The Nursing Assistant program is one semester in length and requires the successful completion of NAS 100: – Long- Term Care Nursing Assistant, a four (4) credit hour classroom and clinical course, which fulfills the requirements of the seventy-five (75) hour Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (OBRA) for the training of long-term care nursing assistants. Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) provide basic patient care under the direction of licensed nursing staff. Duties may include: bathing, grooming and feeding patients; obtaining and monitoring vital signs; ambulatory assistance and comfort measures. Nursing assistants care for patients confined to acute care hospitals, nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, mental health centers and their homes. Because many CNAs are employed in long-term care facilities and because the population of older Americans is growing, there are many job opportunities available for the Certified Nursing Assistant. 

Upon successful completion of NAS 100, a student is eligible to take the Alabama Nurse Aide Certification Exam. Students who demonstrate competency on the exam will be placed on the Alabama Nurse Aide Registry maintained by the Alabama Department of Public Health. 

Employment information for Nursing can be located at the Bureau of Labor Statistics.