Online Nurse Aide Course

The University of Iowa, in partnership with Iowa Lakes and Western Iowa Tech Community Colleges and the Iowa Community College Online Consortium, has developed a course that combines web-based coursework with periodically scheduled lab days to provide the state-approved 75-hour nurse aide certification course in a format that is more accessible to many learners. This hybrid course format minimizes the students' need to travel to a physical location. It also allows students to complete their coursework at times that fit more conveniently with their other responsibilities, such as work schedules and child care. Thus, barriers of time and distance that may interfere with the training of nurse aides, particularly in rural locations, can be overcome, and workforce needs met.

This hybrid Nurse Aide course is divided into six units covering all of the content required in the state of Iowa's CNA course outline. In each unit, students complete readings and interactive online assignments, participate in threaded discussions with their classmates and instructor, watch video skills demonstrations from a CD-ROM, and take practice and final unit exams. Examples of the online assignments include multimedia lectures, interactive story modules using real-world application and problem-solving, and interactive vocabulary "flashcards." Each unit contains one lab day, on which students travel to the physical campus for a hands-on skills lab. At the end of all six units, the course final exam assesses students' learning and prepares them for the state of Iowa nurse aide certification exam.

Six-week and twelve-week sections of this online Nurse Aide course are available through eCollege, the online course platform utilized by the Iowa Community College Online Consortium (ICCOC). The online Nurse Aide course is currently offered at the following ICCOC member community colleges.

Western Iowa Tech Community College

To enroll in a section of the online Nurse Aide course, visit the Iowa Community College Online Consortium website at http://www.iowacconline.com.

This course was developed with funding from the Iowa Department of Public Health.