I had a really good time getting my CNA certification here. I'm not saying the school couldn't use…read moreany room for improvement, but I definitely learned a lot and made some great friends along the way. I had just finished my first semester of UH Nursing School when I took the CNA course, so I think that did give me some advantages. A lot of what I was learning was review, but it definitely was NOT as easy as I had thought it would be.
Here are some tips if you are taking the CNA class. This is for the WAIPAHU AM class. I can't comment on the Honolulu classes or the Waipahu Evening class.
- Get your TB and physical exam requirements done BEFORE you start the class. Seriously.
- Do not park in the lot directly in front of the building or you will get towed. Park in the slanted stalls to the left (when you are facing the building) or the stalls in front of Max's. There is always ample parking close to the building. The Kalihi location parking is very tricky.
- If you are a nursing student (or anyone else) and you signed up for Package A, make sure that you have your First Aid Certification. A majority of us didn't realize that we had our CPR certifications, but NOT First Aid. You need both for clinicals. We had to end up paying $40 to take the First Aid course at the Kalihi location in order to get the certification to take clinicals.
- About 18 or 19 people out of the 27 in our class were already enrolled in nursing programs (bachelor's to become an R.N.). Most of these were from Chaminade, 3 of us were from UH, and 2 were at HPU. The rest were either people trying to get their feet wet in the healthcare field or were eventually trying to get into an LPN or RN program.
- The class was LARGE. 27 people in a tiny classroom. If you are able to, try to get into a class that is smaller so you get more individualized attention and simply because the room was just way too small for all of us.
- If you are signed up for the Waipahu location, don't expect everything to be at Waipahu. The clinicals are in town (Convalescent Center of Hawaii by Kuakini Hospital). Also, the First Aid/CPR course and the medical terminology classes are in town at the Kalihi location. Most people end up carpooling, but keep that in mind, especially if you don't have a car.
- The stethoscope and BP kit that come with Package B and C aren't the best. They'll get you by just fine enough for the course, but if you're planning on making healthcare a career, I would highly suggest investing in a Littman stethoscope.
- Since class is 6 days a week, I would also recommend having at LEAST 2 pairs of the white scrubs, but preferably 3 unless you plan on re-wearing your scrubs without washing them or doing laundry constantly. HT&CC sells them for $28 a pair which is pretty reasonable, but there might be other places on island that sell them for cheaper. If you have lots of time before your class starts, try looking online for white scrubs. I'm sure they're cheaper online.
- Keep in mind that when you take the CNA training course, you get a certificate from HT&CC that says you completed the course. HOWEVER, you are NOT a Certified Nurse Assistant until you complete and successfully pass the American Red Cross exam, which is $275 or $285 if you take it through HT&CC. Until you pass the American Red Cross exam, you are only qualified to work as a Nurse Aid. NOT a "Certified" Nurse Aid/Assistant. The fail rate is high for the ARC license exam, so prepare in advance.
- The Waipahu classroom A/C works a little too well, so bring a jacket.
- There are plenty of places to eat around the Waipahu location. Much better food selection than the Kalihi location in my opinion. You have Leeward Drive-Inn, Thelma's, Max's, Golden Coin, L&L, Kin Sing, Jollibee, 7-11, Pacific Supermarket, etc all a super short walk away. Try to bring home lunch if you can to save money and calories. None of these fast food places are healthy.
- The instructors switch out almost every day, but we had about 3 consistent instructors. Norma and Dr. Danao were our main instructors. Both of them have completely different teaching styles, but they were both great.
- The book that is included with the course is actually really well-written and concise. I actually ordered the official American Red Cross Nurse Assistant textbook used through Amazon (for $19), and it was WAY thicker and more dense. There is a free online version of the ARC textbook online on the ARC website.
- If you have tattoos, they will still let you take the course and attend clinicals, but you will have to cover them up.
- No water fountains at the Waipahu building, bring your own water.
- Clinicals are at Convalescent. Carpool b/c there is extremely limited street parking & parking at Kuakini is super expensive.
Have fun :) It really is a good class.