Nursing Assistant Course (NUR158)
Want to become a Certified Nursing Assistant/Licensed Nursing Assistant or need to complete a nurse assistant course before applying to an RN program? EMCC's nurse assistant course (NUR158) can help you meet those requirements.
NUR158 prepares students to care for individuals across the wellness/illness continuum within the nurse-assisting scope of practice. Students learn basic problem-solving skills needed to meet holistic needs of patients, therapeutic communication skills, interventions to ensure and promote patient health and safety, conditions and alterations in patient behaviors, and principles of nutrition, and fluid balance. Our focus is on special needs of the patient in acute and long-term care settings and acquisition of basic nursing assistant competencies. The course provides the opportunity for the development and mastery of selected nurse assisting skills through participation in laboratory practice and patient care clinical experiences.
Upon satisfactory completion of NUR158, the student is eligible to take the Nursing Assistant skills and written examination and to apply for licensure or certification by the Arizona State Board of Nursing (AZBN) if all application requirements are met.
Students who pass NUR158, the state skills, and written exams are eligible to apply for either of the levels of nursing assistant recognized by the Board of Nursing in Arizona:
- Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA): A person who passes an approved NA course and the state skills and written exam and provides proof of legal residence will be listed on the CNA registry. No application to the AZBN is necessary, and the person can use the initials "CNA".
- Licensed Nursing Assistant (LNA): A person who meets NA educational and exam requirements and additionally submits an application, fingerprints, and fees to the Board of Nursing. If the applicant meets Board requirements, the Board will license the applicant as an LNA and the applicant can use the initials "LNA".
The Arizona State Board of Nursing requires all students completing a nursing assistant course to submit proof of legal presence in the United States. Questions about eligibility for licensure and the documents required to apply for licensure should be directed to AZBN.
Before you can apply for the course, you must meet all the admission criteria and health and safety requirements listed below. These requirements will take time to complete so the process must be started in advance. You will not be able to self-enroll into this course; the nursing program intake coordinator will enroll you once your application is approved and you meet all requirements.
NUR158 Admission Requirements
Students will not be permitted to enroll in NUR158 until the following requirements have been met:
- Grade of "C" or better in RDG 100 or higher; Accuplacer Reading Next Gen score 230 or greater; or HESI A2 English Composite score of 70% or greater.
- Grade of "C" or better in MAT081 or higher; or Accuplacer Arithmetic Next Gen score 200 or greater; or HESI A2 Math score of 70% or greater.
- Health & Safety Requirements: In order to be enrolled in a Maricopa Community College healthcare course, you are required to meet health and safety requirements for clinical agency rotations. These include immunizations, CPR, fingerprint clearance card, background check, and drug screening. For information about specific requirements, see the Maricopa Nursing website, which includes a helpful video to guide you through gathering the documentation needed for each requirement.
Steps for Enrollment in NUR158
Step 1:
If you are not already an EMCC student, visit Become a Student to enroll.
Step 2:
Complete the mandatory nursing assistant information session in Canvas.
Step 3:
Gather and upload all health and safety requirements listed in the Health and Safety Checklist and the Health and Safety webpage. The steps to complete the health and safety requirements are:
- Download and complete the MaricopaNursing Health and Safety Checklist.
- Create an account with American DataBank (ADB).
- Purchase the Background Check and the 12-month Tracker for Immunizations/Compliance. Do NOT purchase the drug screen at this time.
- Upload all the Health and Safety Requirements to ADB. Once all documents have been uploaded and approved you will be eligible to be enrolled.
- Create your account with mCE (myClinicalExchange) only after ADB has been completed, approved, and you have been enrolled in the class.
- Link your mCE and ADB accounts so that the approved documents in ADB can transfer to mCE.
Please note, the Background Check and DPS Level One Fingerprint Clearance Card can take 10-30 days to process. The BLS/CPR training must be completed through a course certified by the American Heart Association Healthcare.
Step 4:
Once all items have been uploaded and approved, submit the Nursing Assistant Application. If any of your health and safety requirements are not approved or you do not meet the other admission requirements, your application will not be processed and you will not be eligible to take NUR158.
The following health and safety items must be dated within 6 months of class start date: TB, background check, and statement of clearance (physical).
Please email the Nursing Assistant coordinator at emcc-na@estrellamountain.edu once you have met all requirements and are fully compliant in both American DataBank and MyClinicalExchange (mCE).