Nurse Aide Training Programs in Colorado

The Colorado State Board of Nursing has contracted with Pearson VUE, a nationally recognized leading provider of assessment services to regulatory agencies. Pearson VUE creates, scores, and reports the results of the Written Examination and Skills Evaluation you must take to become certified as a nurse aide in Colorado. They can also help you apply to take the exam (both parts). If you pass the exam and meet all other requirements, Pearson VUE will submit your name to the State Board of Nursing for placement on the Colorado Nurse Aide Registry and subsequent mailing of your license within approximately ten business days. The Nursing Home Reform Act, was designed to improve the quality of care in long-term health care facilities and to define training and evaluation standards for nurse aides who work in such facilities. Each state is responsible for following the terms of this federal law.

The National Nurse Aide Assessment Program (NNAAP) is an examination program designed to determine minimal competency to become a certified nurse aide in your state. The NNAAP was developed by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc., (NCSBN) to meet the nurse aide evaluation requirement of federal and state laws and regulations. Pearson VUE is the authorized administrator of the NNAAP in Colorado. The NNAAP Examination is an evaluation of nurse aide-related knowledge, skills, and abilities. The Examination is made up of both a Written (or Oral) Examination and a Skills Evaluation. The purpose of the exam is to test that you understand and can safely perform the job of an entry-level nurse aide. Before you can take the nurse aide exam, you must find out if you are eligible, or qualified. If you are a new nurse aide you must complete a state-approved training program and you must pass the nurse aide exam within 24 months after Pearson VUE receives your application.

Approved CNA Classes in Adams County

Pickens Technical College - Aurora
500 Airport Boulevard, Aurora, CO 80011
Phones: 303-872-5120 and 303-586-4047

Pickens Technical College - HSTE - Aurora
500 Airport Blvd., Aurora, CO 80011
Phone: 303-344-4910

Brighton High School - HSTE - Brighton
270 South 8th Avenue, Brighton, CO 80601
Phone: 303-655-4126

Pima Medical Institute North - Denver
7475 Dakin Street, Suite 100, Denver, CO 80221
Phone: 303-426-1800

New Directions - Northglenn
11920 Washington Street, Northglenn, CO 80233
Phone: 303-920-1170

Bollman Technical Education Center - Thornton
9451 N. Washington Street, Thornton, CO 80229
High school students only.
Phone: 720-972-5845

Agape Angelicum School of Nursing Arts - Westminster
5005 W 81st Place, Suite 203, Westminster, CO 80031
Phone: 720-470-6563

Westminster High School Health Studies
6993 Raleigh Street, Westminster, CO 80030
Phone: 303-428-9541

Front Range Community College - Westminster
3645 West 112th Avenue, Westminster, CO 80031
Phone: 303-404-5261

Ann Rose School of Nursing Arts, Inc. - Westminster
7280 Irving, Suite B205, Westminster, CO 80030
Phone: 303-650-2994

Alamosa County

Trinidad State Junior College Valley Campus - Alamosa
1011 Main Street, Alamosa, CO 81101
Phone: 719-589-7000

Arapahoe County

South Denver School of Nursing Arts - Centennial
7853 E. Arapahoe Court, Centennial, CO 80112
Phone: 303-945-4203

Littleton Public Schools Health Science Technology Program - Centennial
7300 South Clermont, Centennial, CO 80121
Phone: 303-797-5080

Arapahoe Community College - Littleton
5900 S. Santa Fe Drive, A2325, Littleton, CO 80160
Phone: 303-797-5962

Archuleta County

Pagosa Springs Medical Center - Pagosa Springs
95 South Pagosa Blvd., Pagosa Springs, CO 81147
Phone: 719-731-3700

Baca County

Southeast Colorado Hospital and Long Term Care Center - Springfield
373 East 10th Street, Springfield, CO 81073
Phone: 719-523-4501

Boulder County

Compass Nursing Arts - Lafayette
108 West Baseline Road, Lafayette, CO 80026
Phone: 303-484-9650

Boulder Technical Education Center
6600 Arapahoe Road, Boulder, CO 80303
Phone: 720-561-5588

Front Range Community College - Longmont
2121 Miller Drive, Longmont, CO 80501
Phone: 303-678-3891

Career Development Center - Longmont
1200 S. Sunset Street, Longmont, CO 80501
Phone: 303-772-3333

Life Care Center of Longmont
2451 Pratt Street, Longmont, CO 80501
Phone: 303-776-5000

CNA Classes in Colorado ( Page 2 )

Are you a foreign educated nurse who needs information on how to become a nursing assistant in Colorado? We are here to help you achieve your career goals and become a member of the health care workforce. In order to obtain certification as a nurse aide, a foreign trained registered nurse must successfully pass the CNA exam. You will qualify to sit for the nurse aide examination by showing official documents attesting that you completed a minimum of five semester credit hours of nursing fundamentals.

Contact the school of nursing where you have been enrolled and ask that your official transcripts be sent to the Colorado Board of Nursing. Once the state Board of Nursing receives and approves your transcripts, you are allowed to challenge the nurse aide exam and become a certified nursing assistant in Colorado. How much money will you earn working as a long-term care CNA in the state of Colorado? Nurse aide salaries vary slightly depending on experience and location of your employer. According to recent survey data, a new, inexperienced nurse aide in Boulder, Colorado, can expect an average yearly salary of approximately $26,000.

CNA Training Schools and Programs

CNA classes, schools and programs by state.

Questions, Comments, Suggestions

Arami on September 02, 2013 at 07:02 PM
How long can you wait after completing a CNA course in Colorado to take the state exam? For example, would you need to retake a CNA program if one year passed?


Admin on September 03, 2013 at 08:46 AM
As far as I know there is no time limit requirement to challenge the CNA examination in Colorado after you complete a nursing assistant training course however, once you submit an application for certification by examination, you have two years to take the state exam. Example: you completed a CNA training course in 2011 and did not submit an application to test to the state of Colorado. Three years pass by and you decide to challenge the exam. You complete and submit an application to test. From this date on you have two years (twenty-four months) to challenge the exam. If you do not take the test within the two year period, your paperwork is discarded. You must apply again, and submit a new set of exam fees if you wish to challenge the certification test in the future. You should contact the Colorado Nurse Aide Registry at (303) 894-2442 to make sure that this information is correct and also to get answers to any other questions you may have. Good luck!


I am a registered nurse from the Philippines. Can I take the CNA exam in Massachusetts or do I still need to take up CNA classes before I can take the CNA test?

I used to be a CNA, but I didn't renew my license since 1994. I live in Colorado and got my CNA certification in Colorado. What do I need to do?

Is it possible to enroll in a CNA class without a high school diploma or GED?

How long do CNA classes take and what exactly do you have to do?

After becoming a CNA how much more experience, training or school has to be done to become a registered nurse?

CNA Resources

CNA Training Requirements

There is a wide disparity between CNA training requirements among the states. The difference lies in the mandatory number of total training hours necessary to complete state-approved CNA classes.


While according to federal law each nursing assistant course should contain a minimum of seventy-five (75) instruction and clinical hours, individual states have the liberty to mandate extra training requirements for certified nursing assistants. The majority of states exceed the threshold federal minimum requirements for nurse aide training programs because they are considered insufficient to result in an optimal and safe level of care for clients.


A review of nationwide state requirements for nurse assistant courses has found that the following states have mandated highest number of CNA program hours: Maine with a minimum of 90 hours of theory, 20 hours of laboratory skills and 70 hours of clinical instruction for a total of 180 hours; California with one hundred and sixty (160) training hours; Delaware and Oregon each requiring one hundred and fifty (150) hours; followed by the state of Alaska with one hundred and forty (140) hours; Virginia, Arizona, and West Virginia have a minimum of one hundred and twenty (120) training hours for state-approved classes.

CNA Training Programs

Nurse Aide Registries

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