Class Locations

Education and Training Center
206 E Church St
Marshalltown, Iowa

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Registration Hours:

  • M/W/Th: 8:30 am to 5:30 pm
  • Tu/F: 8:30 am to 2 pm

Iowa Valley Community College Grinnell
123 6th Ave W
Grinnell, Iowa

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Registration Hours:

  • Tu/Th: 4:30 pm to 6 pm
  • By appointment

Ellsworth Community College
1100 College Ave
Iowa Falls, Iowa

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Registration Hours:

  • Tu/Th: 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm
  • By appointment

Iowa Valley Business & Community Solutions
 ivetc@iavalley.edu
  641-754-1348

Contact Us

 

Start Your Healthcare Career

Our Pre-CNA program is an Integrated Education and Training (IET) program that combines English language instruction with Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) career preparation. If you want to work in healthcare and are building your English skills, this program is designed for you.

Students who successfully complete the Pre-CNA program will be invited to continue into a full CNA course at Marshalltown Community College, Ellsworth Community College, or Iowa Valley Grinnell.

Terms are offered in the spring (late March through May) and fall (late October through December). Contact us to learn about eligibility and upcoming term dates.

← View all Adult Literacy Programs

How to Get Started

Call 641-754-1348 or email ivetc@iavalley.edu to get started. You can also walk in during registration hours at any of our locations.

You must be 17 or older and no longer enrolled in high school. You'll need to provide:

  • A valid government-issued photo ID (such as a driver's license, state ID, or passport).
  • A completed Age Waiver Form from your last high school, confirming you are no longer enrolled.
  • If you are under 18, a consent form signed by a parent or guardian is required.
We'll evaluate your current reading and listening skills. This program requires a minimum level of English proficiency. If your scores show you're not quite ready for Pre-CNA, we will talk with you about how to build your skills through our English Language Learners program first.
Cohorts are offered in the spring (late March through May) and fall (late October through December). Classes meet for 2.5 hours, two days per week.
Students who successfully complete the Pre-CNA program will be invited to enroll in a full CNA course at Marshalltown Community College, Ellsworth Community College, or Iowa Valley Grinnell.

What Does a Nurse Assistant Do?

Wherever there is a need for personal care, nursing assistants (NA), or nurses’ aides, are there. Nursing assistants work in nursing homes, home care, assisted living, Hospice, hospitals, community-based long-term care, correctional institutions, and other long-term care settings.

Nursing assistants help patients of all ages perform the most basic daily tasks. They work under a licensed nurse’s supervision, and since they have extensive daily contact with each patient, they play a key role in the lives of their patients and in keeping the nurse up to date on vital information about the patients’ conditions.

How to become a Certified Nurse Assistant 

To be eligible to work as a certified nurse aide in a long-term care facility in the state of Iowa, a person must be registered on the Iowa Direct Care Worker Registry. To be placed on the registry, you must pass both a computerized competency exam and a skills exam, which are offered at community colleges including at Iowa Valley Business & Community Solutions.

CNA Skills Exam Scheduling

  • Call 641-752-4645 to schedule your exam; payment is required at this time.
  • You must show a photo ID before beginning the exam.
  • No-shows will not be given a refund.
  • You will receive your score right away.
  • Make sure your address is correct with the Nurse Aide Registry at the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals located in Des Moines.

CNA Computer-Based Testing

Complete the application online at https://ia.tmutest.com/
  • After approval, long in to choose your test date and time.
  • Select the training program or challenger.
  • If you have a sponsor, wait for their approval before scheduling.
After approval, select exam date, time, and location.
Call Headmaster at 1-800-393-8664.
  • You must show a photo ID before beginning the exam.
  • Iowa Community Colleges work with D&S Diversified Technologies, also known as Headmaster LLP and TMU, to offer the Iowa Nurse Aide State Knowledge (Comp/Written) Exam. Iowa Community Colleges serve only as proctor sites. Headmaster/TMU will serve as the Registration Host including payment and keeper of all candidate information, exam information, and testing results. 
  • The registration and payment site for all Iowa nurse aide candidates taking the Comp/Written testing is: https://ia.tmutest.com/
 

Class Locations

Education and Training Center
206 E Church St
Marshalltown, Iowa

Map It

Registration Hours:

  • M/W/Th: 8:30 am to 5:30 pm
  • Tu/F: 8:30 am to 2 pm

Iowa Valley Community College Grinnell
123 6th Ave W
Grinnell, Iowa

Map It

Registration Hours:

  • Tu/Th: 4:30 pm to 6 pm
  • By appointment

Ellsworth Community College
1100 College Ave
Iowa Falls, Iowa

Map It

Registration Hours:

  • Tu/Th: 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm
  • By appointment

Iowa Valley Business & Community Solutions
 ivetc@iavalley.edu
  641-754-1348

Contact Us