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

Richland is the only one of the Tri-Cities where a Washington State Board of Nursing (WABON) approved nursing assistant program sits inside the city limits: Columbia Basin College's Health Science Center at 891 Northgate Drive, per the college's campus map, which runs the nursing assistant certificate in fall, winter, and spring quarters according to the college's 2026-27 application packet. A Richland resident can also train inside a nursing facility as a Nursing Assistant-Registered (NAR) hire, or take a private 4-week, 108-clock-hour course such as Huduma CNA Programs in Federal Way, $1,100 tuition plus about $105 for books, with the skills test on site. Federal Way is about 230 miles west, so that third option is a four-week stay that makes sense for someone relocating to Puget Sound, or a one-week trip for an active Home Care Aide taking the 40-hour bridge. All three meet the same 108-hour floor (35 theory, 33 lab, 40 clinical) and lead to the same $155 exam.

Richland's options side by side

For most Richland residents the college is the natural first choice because it is local and its clinical partners are the same Tri-Cities employers a graduate will apply to. The facility route wins on cash flow. The Federal Way course wins on calendar certainty, on entry requirements, and for anyone whose first job will be on the west side.

What the college asks of Richland applicants

The 2026-27 application packet is explicit about prerequisites, and each is a reason some Richland students end up elsewhere:

• Placement scores at Math 50 or higher, Reading 99 or higher, and English 101. Students without recent test scores need to arrange placement before the quarterly deadline.
• American Heart Association BLS CPR and First Aid must be current when you apply. The private course does not require CPR before enrollment, though every employer does before hire; see CPR for CNAs in Washington.
• A reference letter, submitted with the application.
• National background check (about $150 per the packet) and drug screen (about $50) after acceptance and before registration.
• Clinical shifts at a local facility, a minimum of 36 hours, arranged by instructors and sometimes starting at 6 a.m.

The packet estimates textbooks at about $90 and scrubs at $75 to $100, and lists state testing fees separately. Total cost lands near the private course; the difference is mainly the quarter calendar against a four-week one.

Who drives 230 miles for a 4-week course

1. Richland residents relocating west. Indeed's Richland nursing assistant salary page (August 28, 2026, 33 posted salaries) shows about $22.32 per hour, the highest of the Tri-Cities but below the statewide average of about $23.62 and Everett's about $24.89. Someone moving to King or Pierce County for family, a partner's job, or higher pay can train, do the 40 clinical hours, and job-hunt in the same market.
2. Students who miss the quarter deadline or a prerequisite. A fixed 4-week cohort with a diploma-or-GED entry bar starts sooner than the next quarter.
3. Active HCAs. The HCA to CNA bridge is one Monday-to-Friday week; details for Richland are in HCA to CNA bridge near Richland, WA.

A Richland resident who plans to stay in the Tri-Cities and is not an HCA should usually choose Columbia Basin College; a daily commute to Federal Way is not possible.

Richland to Federal Way

• By car: roughly 230 miles. I-182 to I-82 west, through Yakima to I-90, over Snoqualmie Pass, then I-405 or SR 18 to Federal Way. About 3.5 to 4 hours in clear conditions; WSDOT posts pass restrictions in winter.
• By bus: the Tri-Cities' intercity stop is the Pasco intermodal station. Greyhound's Pasco to Seattle page lists two daily departures at about 4 hours 50 minutes; the 1 Line then runs south from Seattle to Federal Way Downtown Station, next to the school.
• Getting to Pasco station from Richland: Ben Franklin Transit's routes page lists the Knight Street and Queensgate transit centers in Richland and connector routes 123 and 170 to Pasco's 22nd Avenue Transit Center.

The trip happens twice for a 4-week student. During the course, lodging anywhere on the 1 Line or RapidRide A Line keeps the daily commute to one ride; the school's own transit notes are in getting to CNA class in Federal Way.

Cost lines for either route

Funding through Basic Food Employment and Training or WorkSource Columbia Basin, which serves Benton County, can apply to either route; see CNA training grants and scholarships in Washington State.

Where Richland graduates work

Kadlec Regional Medical Center at 888 Swift Boulevard is the Tri-Cities' largest hospital: Providence's location page describes the region's only Level III neonatal intensive care unit and more than 4,000 caregivers and volunteers, and Kadlec's 2019 certificate of need application to the DOH listed 270 licensed beds. Lourdes Counseling Center, a behavioral health hospital, is also in Richland. Trios Southridge in Kennewick and Lourdes Medical Center in Pasco are across the rivers, and skilled nursing facilities and adult family homes are spread across all three cities. A graduate who trained in Federal Way returns with the same statewide NA-C. Employer detail is in CNA jobs in Richland, WA.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a CNA program in Richland? Yes. Columbia Basin College's nursing assistant program runs from its Health Science Center at 891 Northgate Drive in Richland, on the quarter system.

What does the college require before I apply? Placement scores, current BLS CPR and First Aid, and a reference letter, followed by a background check and drug screen after acceptance, per the 2026-27 packet.

How far is Federal Way from Richland? About 230 miles, roughly 3.5 to 4 hours by car over Snoqualmie Pass, or Greyhound from Pasco to Seattle plus the 1 Line.

Is the 4-week course as rigorous as the college quarter? Both deliver the 108 clock hours WAC 246-841A-440 requires. The 4-week course reaches them with longer days.

Does the Federal Way course require CPR before enrolling? No; entry is a diploma or GED and a background check before clinical. Employers require BLS CPR at hire.

What do Richland nursing assistants earn? Indeed's August 2026 figure is about $22.32 per hour, approximate, the highest of the three cities.

The certification steps after any program are in how to become a CNA in Washington State; cohort dates for the Federal Way course are on the schedules page.