Iowa Valley Community College District

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Direct Caregiver Training

Iowa Valley Continuing Education offers a variety of direct caregiver or auxiliary health career preparation courses throughout the Iowa Valley Community College District. These courses will prepare you to provide direct care to the elderly or chronically ill in health care settings. Information about these courses and the required testing is listed below.

Nurse Aide Phase I - This course involves 75 hours of training: 30 hours classroom instruction, 15 hours lab training, and 30 hours clinical experience in an intermediate care setting. This class prepares you to take the required state competency tests to be able to work as a Certified Nurse Aide (CNA) in Iowa. Click on the “Schedule of Current Courses” link above for current class offerings.  

"I used to work at a factory - turning screws into product. At the end of the day I didn't feel that I had left a caring legacy." Tammy, CNA 4-09

Nurse Aide Phase II - This course involves 40 hours of classroom instruction and 40 hours of clinical experience in the hospital setting. This is for the person with a current 60 or 75 hour nurse aide certificate who wants to increase their knowledge of basic nursing care and become qualified to work in the hospital. This is the last 80 hours of the 155 hour certificate. Classes are offered throughout the year.


Medication Aide - This 40 to 50 hour class involves classroom instruction, lab practice and 10 hours of clinical experience. It prepares a certified nurses aide to administer non-injectable medications in long term care facilities. You must be currently employed as a CNA and be recommended by your employer after you have worked for a minimum of 6 months current employment in a facility. Classes are offered throughout the year.  There are additional different requirements depending on the type of facility.

Rehabilitation Aide - This 40 –50 hour course presents to the nurse aide, basic rehabilitation techniques to be used in a long term care facility and includes some time working with therapists. This course is offered as needed to interested nurse aides. Call 752-4645 if you are interested in the Rehabilitation Aide course.  

Medication Manager – This is a 10-15 hour course designed to provide limited skills required to administer or oversee the administration of non-parenteral medications. The prospective student must have at least 6 months experience in the facility and be recommended by the administrator. This course is set up as needed. Call Beth Weuve at 641-844-5616 if you or your staff are interested in the medication manager course.

Schedule of Current Courses and enrollment information
You can call Iowa Valley Continuing Education at 641-752-4645 to enroll in the direct caregiver or auxiliary health career courses listed above or you can enroll in person at IVCE, 3702 S Center St., Marshalltown, enter door #9 on the MCC campus. At the time of enrollment (phone or in person) you will need to provide the following information- name, home address, cell phone, home phone, social security number, birth date, gender, and payment. Credit card information is required with phone in registrations. Cash or checks are accepted with in person registrations.

Competency Testing

To be eligible to work as a certified nurse aide in the state of Iowa, a person must be registered on the Iowa Direct Care Worker Registry. To be placed on the registry, you must pass both a written test and a skills test which are offered at community colleges such as IVCE. The written test can be taken as a computer based exam or as a paper exam. It is your responsibility to maintain your written and skills test results, the testing locations do not keep these. You can access the nurse aide registry at Iowa Direct Care Worker Registry, IA Dept. of Inspections & Appeals, Health Facilities Division, Lucas State Office Building, Des Moines, IA 50319-0083, Phone: 515-281-4077, FAX: 515-242-5022, Verification: 866-876-1997, Online NAR

• Information for the Computer Based State Written Competency Test
• The written test consists of 100 multiple choice test questions. There is only one best answer. It is recommended that you answer all questions since there is no penalty for wrong answers. You will be given two hours to complete the test.
• If you desire to have the test read by use of a tape recording, please contact Beth at IVCE to make arrangements.
• Pre-registration and payment for the computer based written exam or the paper exam are required. You can call 641-752-4645 to register for your testing time and make your payment.
• No language dictionaries or interpreters are allowed during testing.
• The statewide fee for the written test is $50. This is paid at the time the written test is scheduled. You can call 641-752-4645 to schedule your written test and credit card information is required at the time of phone in scheduling. You can also schedule in person at IVCE, 3702 S Center St., Marshalltown. Cash and check payments are accepted with in-person test scheduling.
• You must show a photo ID before beginning the test.
• No shows will not be given a refund.
• 70% or above is considered a passing score. You may retake the computer based written competency test up to three times before further training is required.  The test fees must be paid each time a test is taken over.
• You will receive your score right away.
• It is your responsibility to keep track of your test score results.
• Make sure your address is correct on the Competency Test Application Form and with the Nurse Aide Registry at the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals located in Des Moines. If you have questions regarding your status or testing pass/fail status you should call directly to the Nurse Aide Registry 1-866-876-1997.

Information for the Skills Competency Test

• The skills test is designed as a realistic nurse aide assignment. There will be seven skills evaluated in each competency test. Everyone will be asked to demonstrate handwashing and communication/ residents rights are always included. Proper transfer techniques is a topic often included in the test. The other skills are chosen from the nurse aide skills checklist.
• Prior to beginning the skills test, you will be given a testing situation. You will be oriented to the resident unit. If you have any questions ask them at this time before testing begins. Inform the testing evaluator if you need the scenario read to you.
• You will have 45 minutes to complete the examination from the time you introduce yourself to the resident. The evaluator will inform you when the time is up and the examination will be stopped. You will receive all the points you have earned up until that time; no additional points will be given once you have stopped.
• The statewide fee for the skills test is $85. This is paid at the time the skills test is scheduled. You can call 641-752-4645 to schedule your skills test and credit card information is required at the time of phone in scheduling. You can also schedule in person at IVCE, 3702 S Center St., Marshalltown. Cash and check payments are accepted with in-person test scheduling.
• You will need to bring a photo ID to the testing.
• You will need to arrive 15 minutes early and check in with the Iowa Valley Continuing Education receptionist. You will need to wait outside of the testing area until you are called in for your test.
• It is recommended that you wear your clinical uniform and your watch with a second hand  for your testing.
• 70% or above is considered a passing score. You may take the skills competency  test up to three times before further training is required.  The test fees must be paid each time a test is taken over.
• No shows will not be given a refund.
• You will receive your score right away. Your skills score will be calculated after your test and you will leave with a copy of your pass/fail status. IVCE will submit your pass/fail grade to the Direct Care Worker Registry.
• It is your responsibility to keep track of your test score results.
• Make sure your address is correct on the Competency Test Application Form and with the Nurse Aide Registry at the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals located in Des Moines. If you have questions regarding your status or testing pass/fail status you should call directly to the Nurse Aide Registry 1-866-876-1997.

EXAMPLE OF A  SKILLS SCENARIO

You have been assigned to provide care for Mr. Jones today. After checking with the nursing supervisor, you learn you must give him a bed bath, assist with oral hygiene, transfer him to a wheel chair, take his TPR, total his I and O and record.

During this skills test you will be evaluated on
1. Handwashing
2. Giving oral hygiene
3. Communication skills with Mr. Jones
4. Transferring to a wheel chair
5. Taking and recording TPR
6. Intake and Output

Nurse Aide & Medication Aide Challenge Readiness Testing

Nurse Aide Challenge Readiness Testing

Are you trained as a nurses aide but have not worked in the last two years or more? Unsure if you are ready for the state written test? Wondering if you should take the CNA course over again?

IVCE offers a one-time written test that answers just those questions. You will take a 50 question multiple choice test to see if you are ready to take the state written competency exam. The test will be graded and reviewed with you. The fee is $10 for the 50 question readiness test. If you do well on the readiness test you are then eligible for the state written test and you will need to register and pay for the state tests.

All Challenge Readiness testing is done by appointment only. Call Beth Weuve at 641-752-4645 or 1-800-284-4823, ext 5616.

Medication Aide Challenge testing

IVCE offers medication aide challenge testing to out-of-state medication aides transferring to Iowa and is available to some nursing students as well. First you must be current on the Iowa Nurse Aide State Registry, then testing which will include written and possibly skills can be scheduled. The fees for medication aide testing vary based on training.

The medication aide challenge readiness testing is done by appointment only. For scheduling, call Beth Weuve at 641-752-4645 or 1-800-284-4823, ext 5616.

Question related to these programs may be referred to Beth Weuve, Director Health Education at Iowa Valley Continuing Education at 641-752-4645, ext 5616, or email her at Beth.Weuve@iavalley.edu. or to Mary Emke at Mary.Emke@iavalley.edu or Shirley Clement at Shirley.Clement@iavalley.edu.