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

A Home Care Aide in Puyallup, WA who holds an active Washington HCA credential and a high school diploma or GED can skip the 108-hour nursing assistant course and take a bridge instead. At Huduma CNA Programs in Federal Way the bridge is 40 clock hours, $800 tuition plus about $105 in books and supplies, offered as 5 consecutive weekdays or about 2.5 weekends, and it ends in the same $155 two-part state exam as the traditional course. Pierce Transit's route 402 runs from Puyallup Station to Federal Way Downtown Station in about 20 to 30 minutes on its published timetable, so the trip is shorter than many HCAs' daily drives between clients on South Hill.

Three paths from HCA to NA-C, compared

The bridge exists because the 75-hour DSHS HCA curriculum already covers personal care, basic infection control, and client rights. The DOH describes a 24-hour bridge and allows approved programs to run longer; Huduma's version is 36 instructional hours (17 theory, 13 lab, 6 clinical) plus 4 hours of mock skills testing. Graduates apply to the DOH under eligibility route E6. An HCA whose credential has expired is not eligible for the bridge until it is renewed; an HCA trained in another state does not qualify on that credential. The bridge and the traditional course are compared point by point in HCA to CNA bridge program in Washington.

Why a Puyallup HCA would bother

• Good Samaritan. MultiCare's hospital on 15th Avenue SE, with its emergency room, birth center, rehabilitation center, and stroke center, hires nursing assistants, not HCAs.
• Skilled nursing on the valley floor and South Hill. These facilities hire NA-Cs first and pay facility rates with shift differentials of roughly $1.50 to $4 per hour (approximate).
• The Washington Soldiers Home in Orting. A state veterans home operated by WDVA serving 128 residents at nursing-home level of care; its nursing assistant positions are state jobs that require the NA-C.
• Pay. Indeed job-posting data (August 2026) puts the Washington nursing assistant average at about $23.62 per hour; home care HCA rates generally sit lower. All figures are approximate, and Puyallup is not reported separately.

An HCA who wants to stay in home care but add facility shifts, or who wants a hospital ladder toward LPN or RN, needs the NA-C for either.

Week by week: from enrollment to the registry

1. Before enrolling. Confirm your HCA shows active on the DOH Provider Credential Search. Gather your diploma or GED and photo ID. Complete the background check, which must clear before the clinical block.
2. Class week (or weekends 1 through 3). 17 hours of theory on facility documentation, vital signs, resident rights in a nursing facility, and working under a licensed nurse; 13 hours of lab on the state skills checklist; 6 hours on a nursing facility unit; 4 hours of mock testing scored the way the evaluator will score.
3. Skills test, Part 1. Administered on site for $100. Washington requires programs to allow at least four attempts; the mock testing is designed to make the first one count.
4. Knowledge test, Part 2. After the skills pass is recorded, register on Credentia's site and pay $55; the test is online with an oral option.
5. DOH application. Submit with the fee on the current DOH fee schedule. The NA-C appears on the Provider Credential Search when issued, and Puyallup employers can verify it the same day.

The two exam parts and their order are explained in the Washington NAC exam guide.

Getting to Federal Way from Puyallup, five times

Times are approximate and based on Pierce Transit published information as of September 2026.

Two timetable details matter. Sunday service on route 402 begins in the mid-morning, later than Saturday, so a weekend cohort's Sunday session may require driving. And route 402 detours during the Washington State Fair each September; Pierce Transit posts the temporary routing. From Bay 6 at Federal Way Downtown Station, the school is a short walk.

What the bridge costs, all in

Exam and DOH costs are the same at every Washington program; tuition and testing arrangements are not. Home care agencies in Pierce County sometimes reimburse tuition after completion; ask your employer before paying. Grant and scholarship routes are collected in CNA training grants and scholarships in Washington State.

Keeping both credentials

The NA-C is a separate DOH credential that renews annually on your birthday with no continuing education requirement for a standard NA-C. Your HCA credential continues on its own cycle. Many Puyallup HCAs keep both for a year, working home care clients on the HCA and facility shifts on the NA-C, then decide which to maintain. If you later want to give medications in a facility, the medication assistant endorsement requires 8 hours of medication-specific continuing education and 250 documented hours of employment as a medication assistant per cycle. Renewal mechanics are in Washington CNA renewal.

Frequently asked questions

How many days is the HCA to CNA bridge for a Puyallup HCA? Five class days totaling 40 clock hours: one Monday-to-Friday week, or two full weekends plus part of a third.

What is the difference between the 24-hour bridge and the 40-hour bridge? The DOH describes a 24-hour minimum and permits programs to run longer. Huduma CNA Programs adds lab time and 4 hours of mock testing to reach 40.

Can I get to the bridge by bus from South Hill? Yes. Route 402 starts at Meridian and 171st, stops at South Hill Mall Transit Center and Puyallup Station, and ends at Federal Way Downtown Station.

Do I take the skills test in Federal Way? Yes. Part 1 is administered on site by the program for $100, and the mock testing block uses the same skills sets.

Will Good Samaritan hire me right after the bridge? With an active NA-C and BLS CPR you can apply; most hospital postings list experience as a preference. Facilities and adult family homes usually hire faster. Employer detail is in CNA jobs in Puyallup, WA.

Program details are on the HCA to CNA bridge page, and current cohort dates are on the schedules page.