The Nurse Assistant and Home Health Aide (NA/HHA) program courses are designed to prepare students to perform the basic nursing skills required in acute hospitals, long-term care facilities, and home health care agencies. Special emphasis is placed on health care provisions and modifica¬tions in community health care settings. These courses are approved by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH).
Upon successful completion of the Nurse Assistant course, an American River College certificate of completion is issued. Following completion of the NA course, some students are then eligible to apply for the state competency examination.
ARC offers an accredited Home Health Aide course for students that have completed a Certified Nurse Assistant course, or students that are already a CNA. Students enrolled in the Home Health Aide course while in the CNA course do not need to repeat the physical exam, TB test, flu shot or fingerprinting. Students that enroll after the CNA course will repeat all health requirements and fingerprinting to qualify for enrollment.
In order for the application to arrive in the Nursing Department by the application deadline. It MUST be received at American River College at least one business day prior to the deadline.
Fall Application Acceptance:
May 18 – June 30 (or last business day prior)
Spring Application Acceptance:
October 18 – November 30 (or last business day prior)
The CNA/HHA Program is not offered during the summer.
Requirements to Participate in Program
Students must meet California Department of Public Health regulatory requirements. Randomly selected students must submit to or possess: Students should be aware that the following conditions are necessary to be certified as a CNA or Home Health Aide:
- Must be at least 16 years old
- Fingerprinting and clear background check. All students will be fingerprinted at American River College. Please be advised, other than minor traffic violation, if you have been convicted of anything, including DUI, your fingerprints may not clear.
- A physical examination and proof of freedom from common communicable illness/diseases by immunization or serologic testing is required prior to the patient care experience. This is at the student’s expense.
- COVID-19 vaccination if mandated by clinical facility.
- Valid Social Security card.
- Class attendance requirements.
Application for Enrollment
Students must fill out the CNA NURSE 100 and the NURSE 101 HHA Application and complete all the requirements for the CNA course.
Applications should be emailed to: Professor Marr marri@arc.losrios.edu
A complete application consists of the following:
- A completed, and signed, application for the Nurse Assistant N100 and Home Health Aide N101 Training courses.
- Copy of unofficial copy of transcript indicating meeting the AH 311 medical terminology co-perquisite and/or prerequisite
- A completed and signed “Conviction/No Conviction” status report
- All communication will be through an ARC and/or LRCCD College email address
Please note: If any item is missing, the application packet will not be processed. Students will receive notification of application status by email. No telephone verification is provided by the nursing department or the counseling department.
Admission into the Certified Nursing Assistant course is contingent upon a clear background check, and health screening.
It is imperative that applicants review the “Disqualifying Penal Code Sections” prior to submitting an application. Applicants who have been convicted of any of the listed violations may be ineligible for certification as they may not receive the required criminal background clearance for participation in this program and subsequent employment in long term care environment. Certification of applicants with convictions listed may be reconsidered by ATCS only if misdemeanor actions have been dismissed by a court of law or a Certificate of Rehabilitations has been obtained for felony convictions.
Any other convictions other than minor traffic violations must be reviewed by ATCS.
Nurse Assistant & Home Health Aide
AH 311: Medical Language for Healthcare Providers (3 units)
This course is an orientation to medical language. It covers the basic structure of medical terms and their components: prefixes, suffixes, roots, and combining forms with emphasis on meaning, spelling, and pronunciation. This course also builds a medical vocabulary applicable to the specialties of medicine, the systems of the body, names of major diseases, and terms used in physical examination, diagnosis, and treatment. This course is a prerequisite to Nurse 100 course (Certified Nurse Assistant).
Nurse 100: Certified Nurse Assistant (7 units)
This course is accredited through the California Department of Public Health. Upon completion, students are eligible to take the licensing exam through the State of California, enabling work in a long-term care facility, rehabilitation facility and some subacute facility. There are 86 hours of classroom theory, 9 hours of skills lab practice, and over 100 hours of hands-on clinical experience with patients in a nursing facility. To qualify for selection into the course, you must 1) complete an application with proof of completing a medical terminology course with a "C" or better; 2) complete the medical documentation 3) have a current negative TB test 4) an immunization record showing a current seasonal flu vaccine 5) Criminal Background Check. Earning wage for CNAs in the Sacramento area are between $14-18 per hour. Course Prerequisite: Medical Terminology with a "C" or better.
Nurse 101: Home Health Aide (2 unit)
Students must have either a current CNA license or have completed Nurse 100 to qualify for this course. The Home Health Aide course is a higher level of home health caregiving education and provides more employment possibilities. It is a two-unit course with 40 hours of classroom theory, and 40 hours of hands-on clinical experience. Upon completion, students will receive a certificate from the State of California enabling work in home health. Earning wage for a Home Health Aide in the Sacramento area is between $15-20 per hour. The course is offered during the final 3 weeks of the fall and spring semesters. Prerequisites for this course include successful completion of Nurse 100 -OR- a current California CNA license, along with all requirements for Nurse 100.
Enrollment Instructions:
- As of Fall 2023, a student that is interested in enrolling into the Nurse 100 CNA Program, now has the option to fulfill the medical terminology requirement of AH 311(formerly AH 110), as a co-requisite or prerequisite. Meaning, the student can be enrolled in the AH311 Medical Language for Healthcare Providers course and as well as enrolled in the NURSE 100 course simultaneously.
- Medical Terminology Course as a Prerequisite: All potential students must submit a college transcript showing a completed medical terminology course with a grade C or better with the Nurse 100 application.
- Medical Terminology Course as a Co-requisite: All potential students must submit a college transcript showing current enrollment in a medical terminology course, with the Nurse 100 application.
- Students with a medical terminology course outside the Los Rios College District will need to have the course evaluated by an ARC counselor, call (916) 484-8572 for an appointment.
In the State of California, there are two types of home health care agencies. The first one is a non-medical model in which there are no orders from a doctor or a licensed nurse supervising the care. This caregiver does not need a certificate or credentials to work for an agency.
The second type is a medical-model. In this case, there is a physician ordering care, therapists providing rehabilitation needs, and licensed nurses overseeing the home health care aide. To work in this type of home health, you must complete an accredited course and obtain a Home Health Aide certificate issued by the State of California.
ARC offers an accredited Home Health Aide course for students that have completed a Certified Nurse Assistant course, or students that are already a CNA. Students enrolled in the Home Health Aide course while in the CNA course do not need to repeat the physical exam, TB test, flu shot or fingerprinting. Students that enroll after the CNA course will repeat all health requirements and fingerprinting to qualify for enrollment.
Enrollment
Students must fill out the Dual Enrollment Application and complete all the requirements for the CNA course. The last 8 days of the course are Home Health Aide.
If you have specific questions, please email Olga Nabok at NabokO@arc.losrios.edu