1-877-206-4279
Nursing Assistant Program
Certificate/Diploma in Nursing Assistant
Become a Nursing Assistant in Five Weeks
The Nursing Assistant program at Cambridge provides students with the education and practical training to become Nursing Assistants. Led by highly qualified staff and instructors, students can complete the program in less than two months and be ready to flourish in a nursing assistant career.
What Is a Nursing Assistant?
A Nursing Assistant works directly with patients and doctors, under the supervision of a Registered Nurse (RN) or Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN). Nursing assistants perform many duties, including:
- Checking vital signs
- Communicating with doctors and nurses
- Helping patients bathe, eat or get dressed
- Documenting information
- Transporting patients
- Caring for wounds
Why Choose Cambridge
As a student at Cambridge, you’ll receive a wide range of benefits by participating in our programs.
- Career coaching and job placement: Our Career Services department is made up of experienced human resources and healthcare professionals who know what industry employers seek. Through our vast partner network, you’ll have access to career mentoring and job placement assistance.
- Hands-on instruction: Our qualified instructors give you practical experience throughout the program with dynamic, interactive instruction.
- Externship placements: During the program, you’ll have the opportunity to put your skills in action with externships in long-term care facilities and receive on-the-job training.
- Lab experience: Our industry current lab allows you to work with current industry technology and medical equipment.
Learn More about the Nursing Assistant Atlanta Campus
Learn More about the Nursing Assistant Miami Campus
Learn More about the Nursing Assistant Orlando Campus
Nursing Assistant Curriculum
Cambridge’s Nursing Assistant program provides you with the fundamental training you need to work in the healthcare field. You’ll learn how to care for patients of all ages in a variety of healthcare settings.
Nursing Assistant Courses
- Basics of healthcare
- Recording and capturing vital signs
- General patient care
- Medical record use training
- Nursing assistant externship
Explore Our Curriculum by Campus
Atlanta Campus Curriculum
Miami Campus Curriculum
Orlando Area Campus Curriculum
Careers
Nursing Assistant Work Environments
The majority of nursing assistants work in hospitals and long-term care facilities, such as nursing homes and assisted living centers. Additional places you can also work in:
- Rehabilitation centers
- Adult daycare centers
- Clinical facilities
- Correctional institutions
Read Our Nursing Assistant Career Profile
What Is the Job Outlook for Nursing Assistants?
According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, the employment of nursing assistants is projected to grow 8% between 2020 and 2030. Many job openings over the decade are expected to come from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or retire.
Nursing Assistant Salary
The Bureau of Labor Statistics states that the average annual salary for a nursing assistant in the US is $30,290. Depending on your local job market and employer, this number could be higher or lower.
Certification
Upon graduation and successful completion of this program, you will earn your diploma/certificate. You will also be prepared to take and pass the Florida/Georgia Nursing Assistant certification examination. Once passed, you’ll become licensed as a Nursing Assistant and will be ready to begin working in a variety of healthcare facilities and private medical practices.
Program Summary
- Diploma/certificate program
- 5 weeks
- 120 clock hours
- Thorough preparation for the Florida/Georgia Nursing Assistant certification exam
Program Location(s)
- Orlando Campus – Altamonte Springs, Florida
- Atlanta Campus – Atlanta, Georgia
- Miami Campus – Miami Gardens, Florida
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is a Nursing Assistant?
Nursing assistants help patients of all ages with basic daily tasks, from general patient care to dressing them. They keep nurses and doctors up to speed on critical patient information and work wherever long-term care is needed.
How Do I Become a Nursing Assistant?
To become a Nursing Assistant, you’ll first need to complete an accredited program. Through Cambridge, our Nursing Assistant program takes five weeks to complete, or 120 clock hours.
After you complete your program, you’ll be prepared to take and pass the Florida/Georgia Nursing Assistant Certification examination. If you pass, you’ll become a licensed CNA, ready to work in a variety of facilities.
What Certifications Will I Need?
Certified Nursing Assistants must complete a state-approved program before entering the workforce, such as the Nursing Assistant program at Cambridge. The requirements for these programs vary from state to state, but most involve classroom learning, hands-on training, and on-the-job training.
Candidates must also take and pass a state exam. Once a candidate has passed the exam they are certified nursing assistants, and placed on a state registry of CNAs and can begin seeking employment.
Certain states maintain additional requirements, including a background check, continuing education credits and ongoing training throughout a CNA’s career.
Recent Nursing Assistant News & Articles
Why Nursing Shortages Are Getting Worse in 2026 and How New Nurses Can Enter the Workforce FasterThe nursing shortage in the United States is not a new problem, but in 2026 it has reached a scale that healthcare systems can no longer absorb quietly. Several long-running pressures have converged at once.
The Hands That Do the Real Work: What Nursing Assistants Give Their Patients and Where They Go NextThink about what a hospital stay or a long-term care placement is actually like from the bed. A physician appears briefly. A nurse comes with medications and assessments. And then there are the hours in between, which is nearly all of it, and the person in those hours is the nursing assistant.
What Nursing School Actually Costs: The Line Items Nobody Puts on the WebsiteThe honest part: what you pay depends on your Pell eligibility, your state grant eligibility, your transfer credit, your program, your campus, and whether an employer contributes. Two students in the same cohort can pay very different amounts. Any school publishing a single confident number would be publishing something untrue for most readers.
Nursing Schools Turned Away 93,176 Qualified Applicants Last Year. Here Is What to Do If One of Them Was You.U.S. nursing schools turned away 93,176 qualified applications in the 2025–2026 academic year according to AACN data released in May 2026 — the highest figure ever recorded, up nearly 30,000 in two years.These were not weak applicants. They met the requirements. There was no seat.
Five Weeks to Your First Healthcare Job: What a Nursing Assistant Credential Is Actually ForCNAs provide the majority of hands-on, direct patient care in most settings where they work. That means assisting with bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting, eating, and mobility; taking and recording vital signs; repositioning and transferring patients; helping with range-of-motion exercises; observing and documenting changes in condition; and reporting those changes to the nurses supervising the care.
A Day in the Life of a Nursing Assistant Working at a Rehab FacilityNo two days are ever the same, which keeps things exciting in my career as a NA. My day starts early when rounds begin, checking on patients, assisting with transfers, and ensuring everyone is comfortable and safe. Bathing, grooming, and toileting assistance are all part of the job. I have learned to be discreet and efficient while maintaining my patient’s dignity. I am a master of maneuvering trays at mealtimes, assisting with feeding, and making sure everyone gets their nutrition.