How Virginia's Earn to Learn program may pay CNA students during clinicals.
Virginia now pays nursing students for clinical work, not just course credit. The $4.8 million Earn to Learn program launched in August 2026, with certified nursing assistant (CNA) among the paid clinical roles students may hold while enrolled. In a state where school-based CNA clinical hours are normally unpaid, that shift changes the cost equation for entry-level healthcare training. Participation does not guarantee a CNA job after graduation.
Virginia's Earn to Learn program converts required clinical hours into paid, patient-facing work for nursing students. The $4.8 million initiative is administered by the Virginia Nursing Workforce Center1, in coordination with the Virginia Department of Health's Office of Health Equity, and funds CNA partnership programs between nursing schools and hospitals or other healthcare providers. It is part of a broader effort to address the state's nursing workforce shortage, including an anticipated wave of nurse retirements.
Up to 12 two-year grants will be awarded, each capped at $400,000. Eligible applicants are educational institutions with Virginia Board of Nursing-approved pre-licensure RN and LPN programs. According to WHRO's August 31, 2026 report, applications were due September 30, with award notifications by November 1 and funding beginning in January 2027. The program's goal is to accelerate the development of practice-ready nurse graduates by connecting students to paid clinical employment early in their training.
Students in those programs can work as nurse externs, patient care technicians, or certified nursing assistants while still in school. The exact role depends on the student's current level of training and what the partner employer needs. Wages are not standardized; each school and healthcare provider partnership decides the pay rate and schedule. After graduation and passing licensing exams, participants may apply for licensed practical nurse or registered nurse jobs, but Earn to Learn does not guarantee a job offer or require staying with a specific employer. For students exploring CNA programs in Virginia, this means the program may cover paid time in a nursing assistant role while they continue toward an LPN or RN credential.
Many CNA students complete required CNA clinical skills rotations without a paycheck, treating them as a learning requirement. Earn to Learn flips that model: eligible students can be paid for clinical work while still enrolled in school.
CNA students can participate as certified nursing assistants, nurse externs, or patient care technicians. The program funds partnerships between nursing schools and hospitals or other health care providers, so your school must be part of a funded partnership. If it is, the CNA role you train for may itself be the paid student position, not just an unpaid rotation.
Instead of completing all supervised hours for free, you may earn wages during some clinical periods. Virginia does not set a standard pay rate. The participating school and employer decide wages, so pay can vary by location and facility.
Earn to Learn is not a job guarantee. After graduation and passing any required licensing exams, you still go through normal hiring. There is also no requirement to stay with the employer, so you keep the flexibility to apply elsewhere, including CNA to LPN programs or RN roles later. Students in CNA programs should ask their school whether it is part of an Earn to Learn grant.
For Virginians weighing CNA training, the pay picture matters. The most recent state data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that nursing assistants in Virginia earn a median annual wage of $43,200, with the middle 50% of earners making between $37,020 and $46,930 per year. The state employed roughly 40,580 nursing assistants, reflecting consistent demand in hospitals, nursing homes, and assisted living. These figures are based on standard hourly wages and do not include bonuses, shift differentials, or stipends from paid clinical training programs like Earn to Learn, which can further offset the cost of becoming a CNA. This makes CNA work a competitive entry point in healthcare even before advancing to LPN or RN roles.
| Metric | Virginia |
|---|---|
| Total employment | 40,580 |
| Median annual wage | $43,200 |
| 25th percentile annual wage | $37,020 |
| 75th percentile annual wage | $46,930 |
| Mean annual wage | $42,160 |
The key question for many students is simple: do CNA clinical hours come with a paycheck? In Virginia, school-based CNA clinical hours are normally unpaid. The state requires nurse aide programs to include 140 total clock hours, with at least 40 hours of direct client care in a clinical setting. Orientation and observation hours do not count toward those totals. Regulations treat that clinical time as required training, not employment, and they do not state that students must be paid.
The Virginia Board of Nursing does not prohibit paying CNA students for clinical time. Still, traditional school placements rarely offer wages because they are structured as instructional rotations, not jobs. Employer-sponsored CNA training is the main exception: it blends work and training so students earn while completing required hours. If a student is also hired separately by a facility, that employment is a separate arrangement.
Virginia's new Earn to Learn program is another counterexample. It pays nursing students for clinical work in roles that include CNA, patient care technician, or nurse extern while they are still in school. That does not make every required CNA clinical hour paid, but it opens a funded pathway for some students to earn a CNA salary and gain hands-on experience at the same time.
Which Virginia employers actually pay you to become a CNA? The answer depends on where you live and which facility you choose, but a handful of providers have published structured earn-as-you-learn or apprenticeship programs. Here are the public examples as of September 2026. The programs below span different regions of Virginia, from the Peninsula to Northern Virginia.
These three employers are not an exhaustive list, and many nursing homes and hospitals in Richmond, Roanoke, and Hampton Roads post paid CNA training or apprenticeship openings, including CNA Classes Richmond VA providers. However, pay rates, stipends, and work commitments vary by facility and are not always published. When you compare programs, ask each employer directly whether the training is paid, what the hourly rate or stipend is, and how long you must stay after certification before you enroll.
Wages are not standardized; participating schools and health care providers decide pay.
According to BLS 2025, Virginia employs more than 30,000 nursing assistants, yet their median wage remains below the national median, making paid clinical hours especially valuable.
