1.3 Approved Training and the 108-Hour Minimum

What the 108 Hours Cover

Washington Department of Health certification requirements list a minimum of 108 hours of training through a state-approved program for the standard route. The hours are not one undifferentiated block. They are divided into 35 classroom or theory hours, 33 skills lab hours, and 40 facility or clinical hours. That structure matters because the NAC exam has both knowledge and skills components. A candidate needs the concepts to answer written or oral exam questions, the lab repetition to perform procedures safely, and the clinical exposure to understand how care is organized around real residents or clients.

The training requirement also gives you a study calendar. Classroom or theory time supports subjects such as infection control, safety, communication, resident rights, legal and ethical behavior, and the role of the nursing assistant as a member of the health care team. Skills lab time supports repeated practice with steps, safety checks, privacy, body mechanics, measuring and recording, and resident communication. Facility or clinical time helps candidates connect those habits to supervised care settings.

The 108-hour path is not the only possible eligibility route. The brief notes that nursing students who meet the minimum requirement and candidates with military medic or corpsman training may qualify through Washington Department of Health review. Those candidates should not assume automatic approval. A reviewed route is still a credentialing route, and non-routine routes need the correct application and, where required, Authorization to Test before registering.

For a traditional Washington program candidate, the most practical approach is to treat training as the first exam preparation layer. Do not wait until the last week to begin studying the knowledge outline. As the program teaches theory, connect each topic to the NNAAP knowledge categories in the brief, especially Activities of Daily Living, Basic Nursing Skills, Self-care and Independence, Emotional and Mental Health Needs, Spiritual and Cultural Needs, and Role of the Nurse Aide. As the program teaches skills, pay attention to checklists, resident communication, privacy, infection control, and safety.

Washington's current skills testing is tied to training programs or WABON regional scheduling, so your program's instructions are a central part of the exam map. Keep attendance, completion records, and program directions organized because they connect training completion to later credentialing and testing steps.