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

A Redmond caregiver who already holds an active Washington Home Care Aide (HCA) credential does not need the 108-hour nursing assistant course. The state's bridge pathway, which the Department of Health describes at 24 hours and which Huduma CNA Programs in Federal Way delivers as 40 clock hours, gets that caregiver to the same Nursing Assistant-Certified (NA-C) exam in 5 weekdays or about 2.5 weekends for $800 tuition plus about $105 in books and supplies. The exam is the same $155 (a $100 skills test on site, then a $55 Credentia knowledge test), and the DOH application is filed under eligibility route E6. From Redmond, Federal Way is about 32 miles by car or a 2 Line to 1 Line rail trip of roughly 1.5 to 2 hours, which is why the choice between the weekday and weekend cohort is mostly a question of how five trips fit around your job.

Why Redmond HCAs bridge

Redmond's senior living campuses, memory care units, and Eastside home care agencies hire on the HCA credential. The ceiling on that credential is the setting: EvergreenHealth's hospital in Kirkland, Overlake in Bellevue, the emergency campuses in Redmond, and every skilled nursing facility require the NA-C, and nursing programs expect it. The bridge exists because the DSHS-approved 75-hour HCA training already covers a large share of what nursing assistant training teaches. WAC 246-841A recognizes that overlap by letting an active HCA complete a shorter alternative program rather than repeat 108 hours.

Weekday cohort vs weekend cohort from Redmond

Both patterns contain the same 40 clock hours: 17 theory, 13 lab, 6 clinical, and 4 mock testing. The theory block concentrates on nursing facility routines and documentation, the lab block on the scored skills list, and the clinical block on supervised care in a licensed nursing facility, the one setting most Redmond HCAs have never worked in. Confirm the next start of each pattern on the schedules page.

The route from Redmond to class

Sound Transit's published information as of September 2026 describes the rail option; drive times are approximate.

• Rail. Board the 2 Line at Downtown Redmond, Marymoor Village, Redmond Technology, or Overlake Village. Ride across I-90 to International District/Chinatown, transfer to a southbound 1 Line train, and get off at Federal Way Downtown, a short walk from the school. Federal Way to downtown Seattle is about 50 minutes; the Redmond leg and transfer bring the total to roughly 1.5 to 2 hours.
• Car. SR 520 or I-405 south to I-5 south, about 32 miles. Off-peak roughly 40 minutes; peak considerably more. Park in the Federal Way Downtown station garage, about 1,500 stalls.
• Mixed. Drive to South Bellevue or another 2 Line station with parking and ride from there if I-5 through Seattle is the part you want to avoid.

For five days, either option is tolerable. For the traditional course's 20 days, the same trip is a serious cost, which is the practical case for the bridge over the traditional course for anyone who qualifies.

Enrollment checklist for a Redmond HCA

1. Confirm the HCA credential is active on the DOH Provider Credential Search. "Pending" or "expired" does not qualify. Renewals run annually on your birthday through the DOH portal.
2. Locate your high school diploma or GED. Foreign documents need an equivalency evaluation; see high school diploma or GED for CNA training.
3. Assemble the clinical file. TB test and immunization records, the same set most Redmond senior living employers already required.
4. Submit enrollment early. The background check must clear before the 6 clinical hours, and a 5-day cohort leaves no slack for a late clearance.
5. Pick the cohort. Weekday if you can take a week; weekend if not.

What the mock-testing hours are for

Bridge students are experienced caregivers, and experienced caregivers fail skills tests for a specific reason: habits from home care that skip a scored step, such as not explaining the procedure before starting, not checking the brakes on a wheelchair, or not returning the call light within reach. The 4 mock-testing hours run timed, randomly drawn skills exactly as the examiner will score them, so those habits surface before the $100 test. Washington programs must allow at least four skills attempts, but a bridge student who uses the mock rounds usually needs one. What the examiner is looking for is described in mock skills testing for the CNA exam in Washington.

Cost, in full

Compared with the traditional course at $1,100 and 108 hours, the bridge saves $300 and 68 hours. Payment options are described in payment plans for CNA training in Washington.

After the bridge: what changes in Redmond

You keep the HCA credential and add the NA-C; both renew annually on your birthday, and a standard NA-C has no continuing education requirement. Indeed's August 2026 posting data lists about $23.73 per hour for nursing assistants in neighboring Kirkland, approximate, and Redmond's emergency campuses, EvergreenHealth Kirkland, Overlake, and skilled nursing facilities all open up. The employer-by-employer picture is in CNA jobs in Redmond, WA.

Frequently asked questions

Is there an HCA to CNA bridge in Redmond? Redmond has no standalone bridge program. The nearest bridge with both weekday and weekend patterns is the 40-hour course in Federal Way, reached by the 2 Line and 1 Line or by I-405 and I-5.

Why is Huduma's bridge 40 hours when the DOH describes 24? The DOH figure is the minimum. Huduma adds lab time, a nursing facility clinical, and 4 hours of mock testing because bridge students are tested to the same standard as 108-hour graduates.

Can I keep working at my Redmond senior living job during the bridge? Yes, on the weekend pattern. The weekday pattern needs one week of leave.

Which eligibility route do I use on the DOH application? E6, the Washington alternative or bridge program route. Traditional 108-hour graduates use E1.

What if I fail the skills test? You retest; the program must allow at least four attempts. Register for the Credentia knowledge test only after the skills pass is recorded.

Does the bridge work for medical assistants too? There is a separate MA bridge for credentialed medical assistants. The HCA bridge requires the active HCA credential specifically.

Program details and enrollment are on the HCA to CNA bridge page. For the credential process after the exam, see how to become a CNA in Washington State.