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

Wenatchee has a Washington State Board of Nursing (WABON) approved nursing assistant course at Wenatchee Valley College, offered two ways per the college catalog: NURS 100 as a 10-credit quarter-long class, usually every quarter, meeting 9 a.m. to noon Monday through Thursday, or a 3-week no-credit fast track. The 4-week, 108-hour Nursing Assistant-Certified (NA-C) course at Huduma CNA Programs in Federal Way costs $1,100 tuition plus about $105 in books and includes the skills test on site, but Federal Way is about 150 miles west by US 2 or I-90, roughly 2 hours 50 minutes by car per trip-planning estimates. Every WABON-approved program delivers the same state minimum of 108 clock hours (35 theory, 33 lab, 40 clinical) and leads to the same $155 two-part exam.

Options for a Wenatchee student, side by side

For most Wenatchee residents the college is the answer, and the fast track in particular removes the usual argument for a private 4-week course. The Federal Way course still fits three groups: active Home Care Aides who want the 40-hour bridge instead of repeating 108 hours, students who need a weekend-only pattern, and people who will be on the west side for a month anyway.

What Wenatchee Valley College requires

The WVC catalog lists the prerequisites for NURS 100, Nurse Assistant: Basic Patient Care. Students must be 17 by the first day, file a supplemental application, and clear a background check. Medical documentation includes a tuberculin skin test and hepatitis B vaccination records, plus the liability and health requirements the college describes. Completing the theory, lab, and clinical hours makes a graduate eligible for the Washington NAC exam. Cost is set by WVC's per-credit tuition and fee schedule; the catalog points to the college's tuition page rather than stating a program total, so check it for the current quarter.

Link Transit, the Chelan-Douglas transit agency, lists Route 18 as East Wenatchee to WVC, and Route 6 links Columbia Station downtown with South Wenatchee, per the agency's routes page. Its schedule book dated July 2026 covers 13 urban routes and 8 intercity routes, including Route 22 to Leavenworth and Routes 20 and 21 toward Manson and Chelan, so a student in the upper valley can reach the campus without a car.

Facility-based training in the Wenatchee area

Skilled nursing facilities in Wenatchee, including Colonial Vista Post-Acute and Rehabilitation Center on Okanogan Avenue, have appeared in the Board of Nursing's directory of nursing assistant training programs. A facility program hires you as a Nursing Assistant-Registered (NAR) first, trains you on the job, and gives you 4 months from hire to complete training and pass the exam. Ask each facility directly whether a cohort is open; these programs run only when the facility needs staff. The tradeoff between facility and school training is covered in CNA training at a nursing home vs a training center in Washington.

Federal Way from Wenatchee: the real logistics

Trip planners put the drive at about 152 miles and 2 hours 50 minutes in clear conditions, via US 2 over Stevens Pass or US 97 and I-90 over Snoqualmie Pass, then I-5 or SR 18 to Federal Way. Winter pass conditions can close either route for hours. Daily commuting is not an option, so a Wenatchee student who chooses the Federal Way course plans around one of these:

1. A month on the west side for the day cohort. Twenty class days in 4 weeks. Lodging or family anywhere on the 1 Line works, since the school is a short walk from Federal Way Downtown Station.
2. A weekend cohort with Friday-to-Sunday trips. Saturdays and Sundays over more weeks; each weekend is one crossing of the Cascades in each direction.
3. One week for the HCA bridge. Active HCAs finish 40 hours in 5 weekdays, one trip, one stay. The Wenatchee-specific plan is in HCA to CNA bridge near Wenatchee, WA.

Without a car, trip planners list Amtrak's Empire Builder from Wenatchee to Seattle King Street at about 5 hours 40 minutes including the 1 Line to Federal Way, intercity bus service through Seattle at roughly 4.5 hours, and twice-daily Alaska Airlines flights from Pangborn to Sea-Tac, which is itself a 1 Line station two stops north of Federal Way Downtown. None of these suits a commute; all suit a single arrival.

Costs by line item

Quarter-long college enrollment can qualify for financial aid; a private 4-week course usually cannot but can be split into installments, described in payment plans for CNA training in Washington. Chelan and Douglas County residents receiving Basic Food can ask WorkSource about training support.

Where a Wenatchee graduate works

Confluence Health Hospital's Central Campus at 1201 S. Miller Street, the former Central Washington Hospital, is the region's referral hospital with 198 licensed beds and a trauma center, per hospital directory listings; its Mares Campus at 820 N. Chelan Avenue is the former Wenatchee Valley Hospital. Colonial Vista and other skilled nursing facilities, senior living in Wenatchee and East Wenatchee, and adult family homes across both counties round out the market. Indeed's Wenatchee-specific figure was not available at review time, so plan around the Washington average of about $23.62 per hour from August 2026 posting data, approximate. Employers and settings are detailed in CNA jobs in Wenatchee, WA.

The Federal Way course itself

The CNA Traditional program delivers 35 theory, 33 lab, and 40 clinical hours in 4 weeks under licensed-nurse instructors, with the background check cleared before clinical placement and the $100 skills test administered on site. It requires a high school diploma or GED and is taught in English. Washington rules guarantee at least four skills-test attempts. Cohort dates for the traditional course and the bridge are on the schedules page.

Frequently asked questions

Where are CNA classes in Wenatchee? Wenatchee Valley College offers NURS 100 as a quarter-long morning class or a 3-week fast track, at Wenatchee and Omak, per its catalog. Some skilled nursing facilities train NARs on the job.

How far is Federal Way from Wenatchee? About 150 miles and roughly 2 hours 50 minutes by car over Stevens or Snoqualmie Pass, per trip-planning estimates. It is a relocation for a month, not a commute.

Why would anyone in Wenatchee choose the Federal Way course? Mainly the 40-hour HCA bridge, which the college does not offer, or a weekend-only cohort with a fixed $1,100 price and on-site testing.

Is the 3-week WVC fast track the same credential as the quarter class? Both lead to the same state exam and NA-C credential; the catalog lists the fast track as no-credit, which matters only if you want the credits toward a nursing degree.

Can I take the knowledge test in Wenatchee after training elsewhere? Yes. Part 2 is online through Credentia. Only the skills test is tied to the program's site.

What is the total cost beyond tuition? About $105 in books at the Federal Way course, $155 for both exam parts anywhere, and the DOH application fee per the current schedule.

The certification steps after class are in how to become a CNA in Washington State.