Huduma CNA ProgramsIssaquah residents choose between two realistic Nursing Assistant-Certified (NA-C) training options: Bellevue College's one-quarter NAC certificate, which its program page schedules Monday through Friday from 3:00 to 7:50 p.m. in fall, winter, and spring, or the 4-week, 108-clock-hour CNA Traditional program at Huduma CNA Programs in Federal Way, $1,100 tuition plus about $105 for books and supplies, with day and weekend cohorts. Both satisfy WAC 246-841A-440's 108-hour minimum (35 theory, 33 skills lab, 40 clinical), and both end in the same $155 two-part exam. Federal Way is about 29 to 32 miles from downtown Issaquah, roughly 45 minutes by car via SR 18 or I-405 and I-5.
Three ways to train from Issaquah
| Factor | Bellevue College NAC | Nursing facility program | Huduma CNA Programs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where | Bellevue campus | Employer's building, Eastside or South King County | Federal Way, near the Downtown Link station |
| Calendar | One academic quarter; all three courses taken together | Rolling, tied to hiring | 4 weeks; cohorts through the year |
| Class hours | Weekday late afternoons and evenings, per the college page | Facility sets them | Day pattern or weekend pattern |
| Admission | CastleBranch application, first come first served for complete files | Job offer as a NAR | Diploma or GED; background check before clinical |
| Price | Per-credit tuition and fees; see the college's current tuition page | Usually paid by the employer with a work commitment | $1,100 plus about $105 |
| Skills test | On site at the college | Facility or booked site | On site |
| HCA bridge | Not listed | No | 40 hours, $800 |
The college evening schedule is a strong fit for an Issaquah resident who works days and wants to stay on the Eastside. The 4-week course fits someone who wants to finish inside a month, needs a weekend pattern, or already holds an HCA credential. Facility-sponsored training exists when a nursing home is short-staffed; Issaquah has three skilled nursing employers that sometimes hire Nursing Assistant-Registered (NAR) trainees, discussed below.
Bellevue College, the nearest college program
Per the college's nursing pages, the NAC certificate is designed to be completed in one quarter, with lecture, lab, and clinical courses (NURS 106, 107, and 108) taken together. Fall, winter, and spring cohorts meet weekday afternoons and evenings; the summer cohort runs full weekdays. Clinical shifts are arranged separately, day or evening. Applicants open a CastleBranch account for immunizations, forms, and the background check, and the college fills seats in the order complete applications arrive. Written and skills testing happens on campus after completion.
From Issaquah, Bellevue College is about 10 miles west on I-90 and I-405, or a Route 556 bus to Bellevue plus a local connection. The tradeoff is the quarter calendar: missing a deadline means waiting roughly three months.
The Federal Way course, and the drive from Issaquah
The CNA Traditional program covers the same 108 hours in 20 class days on the weekday pattern, or across Saturdays and Sundays for weekend students. Licensed-nurse instructors teach theory and lab; the 40 clinical hours take place in a licensed nursing facility after background clearance; the $100 skills test is administered at the school. A high school diploma or GED is required, and instruction is in English.
Two driving routes serve Issaquah:
- SR 18. Issaquah-Hobart Road south to the SR 18 interchange, then SR 18 southwest through Maple Valley, Covington, and Auburn to its I-5 terminus in Federal Way. SR 18 is 28 miles end to end per its state route description, and the Issaquah leg is a bit shorter; expect about 45 minutes, with the Tiger Mountain segment as the slow spot.
- I-90, I-405, I-5. West to Bellevue, south past Renton and Tukwila, then I-5 south to Federal Way. About 32 miles and 45 minutes off-peak, but I-405 in the afternoon can double that.
Weekend cohort students see the lighter version of both routes. The Federal Way Downtown station garage, about 1,500 stalls, sits next to the school.
Reaching Federal Way by transit from Issaquah
Sound Transit's 2026 service plan, reported in January 2026, retires Route 554 to Seattle in favor of the 2 Line and Route 556. As of Sound Transit's published route pages in September 2026:
- Route 556 runs from Issaquah Highlands Park and Ride and Issaquah Transit Center to Bellevue, every 15 minutes at peak and about every 30 minutes off-peak, starting around 4 a.m.
- 2 Line from Bellevue crosses I-90 into Seattle and shares track with the 1 Line north of International District/Chinatown. Trains run about every 8 minutes at peak.
- 1 Line south from International District/Chinatown to Federal Way Downtown, about every 10 minutes.
Budget about two hours each way with two transfers, which is workable for the five sessions of an HCA bridge and demanding for twenty days of the traditional course. Details on arriving at the school by rail or bus are in getting to CNA class in Federal Way.
Cost breakdown for an Issaquah student
| Item | Amount | Set by |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition, traditional | $1,100 | Program |
| Tuition, HCA bridge | $800 | Program |
| Books and supplies | About $105 | Program |
| Skills test | $100 to the test site | State rule |
| Knowledge test | $55 to Credentia | State rule |
| NA-C application | Per the current DOH fee schedule | DOH |
| Commute | Fuel and parking, or ORCA fares on the 556 and Link | Rider |
Every figure above except the commute is identical for a Bellevue College graduate from the skills test downward. Sources of tuition help, including WorkSource King County and Basic Food Employment and Training, are covered in free CNA training in Washington.
Issaquah employers to keep in view while you train
Swedish Issaquah at 751 NE Blakely Drive in the Highlands, per the Swedish locations page, is the city's hospital, with an emergency room, birth center, cancer institute, and orthopedic institute. Skilled nursing in the city includes Providence Marianwood at Providence Point, Issaquah Nursing and Rehabilitation Center on Front Street S, and Avamere Rehabilitation of Issaquah. Overlake in Bellevue is a short freeway drive. Indeed's August 2026 posting data does not report Issaquah alone; the nearest reported figures are about $23.73 per hour in Kirkland and $23.80 in Seattle, against a state average near $23.62, all approximate. Employers by setting are laid out in CNA jobs in Issaquah, WA.
A student who applies to an Issaquah skilled nursing facility during week three of training can start as a NAR while the exam and DOH application finish; the facility then has 4 months from hire to see the NA-C recorded.
Which option fits which Issaquah resident
- Works weekdays until 2 p.m. or earlier, wants to stay on the Eastside: Bellevue College's evening quarter.
- Wants to be certified before the next quarter would even start: the 4-week Federal Way course, weekday cohort.
- Works weekdays and cannot leave the job: the Federal Way weekend cohort.
- Already holds an active Washington HCA credential: the 40-hour HCA to CNA bridge, five trips instead of twenty; see HCA to CNA bridge near Issaquah, WA.
- Has a job offer from a nursing home: ask whether the facility sponsors training and what the work commitment is.
Cohort dates for both Federal Way programs are posted on the schedules page.
Frequently asked questions
Are there CNA classes in Issaquah? No approved nursing assistant training program is based in Issaquah itself. Bellevue College is the nearest college program; Federal Way has the nearest 4-week private option with a weekend pattern.
How far is Federal Way from Issaquah? About 29 to 32 miles depending on route, roughly 45 minutes off-peak by SR 18 or by I-405 and I-5.
Does Bellevue College offer weekend classes? Its program page lists weekday afternoon and evening sessions in fall, winter, and spring and full weekdays in summer. The weekend option in the region is the Federal Way course.
What does the 108-hour requirement mean for a 4-week course? Longer class days. WAC 246-841A-440 fixes the hours, not the calendar, so a 20-day course meets the same standard as a 10-week quarter.
Can I take the exam near Issaquah? Bellevue College tests its own graduates on campus; Huduma tests its graduates on site in Federal Way. Programs that do not test send students to WABON online scheduling.
Is the knowledge test in person? No. Part 2 is an online or oral test through Credentia, registered only after the $100 skills pass is recorded.
The full sequence from enrollment to registry is in how to become a CNA in Washington State.
Which path may fit you?
Already an eligible HCA?
Review the HCA–CNA Bridge Program and confirm the active Washington HCA credential requirement before choosing a class.
Explore the HCA–CNA Bridge ProgramStarting CNA training?
Review CNA Traditional, the complete training route for learners who are not entering through the HCA bridge route.
Explore the CNA Traditional Program