VOOZH about

URL: https://www.coursera.org/learn/introductiontobecomingacna

⇱ Introduction to Becoming a CNA | Coursera

Introduction to Becoming a CNA

Keep adding new skills with 10,000+ programs for $239 (usually $399). Save now.

Introduction to Becoming a CNA

2,711 already enrolled

Included with

Ask Coursera

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
4.8

15 reviews

Beginner level

Recommended experience

6 hours to complete
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace
Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
4.8

15 reviews

Beginner level

Recommended experience

6 hours to complete
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace

What you'll learn

  • Explore essential CNA responsibilities, including vital signs monitoring, personal care assistance, infection control, and body mechanics.

  • Discover rehabilitative and restorative care principles that help people maintain independence through Activities of Daily Living.

  • Evaluate your qualities for CNA work and begin creating a personalized plan for pursuing nursing assistant training in your community.

Details to know

Shareable certificate

Add to your LinkedIn profile

Assessments

4 assignments

Taught in English

Build your subject-matter expertise

This course is part of the Exploring the Role of the Certified Nursing Assistant Specialization
When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Specialization.
  • Learn new concepts from industry experts
  • Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
  • Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
  • Earn a shareable career certificate

There are 5 modules in this course

Discover what Certified Nursing Assistants do every day through an engaging, story-driven learning experience. This course introduces you to essential CNA responsibilities using cinematic storytelling and real-world scenarios that bring caregiving to life.

You'll explore fundamental clinical skills, including monitoring vital signs (temperature, pulse, respiration, blood pressure), providing personal care assistance (bathing, grooming, toileting), and supporting patient mobility through proper body mechanics and transfers. Through the stories of Lily and other patients, you'll understand the principles of rehabilitative and restorative care that help people maintain independence and quality of life. What makes this course unique is our immersive storytelling approach. Rather than lectures alone, you'll follow realistic patient scenarios that demonstrate how CNAs observe and report changes, implement care plans, practice infection control, and collaborate with healthcare teams. You'll also assess your own qualities against CNA demands and explore the benefits and challenges of this rewarding career path. By the end of this course, you'll understand the critical role CNAs play in healthcare settings and create the first part of your personalized plan for pursuing nursing assistant training in your community.

Welcome to CNA Foundations! In this opening module, you'll discover the critical role Certified Nursing Assistants play within healthcare teams and explore what CNA training programs look like—helping you think about which path might fit your learning style and career goals. We'll also cover everything you need to know to get the most out of this course and set yourself up for success.

What's included

13 videos6 readings1 assignment

13 videos•Total 50 minutes
  • Nurse Spotlight: Welcome to the Course•3 minutes
  • The Residents•3 minutes
  • Nurse Spotlight: Understanding the CNA Role and Training Programs•2 minutes
  • Nurse Spotlight: What is a CNA? •4 minutes
  • Nurse Spotlight: Do You Have What it Takes?•4 minutes
  • In-Focus: Becoming a Certified Nursing Assistant•3 minutes
  • Exploring CNA Training Programs•5 minutes
  • In-Focus: CNA's Roles and Responsibilities•7 minutes
  • In Focus: An Exceptional Caregiver•5 minutes
  • In-Focus: Being a Professional•8 minutes
  • Close Up: The Healthcare Team•2 minutes
  • Close Up: You are Critical to Patients, Families, and Healthcare •2 minutes
  • In Focus: Defining Excellent Healthcare•2 minutes
6 readings•Total 17 minutes
  • Welcome to Your CNA Career Exploration•2 minutes
  • Key Terms to Know•3 minutes
  • Benefits of the CNA Role •3 minutes
  • Challenges of the CNA Role•3 minutes
  • CNA Top Qualities Inventory•3 minutes
  • Understanding the Healthcare Industry•3 minutes
1 assignment•Total 10 minutes
  • Understanding the Role of the CNA•10 minutes

In this module, you'll explore rehabilitative and restorative care—the approach that helps people regain independence after injury or illness. You'll meet Lily, a young woman who is involved in a car accident and follow her inspiring journey through rehabilitation, witnessing firsthand how CNAs support recovery every step of the way.

What's included

3 videos4 readings1 assignment1 discussion prompt

3 videos•Total 20 minutes
  • Nurse Spotlight: Introduction to Understanding Rehab & Restorative Care•5 minutes
  • 28 Minutes to the Top •11 minutes
  • Close Up: What is Rehabilitative Care and Why Is it Important?•4 minutes
4 readings•Total 12 minutes
  • Key Terms to Know•3 minutes
  • Rehab in Action: Therapies and Treatments•3 minutes
  • Activities of Daily Living and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (ADLs/IADLs)•3 minutes
  • Getting People Back on Their Feet: Rehab and Restorative Care•3 minutes
1 assignment•Total 10 minutes
  • Quiz: Rehabilitative and Restorative Care•10 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 3 minutes
  • Rehabilitative Care•3 minutes

In this module, you'll explore some of the most essential tasks CNAs perform every day—from monitoring vital signs to providing personal care assistance. You'll also discover how care plans work and why they're critical tools that guide everything nursing assistants do to ensure consistent, quality patient care.

What's included

25 videos4 readings1 assignment

25 videos•Total 152 minutes
  • Nurse Spotlight: Introduction to Vital Signs & Personal Care•3 minutes
  • Close Up - Introduction to Vital Signs•1 minute
  • In Focus: Introduction to Vital Signs•5 minutes
  • In Focus: Temperature•10 minutes
  • Pulse•7 minutes
  • Respiration•4 minutes
  • In-Focus: Blood Pressure•9 minutes
  • Episode 3: The Exam•1 minute
  • Episode 4: Introductions•2 minutes
  • In Focus: Care Plan•5 minutes
  • In Focus: Wounds•9 minutes
  • Episode 5: Observe and Report•2 minutes
  • In-Focus: Signs of Infections in Wounds•5 minutes
  • In Focus: Introduction to Infection Control•7 minutes
  • Episode: Stuck in Traction•2 minutes
  • In Focus: Groom in Your Room•8 minutes
  • In Focus: Bed Baths•10 minutes
  • In Focus: Nail Care•5 minutes
  • In Focus: Changing Bed Linens•7 minutes
  • In Focus: Making an Occupied Bed•3 minutes
  • In-Focus: Assisting with a Bath or a Shower•10 minutes
  • In Focus: Care of Bodily Functions - Bowel Elimination•12 minutes
  • In Focus: Perineal Care•5 minutes
  • In Focus: Catheter Care•5 minutes
  • New Video•15 minutes
4 readings•Total 12 minutes
  • Key Terms to Know•3 minutes
  • Vital Signs Explained•3 minutes
  • Care Planning & the Nursing Process•3 minutes
  • More Than Just a Clean Face•3 minutes
1 assignment•Total 10 minutes
  • Vital Signs & Personal Care•10 minutes

Ready to master one of the most physical aspects of CNA work? This module teaches you proper body mechanics for safe patient transfers and positioning. You'll also discover how range of motion exercises support rehabilitation and help people preserve their strength and mobility.

What's included

8 videos2 readings1 assignment1 discussion prompt

8 videos•Total 45 minutes
  • Nurse Spotlight: Introduction to Movement and Range of Motion•3 minutes
  • In Focus: Range of Motion Exercises•7 minutes
  • In Focus: Positioning Residents in Bed•5 minutes
  • In-Focus: Repositioning a Person in a Chair•3 minutes
  • In Focus: Basic Transfers•12 minutes
  • In Focus: Wheelchairs, Walkers, and Crutches•6 minutes
  • Close Up: Body Mechanics•2 minutes
  • Episode 7: The Long Road Back•5 minutes
2 readings•Total 6 minutes
  • Key Terms to Know•3 minutes
  • Transfers: A Moving Experience •3 minutes
1 assignment•Total 10 minutes
  • Bed to Chair and Beyond: Mastering Mobility•10 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 3 minutes
  • Rehabilitative Care •3 minutes

Ready to turn exploration into action? In this module, you'll research and compare actual CNA training programs available in your state or region. This project helps you evaluate which programs might be the best fit for your needs and goals, creating a clear pathway forward if you choose to become a certified nursing assistant.

What's included

1 ungraded lab

1 ungraded lab•Total 30 minutes
  • Creating a Plan to become a CNA•30 minutes

Earn a career certificate

Add this credential to your LinkedIn profile, resume, or CV. Share it on social media and in your performance review.

Instructor

Instructor ratings
5.0 (5 ratings)
Cinematic Health
3 Courses•2,959 learners

Explore more from Personal Development

Why people choose Coursera for their career

👁 Image

Felipe M.

Learner since 2018
"To be able to take courses at my own pace and rhythm has been an amazing experience. I can learn whenever it fits my schedule and mood."
👁 Image

Jennifer J.

Learner since 2020
"I directly applied the concepts and skills I learned from my courses to an exciting new project at work."
👁 Image

Larry W.

Learner since 2021
"When I need courses on topics that my university doesn't offer, Coursera is one of the best places to go."
👁 Image

Chaitanya A.

"Learning isn't just about being better at your job: it's so much more than that. Coursera allows me to learn without limits."

Learner reviews

  • 5 stars

    93.33%

  • 4 stars

    0%

  • 3 stars

    0%

  • 2 stars

    6.66%

  • 1 star

    0%

Showing 3 of 15

KD
·

Reviewed on Aug 30, 2025

this course helps me to learn things that I forget things it's a refreshing class.

MW
·

Reviewed on Jan 28, 2026

The course helped me understand what it entails to become a CNA

Frequently asked questions

No. This is a career exploration course, not a state-approved CNA certification program. While you'll learn about nursing assistant responsibilities, patient care skills, and healthcare settings, this course does not replace the hands-on clinical training and classroom hours required for CNA certification. To become a certified nursing assistant, you must complete a state-approved CNA training program that includes supervised clinical practice and pass your state's certification exam. This course helps you understand the CNA role and guides you in researching local training programs as part of your personalized career plan.

To access the course materials, assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience when you enroll in a course. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid. The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.

When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.

Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.

Financial aid available,