Compare state-approved programs, tuition, and schedules to start your CNA career.
In Burlington, nursing assistants fall within North Carolina's statewide wage range of $27,930 to $35,970 a year. Local employers such as Alamance Regional Medical Center and a cluster of skilled nursing and assisted living facilities keep CNA hiring steady.
Students have multiple state-approved training options within commuting distance, including Alamance Community College in Burlington and the GTCC CNA program in Jamestown. Cost, wait lists, free employer-sponsored slots, and clinical schedule shape the choice more than a lack of programs.
Burlington's healthcare employers give CNA students practical, close-to-home training options. Alamance Regional Medical Center, part of Cone Health, anchors much of the local demand, but the picture extends well beyond hospital walls. Skilled nursing facilities, assisted living communities, and home health agencies across Alamance County all rely heavily on certified nurse aides to keep patient care running day to day.
North Carolina defines the CNA role, officially called Nurse Aide I, with a clear scope of practice. Students train to assist patients with activities of daily living such as bathing, dressing, mobility, and feeding, along with taking and recording vital signs and reporting changes in a patient's condition to licensed nursing staff. It's hands-on work that requires attentiveness and good communication, and for many, it becomes the first rung on a longer healthcare career ladder toward LPN or RN credentials.
Long-term care is the steadiest source of CNA jobs in Burlington. Nursing homes and assisted living facilities consistently need staff to cover multiple shifts, and home care agencies offering private duty CNA jobs are expanding as more patients choose to age in place. These settings often offer flexible scheduling, which appeals to students balancing training with work or family obligations.
Burlington's location gives graduates more than just local options. Greensboro, Durham, and Chapel Hill are all within roughly 30 to 45 minutes by car, putting large hospital systems, university medical centers, and additional long-term care employers within easy commuting range. That regional access matters for new CNAs weighing pay, shift availability, or specialty units, since it multiplies the number of employers considering an application without requiring a move. For students completing CNA training in Burlington, this combination of steady local need and nearby metro opportunity means certification tends to translate into real job options fairly quickly, with a clear path for how to land your first CNA job after passing the state exam.
Can you complete CNA training online if you live in Burlington, North Carolina?
The short answer: not entirely. Certified Nursing Assistant programs require significant hands-on practice, including supervised clinical hours in a real healthcare facility. North Carolina's training standards reflect that reality, so you will not find a fully online Nurse Aide I program that meets state requirements. That said, some programs across the state do offer hybrid formats that pair online coursework with in-person labs and clinicals. Understanding your local options will help you plan around work or family commitments.
A hybrid program typically splits the curriculum into two parts. You complete classroom theory (medical terminology, infection control, patient rights, basic anatomy) through an online learning platform on your own schedule. Then you attend scheduled in-person sessions for skills labs and clinical rotations at a licensed facility. This format can reduce the number of days you need to be physically present each week, which is appealing if you have a tight schedule.
As of the most recent published information, neither Alamance Community College in Burlington nor Guilford Technical Community College (GTCC) in Jamestown explicitly advertises a hybrid or online Nurse Aide I option. Both programs are listed as in-person. However, program formats can change from semester to semester, so it is worth contacting each school directly to ask whether any partial-online sections have been added for upcoming terms.
Even without a hybrid format, Burlington-area programs offer Flexible CNA Class Schedules that may accomplish a similar goal:
Contact ACC at 336-506-4253 or reach out to GTCC for the latest scheduling details.
If you do find an online or hybrid program marketed to Burlington students, confirm that it appears on the North Carolina Division of Health Service Regulation (DHSR) approved Nurse Aide I Training Program list for CNA training North Carolina before you pay tuition or start classes. Programs that are not on this list will not qualify you to sit for the state competency exam, and you would need to repeat your training through an approved provider. You can search the DHSR list on the North Carolina government website or call the Nurse Aide Registry directly to check a program's status.
Choosing a CNA program often comes down to trading a shorter drive for a longer wait list, or the other way around. Burlington sits within reach of several state-approved nurse aide training programs, and knowing which ones are close, which are quick to start, and which are simply nearest on a map can help narrow the search. This is a directory of nearby options, not a ranking, since fit depends on your schedule and how soon you want to begin.
Alamance Community College runs its Nurse Aide I course (NAS 101) from its Burlington campus at 1304 Plaza Drive, in Burlington. ACC also lists a Burlington-based contact line, so it's worth calling ahead to confirm which site is currently enrolling. Twin Lakes Memory Care, on Heritage Drive in Burlington, appears on the state's approved training list as well, though it isn't clear from public listings whether its course is open to the general public or limited to employees.
Guilford Technical Community College's GTCC CNA program offers a 214 hour Nursing Assistant I Training Program1 at its Jamestown campus, roughly 30 to 35 minutes from Burlington via I-40/I-85. It's a state-approved program whose graduates qualify to sit for the Nurse Aide I Registry exam. In the same general area, Arise Health Training Institute in High Point and CNA Training Academy in Greensboro are private options, both listed on the state's approved program roster, and both are worth a call since private schools sometimes offer faster enrollment than community college terms allow.
For students willing to drive 40 to 50 minutes, Durham Tech operates a nurse aide program through its Hillsborough-based Orange County Campus. CNA training in Durham NC includes several approved private programs, such as Chaz Training School, Neslyn Health Institute, W.A.R. Memorial Nurse Aide I Training Academy, and training through Duke University Health System. These are further from Burlington than ACC or GTCC, but they broaden the pool of state-approved seats if local classes are full.
CNA training costs in Burlington usually fall into two tuition tiers: community college programs charge in-state students well under $500 for the actual course, while private or accelerated schools typically run $600 to $1,500 once everything is bundled together. The difference comes down to what is included and how the credits are billed.
Alamance Community College bills curriculum courses by the credit hour, with a general in-state rate of roughly $268 per term for a full 12-credit load. The Nurse Aide I course carries fewer credits than that, so actual course tuition for CNA training runs lower than the full-term figure, though ACC materials do not spell out an exact per-course number. Registration and related fees (student activity, technology, and similar campus charges) add up separately from tuition.
At the GTCC CNA program, published cost sheets for the broader Nursing Assistant pathway include a per-credit rate near $76 along with program fees, though these figures often reflect the wider nursing program rather than a standalone CNA course, so treat them as a ceiling rather than a guaranteed price for a short-term Nurse Aide I class.
Beyond tuition, expect to budget for:
All told, non-tuition costs at ACC land in the neighborhood of $900, on top of whatever tuition applies to the specific section.
Federal Pell Grants, NC Community College need-based grants, and WIOA workforce funding through NCWorks are common types of financial aid for nursing school that can offset some or all of these expenses for eligible students, though eligibility depends on how a program is classified. Some schools also offer payment plans or vouchers so students are not paying the full amount upfront. Always confirm current fees and available aid directly with the program before enrolling.
Paying tuition out of pocket is one way to become a CNA, but it is not the only way. Burlington residents have two main avenues for reducing or eliminating training costs: employer sponsored cna training and publicly funded workforce development assistance.
Across North Carolina, many skilled nursing facilities and healthcare systems hire entry-level caregivers and then pay for their CNA training through an earn while you learn CNA program with a work commitment of typically six to twelve months. Burlington-area facilities that employ CNAs and may offer this kind of arrangement include:
Because employer-sponsored programs open and close depending on staffing needs, availability changes throughout the year. Call the facility's human resources department directly and ask whether they currently fund CNA training for new hires and what the required employment commitment looks like. Twin Lakes Memory Care (3810 Heritage Drive, Burlington), an NC DHHS-approved training site, is another local option worth contacting at 336-538-1400.
The federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) provides funding for unemployed or underemployed adults to train for in-demand occupations, and CNA consistently qualifies. In the Burlington area, the Piedmont Triad Regional Council administers this funding through your local NCWorks Career Center. If you are eligible, an Individual Training Account can cover tuition at an approved program such as Alamance Community College's Nurse Aide I course.
The process generally takes three to eight weeks from your first NCWorks visit to the start of class. You will need to register on NCWorks Online, complete an assessment, and work with a career advisor who verifies your eligibility and issues the funding. Specific income thresholds and documentation requirements are set by the local workforce board, so visit your nearest NCWorks office for current details.
Neither employer sponsorships nor WIOA seats are guaranteed, and both depend on timing and availability. Start early: contact Burlington-area nursing homes and hospitals about upcoming free cohorts, and schedule an NCWorks appointment in parallel so you can pursue whichever path opens first.
The total cost of a CNA program in Burlington depends on the provider, but most students can expect to budget for tuition plus several required fees and supplies. Below is a typical cost breakdown for a state-approved program in the area.
What do you actually need to apply for a CNA program in Burlington, and how does the process differ between community colleges and private schools?
Admissions requirements overlap quite a bit across providers, but each program has its own specific checklist. Gathering your documents early helps you avoid delays once enrollment opens.
Most CNA programs in the Burlington area share a core set of requirements:
At ACC, you submit an electronic application and provide transcripts, then schedule an advisor appointment. GTCC also starts with an application and requires you to bring your diploma and ID documents to the first class session.2 Private schools may have a shorter intake process, sometimes including a brief orientation or interview.
Community colleges like ACC and GTCC typically offer two to three CNA program start dates per year aligned with academic semesters, while private training schools may begin new cohorts monthly. Specific 2026 deadlines are not published for most programs at this time.
Contact each program directly for current deadlines and to confirm all prerequisites. You will complete the NC Nurse Aide I application through your approved training program, not independently, so choosing your school is the essential first step.
North Carolina's Nurse Aide I training requirements set a relatively low state minimum, but most community college programs go well beyond it, giving Burlington students a more thorough preparation before they sit for the certification exam.
The state requires a minimum of 75 total program hours for CNA training. Within that total, students must complete at least 16 hours of classroom instruction covering foundational modules before any patient contact, plus at least 16 hours of supervised practical training. In practice, community college programs across North Carolina typically include around 48 clinical hours or more and may run anywhere from three to eight weeks. Some programs exceed the state floor significantly, combining 50 or more classroom hours with extensive lab and clinical time that can push total training past 150 hours.
Burlington-area programs arrange clinical rotations at local skilled nursing facilities and, in some cases, hospitals. During these placements, students practice hands-on skills such as vital sign measurement, patient transfers, infection control procedures, and activities of daily living under the supervision of a licensed nurse. Rotations typically begin after students have completed enough classroom and lab work to handle direct patient interaction safely.
After finishing an approved program, candidates must pass North Carolina's Nurse Aide I competency exam, the CNA exam, which is administered through the Credentia testing platform (also known as CNA365). The exam has two parts:
Programs prepare students through skills lab repetition, timed practice scenarios, and, at some schools, dedicated mock testing sessions that simulate exam conditions. Reviewing the published CNA skills checklist for the competency exam is a standard part of the final weeks of training.
Once you pass both portions, your name is added to the North Carolina Nurse Aide I Registry, which employers verify before hiring. If you are still researching programs, cnaclasses.org can help you compare approved options serving the Burlington area.
In the Burlington metro area, nursing assistants earn a median wage of $17.50 per hour, or about $36,400 per year.
Exact wage data broken out specifically for the Burlington metro area is not published in a way that separates it cleanly from the wider Piedmont Triad region, so the most reliable numbers to work from come from North Carolina statewide workforce projections. Treat any Burlington-specific figure you see elsewhere with some caution unless it cites a clear source.
State workforce data covering 2023 to 2025 shows nursing assistant wages in North Carolina falling in a range that runs from roughly the high $20,000s to the mid $30,000s annually1, an increase from the range reported just two years earlier (roughly the mid $20,000s to low $30,000s)2. That upward drift suggests wages have been trending higher, a pattern consistent with broader CNA salary by state data, though these figures represent a spread across experience levels and facility types rather than a single fixed number, so your actual paycheck depends heavily on the employer, shift, and any specialized skills you bring. Nationally, nursing assistant pay tends to fall in a broadly comparable range, though the exact figure shifts from year to year and isn't precisely quoted here, so use it as a general benchmark rather than a promise3.
State projections show a steady CNA job outlook, with nursing assistant employment growing from about 57,000 workers to nearly 59,000 over a recent two-year window, an annualized growth rate of roughly 1.6 percent1. That's a steady, not explosive, pace, but it reflects real and consistent demand tied to an aging population and the state's expanding long-term care and skilled nursing sector. Facilities in and around Burlington, from nursing homes to assisted living communities, are part of that broader statewide pull, even though metro-level numbers aren't separately published.
CNAs who stop at basic certification typically stay near the lower end of the wage range. Adding credentials such as Medication Aide (Med Aide) certification or phlebotomy training often leads to higher-paying roles and more scheduling flexibility, since employers value staff who can take on additional clinical tasks. For Burlington-area CNAs, stacking a second certification onto CNA training is one of the more reliable ways to increase take-home pay without committing to a multi-year nursing degree.
Below are the top CNA programs serving Burlington students, ranked by first-year retention, net price after aid, accreditation status, and clinical training fit. Each program is state approved and offers either campus or hybrid instruction to help you complete Nurse Aide I and Nurse Aide II requirements. Use the program details to compare costs, formats, and clinical experiences before applying.
Sylva, NC · ~$5,000/yr (est.)
Best for: Rural students wanting structured campus clinicals
Students who prefer a rural campus setting will find a structured nurse aide track with clinical education, CPR training, and physical readiness standards. The certificate pathway totals 18 credits across core nurse aide and medical terminology courses, and a Career and College Promise option allows qualifying high school students to begin early. Because the program is limited enrollment, applicants should plan for competitive admission and confirm current dates with the program director.
Goldsboro, NC · ~$2,000/yr (est.)
Best for: Budget-focused students needing short-term certification
An ACEN accredited certified nursing assistant program combines nurse aide I and II content with classroom and clinical practice. Costs are transparent: $180 plus $0.55 insurance, with CPR training for an additional $5. Refresher courses support recertification after initial state registry listing.
Rocky Mount, NC · ~$3,000/yr (est.)
Best for: Working adults needing accelerated nurse aide training
This college separates nurse aide training into two stackable levels, with a nurse aide I option for entry-level registry eligibility and a nurse aide II option for advanced skills under licensed supervision. Students can choose blended or traditional schedules, and an accelerated fast track is available for nurse aide I. Clinical site placement requires background checks and immunization records.
Spindale, NC · $11,000/yr (est. net price)
This program offers two nurse aide levels, with the entry-level option delivered in a hybrid format at just $185. The 188-hour nurse aide I course emphasizes elderly care, patient rights, and communication in small classes capped at ten students. The 192-hour nurse aide II course builds on that foundation for complex patient care and NC Board of Nursing registry eligibility.
Washington, NC · ~$7,000/yr (est.)
This nurse aide I program totals 164 hours and combines classroom instruction with hands-on clinical experience. At $205.25, it is one of the more affordable campus-based options, and the college notes free or eligible tuition pathways may reduce costs further. Graduates are prepared for the state competency exam and North Carolina registry listing.
Hudson, NC · $10,000 – $15,000/yr (est.)
This college combines nurse aide I training with clear cost and compliance expectations, including a $210 registration fee and a $140 state exam fee. Students complete clinicals in nursing homes and must meet physical requirements such as lifting 50 pounds. On-campus testing and scholarship opportunities support the path to certification.
New Bern, NC · $3,000/yr (est. net price)
This coastal North Carolina program offers nurse aide I training with classroom, lab, and clinical components and on-campus state testing. A $140 NC state exam fee is separate from materials like scrubs and textbooks, and admission requires a diploma or GED along with a background check and health documentation. The fast-track structure is designed for high-demand entry-level patient care roles.
Winston-Salem, NC · $7,000/yr (est. net price)
Forsyth Tech offers both nurse aide levels in eight-week daytime cohorts that combine campus instruction, clinical application, and CPR certification. Costs are itemized, including registration, compliance tracking, and the state exam fee, while textbooks and uniforms are separate. Admission requires a high school diploma or GED, TABE placement testing, immunizations, and background and drug screenings.
Wilson, NC · $3,000/yr (est. net price)
This short-term nurse aide I option combines lectures, labs, and clinical experiences to prepare students for the North Carolina state exam. The fee structure is specific, covering registration, technology, security, malpractice, and accident insurance, in addition to a $140 state exam fee. CPR certification and a background check are required before clinical placement.
Jacksonville, NC · ~$9,000/yr (est.)
This college offers ACEN accredited nurse aide I and II programs in seated or hybrid formats. The nurse aide I option is a 162-hour non-credit course with a $202 registration fee, and the nurse aide II option adds 164 hours of acute care clinical experience. Both pathways include on-campus testing and are approved for veterans benefits.
CNA class availability, cost, and clinical requirements in Burlington change often. Use this FAQ to focus your search and know what to ask before you enroll.
Schedules and openings change frequently, so a static list cannot capture current availability. Call or check the website of each provider you are considering, including Alamance Community College, local American Red Cross chapters, and other NC DHHS-approved nurse aide training sites. Ask admissions offices about start dates, evening or weekend options, and waitlist status.
Visit the North Carolina Division of Health Service Regulation Nurse Aide Registry and the NC DHHS approved training program list. Verify the program appears there, then contact the school directly. State approval matters because it is required for nurse aide registry eligibility and for many employers.
Total cost varies by provider and can include tuition, fees, textbooks, uniforms, background checks, and the state exam. Review each school's financial aid page and ask for a full cost breakdown. Some workforce development and employer-sponsored paths may reduce out-of-pocket costs, but availability changes.
Not always. Ask each program directly whether supervised clinical placement is included, where clinical hours take place, and whether you must arrange your own placement. Use state approval and accreditation records as a starting point for quality, then confirm the clinical logistics before enrolling.
Some Burlington-area providers may offer evening, weekend, or hybrid schedules, but offerings change by term. Contact admissions offices directly to ask about current flexible options and waitlists. Do not rely on outdated brochures or third-party listings.
Use BLS.gov for wage and job outlook data for nursing assistants. For cost details, check individual school financial aid pages. For career guidance, professional associations such as the National Association of Health Care Assistants (NAHCA) can be a useful starting point.
