How Washington CNA Programs Are Approved and Audited

Washington CNA programs are approved by the Washington State Board of Nursing (WABON) under chapter 246-841A WAC. A new program attends a board orientation, submits an application packet and a common-curriculum calendar, and if accepted receives initial approval for one year. During that year the board evaluates the program, including announced and unannounced site visits, and then grants full approval, extends initial approval for up to one additional year, or withdraws approval. Fully approved programs must complete a renewal every two years, meet the 108-hour curriculum minimum, keep student files for five years, and remain subject to complaint investigation and corrective action. Here is the process step by step, and what it means for a student choosing a school.

Who approves, and who does not

Two state agencies touch nursing assistant training, and their roles are easy to confuse. WABON, formerly the Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission, sets training and exam standards and approves programs. The Department of Health (DOH) issues the NA-C credential, runs background checks and renewals, and maintains the Provider Credential Search. A program's approval status therefore comes from WABON; a student's certification comes from DOH. Depending on the type of organization, a co-approving agency also verifies the school: the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges for colleges, the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction for high schools, DSHS for nursing homes, and the Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board for private vocational schools. The division of labor is explained in Washington DOH vs the Board of Nursing for CNAs.

The approval sequence

The board's public list of approved programs shows programs with full or conditional approval status, so a listing alone does not distinguish a program on a plan of correction from one with clean full approval. Ask the program directly which status it holds.

What a program must have to be approved

WAC 246-841A-420 sets the conditions. A program must attend orientation, submit the complete packet, allow site visit access, meet all program standards, implement the board's common curriculum, submit change requests before changing anything material, and complete renewal every two years. The standards themselves are in the sections that follow it:

• Program types (WAC 246-841A-409): traditional, home care aide alternative (the HCA bridge), medical assistant alternative, and medication assistant endorsement. Each is approved separately.
• Director and instructors (WAC 246-841A-430): the program director must hold an active RN license, have at least three years of RN experience including at least one year in direct patient care, and have completed adult instruction training. Instructors are licensed nurses with recent direct-care experience. The director administers the skills exam and must allow each student at least four attempts.
• Common curriculum (WAC 246-841A-440): a minimum of 108 training hours, with at least 35 hours of classroom theory, 33 of skills lab, and 40 of clinical training. Clinical training can follow an instructor-led model or the nursing assistant work pathway model.
• Physical resources (WAC 246-841A-450): adequate space, lighting, and a skills lab with board-specified equipment kept in safe working condition.
• Administrative procedures (WAC 246-841A-455): an individual file for each student recording enrollment dates, performance, and completion status, kept for five years.

The hour minimums are the most visible standard for students, and they are well above the federal floor of 75 hours; the details are in the CNA classroom theory 35-hour requirement and in WAC 246-841A explained.

How programs are audited after approval

Approval is not a one-time event. Four mechanisms keep a program under review:

1. Site visits. WAC 246-841A-423 provides for announced and unannounced visits during initial approval, and WAC 246-841A-420 requires programs to allow site visit access as a continuing condition. A visit checks the lab, the records, the curriculum calendar, and staff qualifications against the rules.
2. Two-year renewal. Every fully approved program completes a renewal process, resubmitting documentation that shows continued compliance.
3. Program change requests. A program must request approval before material changes, for example a new program director, a new clinical site, or a change to the curriculum calendar. Operating a change without approval is itself a violation.
4. Complaint investigation (WAC 246-841A-465). Students, employers, or the public can file complaints, and the board investigates.

The outcomes are graded. Under WAC 246-841A-470 the board can keep a program at full approval with a plan of correction, add technical assistance, or move it to conditional approval. Withdrawal under WAC 246-841A-475 is the end of the line, and a withdrawn program's students fall into the E9 eligibility route for candidates whose training program has closed.

What this means when you choose a school

The approval system gives a prospective student three practical checks:

• Confirm the program is on WABON's approved list and ask whether its status is full or conditional. Conditional means the board has found problems and is monitoring correction.
• Ask who the program director is and confirm the person is an RN. The director's name is on the application the board approved, and a program operating under a different director without a change request is out of compliance.
• Ask to see the curriculum calendar and count the hours. It should total at least 108 with the 35/33/40 split, and the calendar the program runs should match the one the board approved.

Huduma CNA Programs in Federal Way runs its CNA Traditional course at the 108-hour, 35/33/40 minimum and its HCA bridge under the home care aide alternative program type, both administered by licensed nurse instructors with skills testing on site. The full checklist for evaluating any program is in choosing a DOH-approved CNA program in Washington.

Approval and the exam are linked

Only a graduate of an approved program is eligible for the exam under the E1 route (traditional) or E6 route (alternative program). The program's Certificate of Completion is what the state checks, and a program that has lost approval cannot issue it. Approved programs also administer the skills test themselves or, if they do not test, their students book through WABON online scheduling. This is why the director's exam duties are written into WAC 246-841A-430 alongside the teaching duties. The eligibility routes are listed in Washington CNA eligibility routes E1 through E9.

What the rules do not do

The approval system sets minimum standards; it does not rank programs, publish pass rates, or regulate tuition. Two programs with full approval can differ widely in class size, instructor ratio, mock testing, and outcomes. It also does not approve online-only training: the lab and clinical hours must be in person, and the site visit checks a physical lab. Any program advertising a fully online Washington CNA course is not describing an approved program.

Frequently asked questions

Who approves CNA training programs in Washington? The Washington State Board of Nursing (WABON), through its Nursing Assistant Program Approval Panel, under chapter 246-841A WAC.

How long does initial approval last? One year under WAC 246-841A-423, extendable for up to one additional year before the board grants full approval or withdraws it.

How often are approved programs reviewed? Programs renew every two years and remain subject to announced and unannounced site visits, change requests, and complaint investigations.

What does conditional approval mean? It is a corrective action designation under WAC 246-841A-470: the program may keep operating while it corrects deficiencies the board identified.

What happens to students if a program loses approval? They become eligible for the exam under the E9 route for closed programs, using records the program was required to keep for five years.

To check any school against these rules, start with Washington State CNA requirements in 2026, then review the CNA Traditional program page for how Huduma meets the 108-hour standard.