A professional license is not required in Washington State to be a personal caregiver, typically referred to as a certified nursing assistant, however, a state-issued certification is required. You must pass specific coursework and submit a fingerprint card. Once it is all done however, you can move into a rewarding career of helping people with their daily living needs.
Take a certified nursing assistant course. You can sign up for classes at community colleges. Many nursing homes and retirement communities also offer the course free of charge if you are willing to work for them upon completion. Pass the course, which includes 85 hours of training, and you will be allowed to apply for your state certification.
Complete an AIDS training course offered through the state's health department. The course can be taken online during your free time. The state requires seven hours of training in transmission and the treatment and prevention of AIDS. You can sign up for the class at the Washington Department of Health website.
Submit an application to the Washington State Department of Health to become certified as a nursing assistant. You must also submit a fingerprint card, which you can do by calling your local law enforcement agency to find out what hours it performs work related fingerprinting. As long as you pass the state's background check, submit proper proof of course completion and file a fingerprint card with the state, your certificate will be mailed to you and you can begin searching for a position in the field of care giving.
Warning
Do not lie about any criminal background convictions. It will appear during your fingerprint card investigation.
