition to nursing staff, communicate clearly with patients and families, and conduct yourself with the professionalism that healthcare employers expect.
#### 🏥 Healthcare Settings: Nursing Home and Hospital Environments
CNAs work across multiple care settings — long-term care facilities, assisted living, hospitals, rehabilitation centers, and home health. Your training will prepare you for the real working conditions, expectations, and responsibilities of each.
#### 📋 Virginia State Board Exam Preparation
The Virginia CNA competency exam includes both a written knowledge test and a hands-on skills evaluation. Your entire 150-hour program is structured to prepare you for both. By the time you reach exam day, you’ll have practiced every tested skill under qualified instructor supervision.
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150 Hours: What That Actually Looks Like
150 hours is not a semester. It’s not a year. It’s a focused, structured program designed to take you from no clinical experience to state exam-ready in a timeframe that respects your life and your urgency to get started.
Contact our enrollment team to discuss current schedule options — including how the classroom and clinical hours are distributed, and which schedule format works best for your situation.
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Career Outcomes: What Happens After You Graduate
Earning your CNA credential in Virginia doesn’t just open one door. It opens an entire corridor of healthcare career opportunities — with real pay, real growth, and real demand.
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The Northern Virginia Healthcare Job Market
Northern Virginia is one of the most robust healthcare employment markets on the East Coast. The DC metro region’s aging population, its density of hospital systems, long-term care facilities, and home health agencies creates consistent, high demand for qualified CNAs. Healthcare employment in Virginia has grown steadily year over year, and CNA is one of the most reliably in-demand entry-level healthcare credentials in the state.
Facilities actively hiring CNAs in Northern Virginia include:
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CNA Salary Range in Virginia
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and Virginia Employment Commission data, Certified Nurse Aides in Northern Virginia typically earn:
> Northern Virginia’s cost-of-living premium means CNA wages here typically exceed state and national averages.
The math matters: your AVI CNA credential can realistically pay for itself within your first few weeks on the job. That’s not a sales line — that’s the economics of one of healthcare’s most accessible entry points.
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Job Titles You Can Hold With Your CNA Credential
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Your CNA Credential Is Also a Career Ladder
Many of Northern Virginia’s most accomplished nurses started exactly where you are. The CNA credential is the recognized first step in a well-established healthcare career pathway:
CNA → LPN (Licensed Practical Nurse) → RN (Registered Nurse) → BSN → Advanced Practice
Each step builds on the last. Your clinical experience as a CNA — the patient contact, the skills, the professional vocabulary — gives you a meaningful head start when you pursue licensed nursing. Some employers even offer tuition reimbursement programs that help CNAs advance to LPN or RN while working. Starting as a CNA isn’t settling. It’s a strategy.
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Your Enrollment Path: From Interest to Hired in Five Steps
We’ve designed the enrollment process to be clear, honest, and low-stress. No confusing paperwork marathons, no high-pressure sales tactics. Just a straightforward path to getting started.
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Step 1: Explore and Get Your Questions Answered
Not sure if CNA training is right for you? Not sure if your schedule can accommodate it? That’s exactly what our enrollment team is here for. Reach out through our contact form or call us directly. We’ll walk you through the program, talk through your timeline and financial situation, and make sure you have everything you need to make a confident decision.
Schedule a Conversation | (703) 943-9841
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Step 2: Apply
When you’re ready to move forward, submitting your application is straightforward. Our team will confirm your eligibility, review any questions, and keep you informed at every step.
Minimum Requirements:
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Step 3: Enroll and Begin Training
Once your application is confirmed and your financial arrangements are in place, you’ll be enrolled in an upcoming cohort. Our enrollment team will prepare you for your first day — what to expect, what to bring, and how to set yourself up for success in the program.
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Step 4: Complete Your 150 Hours, Pass Your State Exam, and Get Licensed
This is where it comes together. Complete your coursework and clinical hours, sit for the Virginia CNA state certification exam, and earn the credential that puts you on the floor of a Northern Virginia healthcare facility.
AVI’s curriculum is built around state exam success. Your instructors will tell you exactly what to study, exactly what to practice, and exactly what examiners are looking for. Passing is the goal. We train you accordingly.
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Step 5: Begin Your Healthcare Career
With your Virginia CNA certification in hand, you’re qualified to apply for positions across the Northern Virginia healthcare market. Our team can offer guidance on job searching, resume support, and understanding the local healthcare hiring landscape.
Your 150 hours at AVI are the investment. A healthcare career is the return.
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Tuition and Financial Aid: Real Access to a Real Investment
We understand that tuition is one of the first things you’re thinking about. We also know that the sticker price of any program doesn’t tell the whole story — especially when financial aid, payment options, and earning potential are all part of the picture.
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Financial Aid Is Available
As a COE-accredited institution, AVI Career Training has access to federal financial aid programs that many smaller or unaccredited CNA programs simply cannot offer. Eligible students may be able to use financial aid to offset a significant portion of their tuition cost. If the cost of training has been your hesitation, this conversation is worth having.
Talk to Our Financial Aid Team
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GI Bill® Accepted
If you’re a veteran or active-duty servicemember using education benefits, AVI Career Training accepts the GI Bill®. We’re proud to support Virginia’s military community in transitioning to meaningful civilian healthcare careers. Contact us to discuss how your benefits apply to the CNA program.
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Think About the Full Picture
A CNA credential from an unaccredited program might cost less upfront. But if that credential isn’t recognized by your employer, or if you fail the state exam because the training was inadequate, or if you can’t access financial aid to offset the cost — that “cheaper” option becomes the more expensive mistake.
Consider what AVI’s program actually costs you:
AVI’s enrollment team will give you a transparent, honest breakdown of tuition costs, financial aid options, and payment plans. No surprises. No pressure.
Request Tuition and Financial Aid Information
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Frequently Asked Questions
Real questions from people who are exactly where you are right now. Answered honestly.
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❓ Do I need any healthcare experience or prerequisites to enroll in AVI’s CNA program?
No prior healthcare experience is required. What you need is a high school diploma or GED, a genuine commitment to caring for others, and the motivation to complete 150 hours of focused training. Many of our CNA students have never worked in healthcare before — that’s precisely why they’re here. Our curriculum starts with foundational knowledge and builds systematically to clinical competency.
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❓ I work full-time and have kids. Can I realistically do this program?
Yes — and you’re not alone. A significant portion of AVI’s CNA students are working adults managing jobs, families, and other responsibilities. The 150-hour program is designed to be achievable in a realistic timeframe without requiring you to put your entire life on pause. Contact our enrollment team to discuss current schedule options and find the format that fits your situation. The students who succeed in this program aren’t the ones with the most free time — they’re the ones who show up consistently.
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❓ What is the Virginia CNA state certification exam, and how does AVI prepare me for it?
To become a licensed Certified Nurse Aide in Virginia, you must pass the state competency evaluation administered by the Virginia Board of Nursing. The exam has two components: a written (or oral) knowledge test and a hands-on skills evaluation where you demonstrate clinical techniques in front of an evaluator.
AVI’s 150-hour curriculum is specifically designed to prepare you for both components. You’ll study the knowledge domains covered by the written exam and practice the exact clinical skills tested in the hands-on evaluation — repeatedly, under instructor supervision. By exam day, nothing you encounter should be unfamiliar. That preparation is the difference between anxiety and confidence on test day.
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❓ I’ve seen CNA programs advertised online for much less. What’s the difference?
This is an important question, and it deserves an honest answer. Not all CNA programs are created equal, and in Virginia, the difference matters legally.
First, Virginia law requires in-person, hands-on clinical hours for CNA certification. Any program that promises a fully online path to a Virginia CNA credential is misleading you. You will not be eligible to sit for the state exam without documented in-person clinical training. If you complete an online-only program, you will still need to find in-person clinical training separately — meaning you may pay twice, and wait longer.
Second, accreditation determines where you can work and whether you can access financial aid. AVI is COE-accredited and SCHEV-certified. That means our credential is recognized by Virginia healthcare employers and our students may be eligible for federal financial aid. Many low-cost programs have neither. When you factor in potential aid eligibility, AVI’s real cost to eligible students may actually be lower than an unaccredited “cheap” alternative.
Third, exam preparation quality affects your pass rate. A lower-cost program with minimal instruction can leave you underprepared for the state exam — meaning you pay to retake it, delay your employment start date, and potentially lose confidence in the process. AVI’s curriculum is built around getting you through that exam the first time.
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❓ What kind of career support does AVI offer CNA graduates?
AVI Career Training is invested in your outcomes, not just your enrollment. Our team provides guidance on navigating the Virginia CNA state exam registration process, understanding the local healthcare job market, and positioning yourself as a strong candidate. We can provide insight into where Northern Virginia employers are hiring, what they look for in new CNAs, and how to present your AVI credential and clinical training effectively.
Your 150 hours at AVI aren’t the end of our relationship — they’re the beginning of a career, and we want to see it succeed.
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Start Your CNA Journey at AVI Career Training
You already know you want to do something that matters. You already know healthcare is where you’re headed. The only thing standing between you and a Certified Nurse Aide credential is 150 focused hours of training — and the decision to start.
Northern Virginia needs qualified, credentialed CNAs. AVI Career Training is COE-accredited, SCHEV-certified, and ready to help you become one.
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Here’s what you get when you choose AVI:
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Three ways to get started today:
1. Submit your information online — we’ll reach out within one business day.
Apply Now / Request Information
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2. Call us directly with your questions.
📞 (703) 943-9841
Our enrollment team is ready to talk through the program, scheduling, costs, and anything else on your mind.
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3. Visit our campus in Vienna, VA.
📍 1595 Spring Hill Rd #720, Vienna, VA 22182
Conveniently located in Northern Virginia, minutes from Tysons, Reston, Herndon, McLean, Falls Church, Fairfax, and Ashburn.
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> “The fastest path to a healthcare career in Northern Virginia runs right through Vienna.”
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AVI Career Training · COE Accredited · SCHEV Certified · Vienna, VA