Huduma CNA ProgramsWAC 246-841A is the chapter of the Washington Administrative Code that governs nursing assistant training, testing, and practice. Adopted by the Washington State Board of Nursing (WABON, formerly NCQAC), it sets the rules every CNA school and student in the state follows: a 108-clock-hour training minimum split into 35 hours of theory, 33 hours of skills lab, and 40 hours of clinical practice (WAC 246-841A-440); instructor qualifications requiring licensed nurses with recent direct-care experience (WAC 246-841A-430); and a guarantee that programs allow students at least four attempts at the skills competency exam (WAC 246-841A-430(6)(k)(iii)). Washington's 108 hours exceed the federal 75-hour floor by a third.
This article translates the parts of the chapter that affect students into plain English and explains why they matter when you choose a program.
What WAC 246-841A is and who enforces it
"WAC" stands for Washington Administrative Code, the collection of rules adopted by state agencies under authority granted by the legislature. Title 246 belongs to health professions, and chapter 246-841A covers nursing assistants. The Board of Nursing adopts and amends the chapter; the Department of Health (DOH) applies it when issuing and renewing credentials. A school that wants to train nursing assistants must be approved under this chapter, and a student who wants to sit for the exam must have completed a program that meets it. The article on who regulates CNAs in Washington explains the Board and DOH roles.
If you are comparing schools, the chapter is your consumer protection: it defines the minimum every approved program must deliver.
The 108-hour minimum (WAC 246-841A-440)
The section most people look for is the training minimum. An approved nursing assistant program must provide at least 108 clock hours, divided as follows:
| Component | Minimum clock hours | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Classroom theory | 35 | Lectures and discussion on resident rights, safety, infection control, communication, body systems, and care principles |
| Skills laboratory | 33 | Hands-on practice of care skills on mannequins and classmates with instructor check-offs |
| Clinical practice | 40 | Supervised care of real residents in a licensed nursing facility |
| Total | 108 |
Three details in this rule matter more than the headline number:
- Clock hours, not credit hours. A clock hour is sixty minutes of instruction. Programs cannot count breaks, orientation, or open lab time toward the minimum.
- Clinical must be in a licensed nursing facility. Simulation, assisted living, or home care hours do not satisfy the 40-hour clinical component for a traditional program.
- The numbers are floors. A program may exceed them. It may not redistribute them, so a program cannot, for example, offer 50 theory hours and 18 lab hours and call it compliant.
Huduma CNA Programs' CNA Traditional program is built exactly to this split, 35/33/40, delivered over four weeks in day or weekend patterns.
How Washington compares with the federal rule
Federal nurse aide regulations set a floor of 75 training hours. Washington's 108-hour minimum with 40 clinical hours is one of the higher state standards. The practical effect is that a Washington graduate has spent a full week caring for residents under supervision before the first day of employment.
Instructor and program standards (WAC 246-841A-430)
This section sets what a program must be, not only what it must teach. The provisions students feel most directly:
Instructors are licensed nurses with recent direct-care experience. The person teaching you must hold a Washington nursing license and have recent hands-on experience caring for patients, not only administrative or academic experience. When you tour a school, ask who teaches the lab and clinical portions and how recently they worked at the bedside.
Programs must allow at least four attempts at the skills competency exam. WAC 246-841A-430(6)(k)(iii) prevents a program from cutting a student off after one failed skills test. The rule does not waive the $100 skills test fee for each attempt, and it does not require unlimited attempts, but it guarantees four. Programs that run mock skills testing before the real exam, as Huduma CNA Programs does, rarely need the later attempts.
Program approval is formal. A school submits its curriculum, instructor credentials, facilities, equipment list, and clinical site agreements to the Board for approval before it can enroll students. Approval is not permanent; the Board reviews programs and can withdraw approval from one that falls short. The Board publishes its list of approved nursing assistant programs, and checking that list before paying tuition is the single most important thing this chapter lets you do.
Alternative training routes in the chapter
The chapter recognizes that not everyone needs the full 108 hours. It provides for alternative programs that build on prior credentials:
- Home Care Aide bridge. An active Washington HCA credential (75 hours of DSHS-approved training) qualifies you for a bridge program. The DOH describes a 24-hour bridge; programs may run longer. Huduma's HCA–CNA Bridge is 40 clock hours: 17 theory, 13 lab, 6 clinical, plus 4 hours of mock testing.
- Medical assistant bridge. Credentialed medical assistants have their own bridge route.
- Nursing students and graduates. People enrolled in or graduated from LPN or RN programs can qualify for the exam through their nursing coursework.
Bridge and alternative graduates take the same two-part exam and receive the same NA-C credential as traditional graduates. The DOH labels the exam eligibility routes E1 through E9; the Washington CNA eligibility routes article lists them.
The exam under the current rules
Since October 1, 2023, the nursing assistant competency evaluation has two parts, taken in order:
- Skills competency test, administered in person by the training program, or scheduled through the Board's online scheduling system if the program is not a test site. Fee $100, paid to the test site.
- Knowledge test, delivered online (or orally) by Credentia. Fee $55. Registration opens only after the skills pass is recorded.
The program-administered skills test is the reason instructor and program standards matter so much: the same school that trained you also evaluates you, under the Board's rules and oversight. The Washington NAC exam guide covers the test itself.
Standards of practice and delegation
Beyond training, the chapter defines what a nursing assistant may do. A Nursing Assistant-Certified provides delegated nursing care under the supervision of a licensed nurse. Tasks beyond the core curriculum, such as certain medication-related activities, require either the medication assistant endorsement or nurse delegation under the separate delegation rules that apply in specific settings. The companion article on Washington CNA scope of practice covers these boundaries in detail.
How to use the chapter when choosing a school
Turn the rules into a checklist:
| Question to ask | What the chapter requires | Red flag |
|---|---|---|
| How many clock hours is the program? | At least 108 (35/33/40) for a traditional program | Fewer hours, or hours that do not add up by component |
| Where is clinical? | A licensed nursing facility | "Simulated clinical" or clinical in a non-nursing setting |
| Who teaches? | Licensed nurses with recent direct-care experience | Non-nurse instructors for lab or clinical |
| What if I fail the skills test? | At least four attempts | "One attempt only" or no retake policy |
| Is the program on the Board's approved list? | Yes, before enrolling students | Not listed, or "approval pending" |
| Does the program administer the skills test? | Not required, but allowed | You are left to find a test site on your own with no guidance |
A program that answers all six without hesitation is operating inside the chapter.
What the chapter does not cover
Fees for the credential are on the DOH fee schedule, not in WAC 246-841A. Renewal timing (annually on your birthday) and background check procedures are DOH credentialing matters. Employment rules for long-term care settings, including DSHS background checks and the federal four-month rule for nursing assistants in training, come from other sources. And Home Care Aide training is approved by DSHS under its own rules, not by the Board under this chapter.
Frequently asked questions
What does WAC 246-841A require for CNA training in Washington? At least 108 clock hours: 35 classroom, 33 skills lab, and 40 clinical in a licensed nursing facility, taught by licensed nurses with recent direct-care experience.
Is 108 hours more than other states require? Yes. The federal minimum is 75 hours, and many states use that figure. Washington requires 33 more hours, most of them clinical.
How many times can I take the CNA skills test in Washington? Programs must allow at least four attempts. Each attempt carries the $100 skills test fee.
Who wrote WAC 246-841A? The Washington State Board of Nursing, formerly the Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission. The Department of Health applies it in credentialing.
Does WAC 246-841A apply to Home Care Aides? No. HCA training is approved by DSHS under separate rules. The chapter does provide the bridge route for HCAs who want to become nursing assistants.
Can a school offer fewer than 108 hours? Not as an approved traditional nursing assistant program. Bridge and alternative programs for people with prior credentials have their own, shorter requirements under the chapter.
To see the rules in action, review the Washington State CNA requirements in 2026 and the current class dates.
Which path may fit you?
Already an eligible HCA?
Review the HCA–CNA Bridge Program and confirm the active Washington HCA credential requirement before choosing a class.
Explore the HCA–CNA Bridge ProgramStarting CNA training?
Review CNA Traditional, the complete training route for learners who are not entering through the HCA bridge route.
Explore the CNA Traditional Program