Program Overview
Begin a rewarding pathway in direct patient care. Our state-approved Nurse Aide training provides the foundational clinical competencies, theoretical frameworks, and hands-on skills necessary to support healthcare teams across diverse medical environments.
Core Options Available: Select a specialized track below to view targeted details, schedules, requirements, and cost projections.
Nurse Aide I – College & Career Promise (CCP)
Tuition-free training opportunities for eligible high school students.
Format: Coordinates through local high school partnerships and college divisions to blend classroom instruction, skills lab, and clinical site environments.
To Get Started: High school students must connect directly with their school counselor, an assigned CCP representative, or the Health Occupations office for eligibility and enrollment approvals.
Admission Standards: Must meet basic identity, age (16 ½), fitness, background check, and immunization profiles identical to standard NA I guidelines.
Costs: Most tuition costs are covered entirely via the CCP initiative. Students remain responsible out-of-pocket for mandatory textbooks ($88.00), background checks/drug screenings ($67.00), custom uniforms, and state NNAAP registry testing fees ($140.00).
Nurse Aide Refresher
A streamlined review for individuals looking to reactivate an expired registry listing.
Eligibility: Open strictly to individuals whose North Carolina Nurse Aide I certification has been expired for less than 4 consecutive years from the start of class.
Course Structure: Fast-paced, review-based curriculum entirely centered on classroom safety reviews and intensive hands-on lab competency. No clinical rotation required.
Admission Standards: Requires verified proof of previous Nurse Aide training/registry history, valid state photo ID, Social Security card, and an active American Heart Association (AHA) CPR card.
Financial Breakdown (Sourced from your Master Excel Grid):
Tuition / Registration Fee .................................... $161.00
Textbooks & Handbooks .......................................... $38.40
State Testing Fee (To challenge registry exam post-course) .... $140.00
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ESTIMATED TOTAL PROGRAM INVESTMENT: $339.40
Medication Aide
Expand your professional nursing scope of practice by qualifying to safely administer medications.
Prerequisite: Applicants must hold an active, unencumbered listing on the North Carolina Nurse Aide I Registry before registration. Employer verification forms may apply.
Course Focus: Classroom lectures paired with precise simulation lab practice detailing safe medication distribution, medical documentation, dosage parameters, and safety protocols.
Financial Breakdown (Sourced from your Master Excel Grid):
Tuition / Registration Fee .................................... $161.00
Textbook / Handbook ............................................ $43.00
State Competency Exam Fee (Post-Completion) .................... $60.00
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ESTIMATED TOTAL PROGRAM INVESTMENT: $264.00
Career Impact: Qualifies successful graduates to challenge state Medication Aide evaluations for deployment across long-term care and assisted living environments.
Nurse Aide II
Advance your career with high-level, complex clinical nursing skills.
Prerequisite: Candidates must possess a current North Carolina Nurse Aide I registry listing in good standing.
Advanced Scope: Comprehensive curriculum involving advanced classroom, lab, and complex acute clinical rotations. Students learn specialized skills including sterile technique procedures, oxygen therapies, and advanced patient care methods.
Compliance: Up-to-date background checks, drug screenings, and verified health/immunization files are required to authorize hospital-tier clinical access.
Financial Breakdown (Sourced from your Master Excel Grid):
Tuition / Registration Fee .................................... $346.00
Textbooks & Workbooks .......................................... TBD (Contact Dept.)
State Competency Board Listing Fee (Post-Completion) ........... $24.00
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ESTIMATED FIXED BASE COSTS: $370.00 + Textbooks
Financial Assistance Options
Because these workforce tracks do not directly qualify for standard federal FAFSA funding, your students can cover tuition, testing fees, and screenings through our workforce development partners:
NCWorks Career Navigator & Scholarship Coordinator
Catherine Redwine | 828-398-7890 | catherineredwine@abtech.edu
STEP Education Navigator & Team Trainer
Christi Cortese | 828-337-3689 | christinelcortese@abtech.edu
Goodwill Career Center Specialist
Annabelle Almeida | 828-298-9023 ext. 11161 | aalmeida@goodwillnwnc.org
Have Questions or Ready to Enroll? Contact the Central Health Occupations Office at 828-398-7878 or click the yellow website button to start your admissions path today!
Orientation is required attendance. Information about the program will be given that is vital to being successful in this course. Things such as books, scrubs, supplies, and other items to have for class, lab, or clinical will be discussed. Also, information about background checks and drug screening will be given to students. Immunizations and clinical site locations are given to the class. Information about the CPR class and how to claim the provider card for employers.
Additionally, there will be learning activities to promote academic and clinical success as an NAI student along with what to expect as a Nurse Aide I.
Students must register in person for NA I classes. To Register call the Health Occupations phone line at (828) 398-7878 to make an appointment. If there is no answer, leave your name and phone number, and a member of our team will return your call. The Health Occupations office is located in the Ferguson Center for Allied Health and Workforce Development (10 Genevieve Circle), Room 308.1 on the Asheville Main Campus.
The following documents must be present at the time of registration – no exceptions. Your spot will only be secured once payment is made.
Notice - Nurse Aide I classes have returned to our local clinical sites! Students will be required to complete a background check and drug screening 2-3 weeks prior to starting clinicals.
You will need to provide documentation for the following immunizations and vaccinations
- Tuberculin (TB) Test – Negative results of TB skin tests within the last 12 months — OR — TB Symptom Screening Questionnaire — OR — Negative results of 1 serum blood test (Quantiferon, T. Spot (IGRA) within the last 12 months — OR — Negative chest x-ray within the past 5 years for students who have a history of positive skin tests with written evaluation by a healthcare provider for signs and symptoms within the last 12 months if the x-ray is over 1 year old
- COVID Vaccine – 1 updated Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, or fill out a Medical or Religious exemption request form.
- A non-expired, government-issued picture ID, such as a U.S. driver’s license or a U.S. passport
- A Social Security Card must be presented at registration. Make sure your name is on your Social Security Card and that your non-expired, government-issued picture ID matches.
- High School Diploma, GED, transcripts stating that you have graduated from High School, or if you have taken ENG 111 and have a C or higher. A completed bachelor’s or master’s degree will also be acceptable. If unable to provide any of the documents mentioned, a free reading test will be required. Call the Health Occupations office for directions on how to schedule a reading test at (828) 398-7878.
Registration Fees
- The registration fee varies from $282.00 - $292.00, depending on the location of the NA I class. (Registration fee includes: Tuition, Supply Fee, Insurance, Technology fee, and CAPS fee )
- Payment Options:
- Students should bring in the exact amount if paying with cash
- Write a check to A-B Tech for the exact amount
- Bring written authorization for payment from your organizational sponsor or the employer who will pay for your class
- Students may also pay with American Express, Master Card, or VISA
Due to the demand for the Nurse Assistant classes, minors (those between 16 and a half-18 years of age), will be admitted to class per college policy. Exceptions may be made for minors with a High School Diploma or GED at the time of the class. For further information, please contact the Health Occupations office at (828) 398-7878.
Finally, be sure you bring all the required documents with you when you come for your scheduled appointment.
If you have any questions regarding these registration procedures, please call (828) 398-7878 (Asheville Campus classes) or (828) 398-7700 (Sherri Davis for Madison County classes).
Textbook, Workbook, and Handbook are available at A-B Tech's bookstore located at the K. Ray Bailey building.
- Hartman's Nursing Assistant Care: Long-Term Care, by Susan Alvare Hedman, Jetta Fuzy, RN, MS, and Suzanne Rrymer, MSTE, RN-BC, LSW, 5th Edition, Hartman Publishing, Inc. 2018.
- Workbook: Hartman's Nursing Care Assistant Care: Long-Term Care, by Hartman Publishing, Inc., 5th Edition.
- Handbook, Modules for A-B Tech's CNAI class
Bookstore Hours
- Monday – Thursday
- 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Friday
- 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The following costs are approximate and may change without notice:
Registration Fee
- Tuition: $180.00
- Insurance: $2.00
- Supply Fee: $100.00
- Technology Fee*: $5.00 (charged for classes at A-B Tech campuses only)
- CAPS Fee*: $5.00 (charged for classes at A-B Tech campuses only)
Total Registration Fee: $232.00 - $242.00
Books
- Textbooks: $95.00
- Student Handbook: $19.00
CPR
- CPR Card: $10.00 (AHA)
Registry Exam Fee
NACES Registry Exam: $140.00
The exam fee is payable by credit/debit only to Credentia.
Uniform Costs
- Ceil Blue Scrubs Top and Bottom: Approx. $40.00
- Scrubs are available for purchase at Read's Uniforms or other uniform outlets throughout the city.
- Solid-colored sneakers, tennis shoes, or uniform shoes should be worn with the Ceil Blue Scrubs.
- You will be required to wear the Ceil Blue Scrubs during lecture/lab/clinical classes.
You will be required to wear the Ceil Blue Scrubs during lab/clinical classes.
Financial Assistance and Continuing Education Scholarships may be available to you.
- In order to take the Nurse Aide State Exam, you will need to have a United States Social Security Card issued by the Social Security Administration. This must be the actual card, not a photocopy. If you do not have your original card, you can apply for a duplicate at the Social Security Administration Office which is located off Chunns Cove Road in the Center Park Office Complex on Piney Mountain Road. This card cannot be laminated. The name on your picture ID and the social security card must match.
- All classes are on a first-come, first-serve basis.
- Attendance for orientation is required.
- Attendance for all class days is mandatory, so please check your schedule to make sure you can attend classes as scheduled.
- Class dates are subject to change so please call the NA Office at (828) 398-7878 to confirm class availability.
Day Classes (160 hours)
- Three days a week (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday; or Wednesday, Thursday, Friday)
- Class Hours: 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m
- Lab Classroom Hours: 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. or 8:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
- Clinical: 7:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Evening Classes (160 hours)
- Two evenings or three evenings per week
- Class Hours: 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.; 5:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
- Lab Hours: 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.; 5:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
- Clinical Classroom Hours: 7:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. (3 Saturdays)
