CNA Training in
Bradenton, Florida
If you hope to work in the healthcare industry in Florida, Premier Nursing Academy offers free CNA classes for students in the Bradenton and Sarasota areas. In just six weeks, our state-approved CNA program prepares Bradenton-area candidates for their CNA certification and entry-level healthcare positions. Students who match with a local employment partner are eligible to attend our CNA training program. Our graduates pay no out-of-pocket tuition expenses and are provisionally able to begin working for their employer as soon as they’re enrolled and all employment requirements have been met.
Our Bradenton location opened in November 2020 and is the second Premier Nursing Academy branch in Florida. Our expert team is thrilled to provide our state-approved CNA classes focused on career readiness to up-and-coming healthcare professionals like you. After completing our training program and getting a CNA license, our students begin their careers in entry-level healthcare positions, such as nursing assistants, patient care technicians, and home health aides.
You can choose between morning, afternoon, and evening course schedules based on your needs. Learn more about our CNA classes below, including upcoming start dates and our instructors.
Find Our Free CNA Classes Near You
Our campus in Bradenton connects students with employer partners in Bradenton and nearby cities, including Sarasota, Sun City, Palmetto, and more.
We also offer free CNA classes in Pinellas Park for students preferring employment in Tampa, Pinellas Park, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Largo, and other surrounding areas.
Bradenton, FL 34207
Upcoming Class Start Dates
Monday – Thursday
7:30 am – 12:30 pm
Monday – Thursday
12:30 pm – 5:30 pm
Monday – Thursday
5:30 pm – 10:30 pm
- All students and staff are required to wear masks while inside our facility.
- Due to State of Florida Department of Health notices and for the safety of the residents of our employer partners, all instructor-supervised clinical instruction will be completed within our simulation lab instead of on-site at a facility. This will not affect our student’s ability to become licensed certified nursing assistants.
- Visitors have been restricted from entering our facility. Students and staff must complete a daily health screening prior to entry.
About Our CNA Program
Premier Nursing Academy’s CNA instruction is offered in multiple schedule formats to accommodate students with different needs. Our CNA program provides a combination of classroom and on-site clinical education. This ensures that our graduates are ready to sit for the certified nursing assistant exam and find career success in CNA, PCT, HHA, and other entry-level healthcare roles.
Students are encouraged to begin working with their employer while attending our training program. After graduates have completed our Florida Board of Nursing-approved course of instruction, they have the skills and are able to continue working for their matched employer even before passing the Nurse Aide Exam.
- Morning, afternoon, and night classes available
- 6 weeks training
Sessions run Monday – Thursday
5 instructional hours per day - 120 instructional hours
80 hours of classroom-based didactic learning
40 hours of hands-on clinical-based instruction, mostly conducted on-site with your employer
What is a CNA?
Nursing assistants provide basic patient care and perform administrative tasks under registered nurses’ watchful eyes. Their jobs may include completing paperwork and updating records, taking vitals, and helping patients with everyday needs.
Becoming a CNA could be the first step in your medical career, or you could choose it as a lifelong job.
How to Become a CNA in Bradenton
Becoming a CNA in Florida, including Bradenton, is done in an unusual way. Unlike many other states, Florida is a “challenge state,” meaning you don’t need to complete training (under one of the three possible routes) to become a CNA. However, you need to pass a state-administered test and meet other requirements, some of which do include training. These requirements are:
- Finishing a training program and passing your nursing assistant competency exam; OR
- Reaching at least the age of 18, having a high school diploma, GED, or equivalent, and passing the nursing assistant competency exam; OR
- Undergoing a program via the Enterprise Florida Jobs and Education Partnership Grant and passing the nursing assistant competency exam
While the idea of only passing an exam to become a CNA may be appealing, it’s worth remembering many employers prefer fully-trained CNAs.
Are you currently a nursing student in Florida?
Check our our new resources guides made for students in Tampa, St. Petersburg, or Bradenton!
Pros and Cons of Being a CNA in Bradenton
Working as a CNA in the Bradenton area comes with positives and negatives.
Pros of Being a Bradenton-area CNA
Bradenton is part of Sarasota’s municipal area, and Sarasota has a lot going for it. It was named the best place to retire and 16th best place to live in the country by U.S. News & World Report. The report also called it the second-best place to live in Florida.
Additionally, the Sarasota-Bradenton area is home to several hospitals, and the county the cities are in has over 80 assisted living facilities. It’s not uncommon for primary care and other medical facilities to hire CNAs, and there are many of those workplaces in the area as well. This means you may have a lot of options when it comes to finding the career for you.
If you’re interested in working with older adults, you may be in luck. Thanks to it being the number one place to retire in the U.S., many people in this age group may eventually need CNAs’ assistance.
Cons of Being a Bradenton-area CNA
While the area is cheaper than, say, Miami, the cost of living is on the rise. Additionally, the area isn’t particularly youth-oriented, with most activities and attractions geared toward older adults. So, if you’re looking for vibrant nightlife or low cost of living, it may be worth considering working in other parts of Florida
How Much do CNAs Make in Bradenton and the Surrounding Areas?
As of 2019, CNAs in Florida earned a median salary of $27,100 per year, ranging from $21,090 to $36,600. Those in the Bradenton and Sarasota region often earn even more:
| Location | Median CNA Salary |
| North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton | $29,840 |
| Palmetto, Holmes Beach, and Anna Maria | $29,066 |
| Sun City | $29,262 |
North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton salary data are from O*Net (2019). The others are fromSalary.com (2021).
CNA pay varies based not just on your amount of training or years worked but also on your workplace. If you work in a specialized hospital, you may earn more than those in assisted living facilities, for instance.
CNA Job Growth in Florida
Nursing careers, including CNAs, are in crisis mode because there are more positions than people to fill them. Florida is especially hurting, as the number of new CNAs is dropping every year. This could benefit you as a new CNA, as there’s a definite need for people to enter the field.
CNA jobs are growing nationwide, and Florida expects even more jobs to open than the nation as a whole.
- Florida CNA Growth 2018-2028: 11%
- National CNA Growth 2019-2029: 8%
Data from O*Net
In hard numbers, the U.S. anticipates 174,000 new CNA jobs, while Florida expects 12,170—or 7% of all new CNA jobs.
CNA Jobs Near Bradenton
Though Premier Nursing Academy graduates are already accepted to a job with a sponsoring employer when they enroll, there are many job opportunities for CNAs in Bradenton generally. As of August 2020, a search for CNA jobs in or near Bradenton, FL, lists many recent openings for certified nursing assistants. Employers include hospitals and medical centers, such as Manatee Memorial Hospital and Blake Medical Center, senior living and care facilities such as Greenbriar Rehabilitation and Nursing Center and Braden River Rehab Center, and home health care services such as Sonas Home Health Care and Home Helpers of Bradenton.
The long-term prospects of being a certified nursing assistant in the Bradenton area are strong, whether your goal is to maintain steady employment as a CNA or move into other health care careers. A 2019 study by WalletHub ranked Bradenton as the second best city in Florida for health care quality, including measures such as health care facilities per capita and home care facilities per capita.
Our Employer Partners Have CNA Jobs Near You
Premier Nursing Academy is proud to have placed graduates with these Bradenton-area employers and many others.
Admissions At a Glance
Submit a form with basic contact info and our admissions team will be in touch.
Your admissions representative will explain what other info to provide to meet program requirements.
Our team will set up interviews so that you can find the best match for your post-graduation job.
Once you’re sending in some final paperwork, you’re almost ready to start at Premier Nursing Academy.
Get ready for Day One of your new life and career.
Meet Our Team
Roseanne has been with Premier Nursing Academy—Bradenton since November 2020. She’s a registered nurse with over 30 years of experience in …
Dahman has been working for the Bradenton Premier Nursing Academy location since October 2020. A graduate of Virginia Tech, he has a …
Featured Employers
