CNA Classes Near Edmonds, WA: Programs, Costs, and Commute to Federal Way

Edmonds is one of the few Puget Sound cities with a published, itemized price for a college nursing assistant course: Edmonds College's Nurse Assistant Certificate of Completion is 8 credits completed in one quarter, and the college's cost page listed $1,189.84 in tuition and fees, $98.42 in books, and $380 in lab fees for Summer 2025, a total of $1,668.26 before scrubs, with a note that tuition and fees are subject to change. The 4-week alternative is the 108-hour Nursing Assistant-Certified (NA-C) course at Huduma CNA Programs in Federal Way: $1,100 tuition plus about $105 in books, day or weekend pattern, skills test on site. From Edmonds the trip is about 35 miles by I-5 or a Community Transit bus to Lynnwood City Center Station followed by one 1 Line train to Federal Way Downtown.

Edmonds College versus the 4-week course

On price alone the two are close. The decision comes down to calendar (quarter start versus a cohort within weeks), pattern (weekday quarter versus 4 weeks of full days, possibly on weekends), and whether the student wants the college's acute care track later.

What the 108-hour floor means in each format

WAC 246-841A-440 requires at least 108 clock hours from every approved program: 35 theory, 33 skills lab, 40 clinical in a licensed nursing facility. An 8-credit quarter course meets that across about 11 weeks; the 4-week course meets it in full days. Both are taught by licensed nurses with recent direct-care experience under WAC 246-841A-430, both must allow at least four attempts at the skills competency exam, and both end at the same $155 exam: a $100 skills test, then a $55 Credentia knowledge test booked only after the skills pass is recorded. The regulatory detail is in how Washington CNA programs are approved and audited.

Getting from Edmonds to Federal Way

By bus and train. Community Transit's Edmonds guide lists Routes 102 and 130 from Edmonds Station to Lynnwood City Center Station, Route 909 and Route 130 to Mountlake Terrace Station, and the Swift Blue Line along Highway 99 to Shoreline North/185th Station. Any of those puts an Edmonds student on the 1 Line, which runs south without a transfer to Federal Way Downtown Station beside the school. From Lynnwood the train alone is roughly 80 to 90 minutes; from Mountlake Terrace or Shoreline North slightly less. Add the bus leg and plan about 1 hour 45 minutes each way.

By Sounder. The Sounder N Line stops at Edmonds Station on weekday peak trips to King Street Station in Seattle, per Community Transit's guide; from there the 1 Line at Chinatown/International District continues south. This only helps a weekday day cohort and only in the peak direction.

By car. Edmonds to Federal Way Downtown is about 35 miles, nearly all on I-5 through Seattle. About 45 minutes off-peak; the morning southbound run through downtown and the afternoon return can exceed an hour. The Federal Way Downtown garage is next to the school. On weekends the car is faster; on weekdays the train is more predictable.

Costs, itemized

Edmonds residents working with WorkSource Snohomish or receiving Basic Food may qualify for tuition assistance under either path; see WorkSource, WIOA, and Basic Food Employment and Training. Spreading the Federal Way tuition across the course is described in payment plans for CNA training in Washington.

Day, weekend, or bridge for an Edmonds student

• Day cohort. Twenty weekday class days over four weeks. Long commute days, but the credential in one month. Early Route 102 or 130 departures reach Lynnwood City Center before the morning train.
• Weekend cohort. Saturdays and Sundays over more weeks, reaching the same 108 hours. Fits someone working weekdays at Swedish Edmonds in a non-clinical role, in Edmonds senior living, or in home care. Weekend bus frequency is lower; driving is simpler.
• HCA bridge. Active Home Care Aides take 40 hours for $800 in 5 weekdays or about 2.5 weekends, about five trips rather than twenty. Edmonds's assisted living and home care employers produce many eligible HCAs.

The 33 lab hours of the traditional course are what make the on-site skills test a formality rather than a hurdle; the four-attempt rule is a safety net. Lab content is described in inside the CNA skills lab.

Where an Edmonds graduate works

Swedish Edmonds at 21601 76th Avenue W has 217 licensed beds and a Level IV trauma emergency department per Swedish's campus page, with oncology, heart and vascular, orthopedic, and behavioral health services; it is the natural first hospital target. Skilled nursing and post-acute facilities cluster near the hospital on 76th Avenue W and along Highway 99, and Edmonds has many assisted living communities and adult family homes. Indeed's posting data updated September 2, 2026, lists about $23.57 per hour for nursing assistants in Edmonds from only 12 reports, so the Everett figure of about $24.89 and the Shoreline figure of about $23.93 are useful cross-checks; all approximate. Employers by setting are in CNA jobs in Edmonds, WA.

The Federal Way course in detail

The CNA Traditional program delivers 35 theory, 33 lab, and 40 clinical hours in 4 weeks under licensed-nurse instructors, requires a high school diploma or GED, runs a background check before clinical placement in a licensed nursing facility, issues a Certificate of Completion, and administers the $100 skills test on site. Instruction is in English. Cohort dates for every pattern are on the schedules page.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a CNA program in Edmonds? Edmonds College's Nurse Assistant Certificate of Completion, taught at the Lynnwood campus, is the local WABON-approved program: 8 credits in one quarter, per the college.

How much does Edmonds College's CNA course cost? The college's cost page listed $1,668.26 for Summer 2025, covering tuition and fees, books, and lab fees, plus about $45 for scrubs and $96 for CastleBranch; tuition and fees are subject to change.

How long does it take to get from Edmonds to Federal Way for class? About 45 minutes by car off-peak, or about 1 hour 45 minutes by Community Transit to Lynnwood City Center and the 1 Line.

Is the 4-week course the same standard as the college quarter? Yes. Both must deliver 108 clock hours under WAC 246-841A-440 and both lead to the same $155 exam.

Can I take the skills test near Edmonds after the Federal Way course? The course administers the skills test on site in Federal Way at the end of class, so no separate site booking is required.

Do I need to live in King County to enroll in Federal Way? No. The NA-C is a statewide credential, and Snohomish County residents enroll on the same terms.

The certification sequence after class is in how to become a CNA in Washington State.