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

A Pasco resident who wants to become a Nursing Assistant-Certified (NA-C) has one college program in the Tri-Cities, Columbia Basin College, whose main campus is at 2600 North 20th Avenue in Pasco but whose nursing assistant program is run from the Health Science Center in Richland on a fall, winter, and spring quarter schedule, per the college's 2026-27 application packet. The alternatives are facility-based training at a Franklin or Benton County nursing home, or a private 4-week, 108-clock-hour course such as Huduma CNA Programs in Federal Way: $1,100 tuition, about $105 for books and supplies, skills test on site. Pasco's intermodal station is the Tri-Cities' Greyhound and Amtrak hub, and Greyhound lists Pasco to Seattle at about 232 miles and 4 hours 50 minutes, so the Federal Way course is a four-week stay, not a commute. All three routes satisfy the 108-hour state minimum (35 theory, 33 lab, 40 clinical) and lead to the same $155 exam.

How the three routes compare for Pasco

The decision rule for Pasco: choose the college if you meet its prerequisites and can wait for the next quarter; choose a facility if you need wages now; choose Federal Way if you are moving to Puget Sound, have housing there for four weeks, or hold an active HCA credential and want the one-week bridge.

Columbia Basin College's entry bar, in the college's own words

The 2026-27 packet lists the following, and Pasco applicants should check each before the quarterly deadline:

1. Placement at Math 50 or higher, Reading 99 or higher, and English 101.
2. Current American Heart Association BLS CPR and First Aid cards submitted with the application, not earned during the course.
3. A reference letter.
4. After acceptance, a national background check (about $150 per the packet) and drug screen (about $50) before registration.
5. Clinical shifts, a minimum of 36 hours at a local facility, arranged by instructors and starting as early as 6 a.m.

The packet also estimates textbooks at about $90 and scrubs at $75 to $100. A Pasco student who has not yet completed English 101 placement or does not hold a CPR card cannot enter the next quarter, which is the most common reason Tri-Cities residents look at a private course with a diploma-or-GED entry requirement instead. The general tradeoffs are covered in community college vs private CNA school in Washington.

The Pasco to Federal Way trip

Pasco's intermodal station at 535 North 1st Avenue serves Amtrak's Empire Builder as well as Greyhound and regional buses, per the Great American Stations profile. For a Federal Way student the useful service is Greyhound: two daily departures to Seattle at about 4 hours 50 minutes per Greyhound's route page. From Seattle, the 1 Line runs south to Federal Way Downtown Station, a short walk from the school. The Empire Builder's Portland section does not go to Seattle directly, so it is not the practical rail option for this trip.

By car, Pasco to Federal Way is roughly 230 miles: I-182 to I-82 west through Yakima, I-90 over Snoqualmie Pass, then I-405 or SR 18. Plan 3.5 to 4 hours in clear weather and watch WSDOT pass reports in winter.

Locally, Ben Franklin Transit's routes page lists the 22nd Avenue Transit Center as Pasco's hub, Pasco routes 60 through 68, and connector routes 123 and 170 to Kennewick and Richland. A Pasco student attending Columbia Basin College's Richland Health Science Center would use the connectors; check the current map for the nearest stop.

What four weeks in Federal Way costs and requires

Entry requires a high school diploma or GED, a background check before clinical placement in a licensed nursing facility, and instruction is in English. Day and weekend patterns exist; from Pasco, the day pattern finishes the stay in the fewest calendar weeks. Basic Food Employment and Training and WorkSource Columbia Basin, which serves Franklin County, may fund approved training; see WorkSource, WIOA, and Basic Food Employment and Training.

The one-week option for Pasco Home Care Aides

Pasco has a large home care workforce, and many of those caregivers hold an active Washington HCA credential. For them the calculation changes: the HCA to CNA bridge is 40 clock hours for $800, delivered Monday through Friday in a single week, with the skills test at the end of it. One Greyhound trip each way instead of a four-week stay. The details, including eligibility and the E6 application route, are in HCA to CNA bridge near Pasco, WA.

Where a Pasco graduate works

Pasco's hospital is Lourdes Medical Center at 520 North 4th Avenue, the main campus of Lourdes Health, per its locations page. Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland and Trios Southridge in Kennewick are across the rivers. Skilled nursing facilities, assisted living, and adult family homes across the three cities hire new graduates, often as Nursing Assistant-Registered (NAR) employees before the exam. Indeed's Pasco salary page shows about $19.74 per hour, but from only 6 posted salaries (July 2026); the Kennewick figure of about $20.98 (September 2026, 217 salaries) is the better local benchmark, and Richland's about $22.32. All are approximate, and all sit below the state average of about $23.62, which is one reason some Pasco graduates take a first job on the west side. Employers by setting are in CNA jobs in Pasco, WA.

The Federal Way course itself

The CNA Traditional program meets the WAC 246-841A-440 minimum exactly: 35 hours of classroom theory, 33 in the skills lab, and 40 in clinical at a licensed nursing facility, taught by licensed nurses with recent direct-care experience. Students receive a Certificate of Completion and take the $100 skills test on site; the program must allow at least four attempts. Cohort dates are on the schedules page.

Frequently asked questions

Does Columbia Basin College teach the CNA class in Pasco? The main campus is in Pasco, but the nursing assistant program is run from the Health Science Center in Richland, where applications are also submitted, per the college's packet and campus map.

How do I get from Pasco to Federal Way without a car? Greyhound from the Pasco intermodal station to Seattle (about 4 hours 50 minutes, two departures daily per Greyhound), then the 1 Line south to Federal Way Downtown.

Can I take the 4-week course and go home each night? No. At roughly 230 miles each way, the course requires a four-week stay in Puget Sound.

Is the college's total cost lower than the private course? Not by much once the packet's background check, drug screen, books, and scrubs are added to about $1,300 tuition. The private course is $1,100 plus about $105, but adds travel and lodging.

What does a nursing assistant earn in Pasco? Indeed lists about $19.74 per hour from a small sample; the Kennewick figure of about $20.98 is more reliable for the Tri-Cities. Both are approximate.

Will the NA-C from a Federal Way program work at Lourdes or Kadlec? Yes. The Department of Health issues one statewide credential regardless of where the training happened.

The steps after any program are laid out in how to become a CNA in Washington State.