The Florida Board of Nursing has a list of all the CNA training programs that are state approved in their website.
Florida CNA state-approved programs can last anywhere from a few weeks to several months or up to a year. They cost several hundred dollars to thousands of dollars.
The Florida department of health has established 5 different CNA certification routes. One of them is E1 and it is for candidates that completed a state approved program. This particular route requires a greater investment of time and money. Another route is Challenging the state exam (E3 route). If you challenge the exam, you are not required to attend a state-approved program.
Most Cna candidates find information online that is misleading as some education institutions suggest or claim that taking a Cna state-approved program is required to take the FL Cna state exam.
The true is CNA candidates have the option to challenge the Florida CNA state exam. Most challenging candidates prefer to prepare well taking a short course that allows them to get familiar with the test format and the clinical skills that are part of the state exam. Anyone in Florida over 18 years old with or without experience in this field may challenge the CNA exam. If someone is 17 years old, high school diploma is required. Candidates over 18 years old are NOT required to have a high school diploma or GED.