HCA to CNA Bridge Near Des Moines, WA: 40-Hour Weekday and Weekend Options

A home care aide living in Des Moines, WA who holds an active Washington HCA credential can become a Nursing Assistant-Certified (NA-C) through a 40-clock-hour bridge instead of the 108-hour traditional course. Huduma CNA Programs in Federal Way runs that bridge in two patterns, 5 consecutive weekdays or about 2.5 weekends, for $800 tuition plus about $105 in books and supplies, and administers the $100 skills test on site. Des Moines borders Federal Way to the south, and the Kent Des Moines Station beside Highline College is two 1 Line stops from Federal Way Downtown, so the school is closer for most Des Moines residents than any option north toward Burien or Seattle.

Who qualifies from Des Moines

The bridge is built for people already working under the 75-hour DSHS Home Care Aide certification: agency caregivers serving clients along Marine View Drive and in the Redondo, Woodmont, and Zenith neighborhoods, staff in Des Moines assisted living communities, and adult family home workers across the city. The two entry conditions are fixed by the school and the state:

• An active Washington HCA credential. Check it on the DOH Provider Credential Search before you enroll. An expired HCA credential must be renewed first, and a pending HCA application does not count.
• A high school diploma or GED. The traditional 4-week course has the same requirement.

Washington's eligibility route for a bridge graduate is E6 (Washington alternative or bridge program graduate). Everyone else in Des Moines without an HCA credential, including experienced caregivers who never certified, enters through the 108-hour route (E1). The full list of routes is in Washington CNA eligibility routes E1 to E9.

What 40 hours covers that 75 HCA hours did not

DSHS describes the state-level bridge as a 24-hour minimum; Huduma's 40-hour version adds lab time and a mock test day because the skills exam is where bridge students most often fall short.

HCA training teaches personal care in a client's home. The NA-C skills test expects facility procedures performed in a set order while you explain each step aloud, and the 13 lab hours exist to build that habit. What the two credentials allow on the job is compared in the HCA to CNA bridge route explained.

Weekday versus weekend pattern for a Des Moines caregiver

Both patterns cover the identical 40 hours and the same skills test at the end. Most agency caregivers in Des Moines choose the weekend pattern because agency shifts are concentrated on weekdays; assisted living staff on rotating schedules often prefer clearing one week. Current cohorts of each pattern are listed on the schedules page.

Getting from Des Moines to Federal Way

Times are approximate and drawn from Sound Transit and King County Metro published information as of September 2026, including Metro's August 29, 2026 South King County service change.

Metro's fall 2026 change replaced route 165 with route 166 between Burien Transit Center and Kent Des Moines Station via Highline College, Des Moines, and Normandy Park, so the marina-area connection to the light rail still exists under a new number. Highline College's own directions page lists the Kent Des Moines station directly across Pacific Highway from campus. Federal Way Downtown Station has a 1,500-stall garage for drivers who prefer to park and walk to class, and Huduma CNA Programs is a short walk from the station and the Federal Way Transit Center.

Cost and timeline compared with the traditional course

The bridge saves $300 in tuition and roughly three weeks of calendar time, and the state exam fees are identical. The decision between the two is covered in CNA traditional vs HCA-CNA bridge.

After the bridge: exam, credential, and Des Moines employers

1. Skills test on site. Part 1 is administered by the training program. Programs must allow at least four attempts under WAC 246-841A-430.
2. Register with Credentia for the $55 knowledge test only after the skills pass is recorded.
3. Apply to DOH for the NA-C, with the name-based statewide background check.
4. Keep the HCA credential active until the NA-C posts if your current employer requires it; both can sit on the registry at once.

With the NA-C, a Des Moines caregiver can move from home care rates into skilled nursing facilities and hospital roles. Des Moines has continuing care communities and adult family homes inside the city; St. Francis Hospital in Federal Way and St. Anne Hospital in Burien (formerly Highline Medical Center, per Virginia Mason Franciscan Health) are each a short drive, and the 1 Line reaches Seattle hospitals. Job-posting data from Indeed (August 2026) puts the Washington nursing assistant average at about $23.62 per hour; Des Moines is not reported separately. Setting-by-setting detail for the city is in CNA jobs in Des Moines, WA.

Frequently asked questions

Is there an HCA to CNA bridge class in Des Moines itself? Bridge programs are less common than 108-hour programs. Check the WABON approved-program list for any Des Moines option; the nearest verified 40-hour bridge with on-site testing is in Federal Way, about 10 minutes by 1 Line from Kent Des Moines Station.

Can I keep my Des Moines home care clients during the bridge? Yes with the weekend pattern, which uses Saturday and Sunday sessions over about three weekends. The weekday pattern requires one full week away from clients.

My HCA credential expires next month. Can I still enroll? Renew it first. The bridge requires an active credential on the day you enroll and through the clinical block.

Do I retake the HCA exam or the CNA exam? The CNA exam only: the $100 skills test on site, then the $55 Credentia knowledge test. Your HCA credential stays valid on its own renewal cycle.

How long from enrollment to an NA-C on the registry? The class itself is one week or about three weekends. Knowledge test scheduling and DOH processing add weeks; many bridge graduates hold the NA-C within one to two months of finishing class, a typical range that depends on test availability.

The HCA to CNA bridge program page lists requirements and the enrollment steps, and the statewide rules for bridge students are in the HCA to CNA bridge program in Washington.