Proposed Changes to Nursing Assistant Specialty Training Programs
WHCA worked with the Washington Board of Nursing (WABON) in years past while the state revamped the nursing assistant training curriculum. In an effort to standardize the course content no matter where the nursing assistant worked, WHCA advocated for the addition of the three specialty curricula (dementia, mental health, and developmental disabilities) into the nursing assistant training programs. The effort to add in these three specialty courses was not a simple one; negotiations among the agencies overseeing each training were difficult at best. Finally, however, an agreement was reached and amendments to WAC 246-841A were made to solidify the expectation to add specialty trainings into the new nursing assistant training curriculum.
Unintended consequences caused the rollout of specialty courses in this new training curriculum to pause, and now likely be eliminated altogether. Costs associated with adding 32 hours of additional training were too high for community colleges who offer the class, ultimately resulting on the cost passed onto the nursing assistant student. In addition, each nursing assistant instructor was required to attend the specialty classes in order to teach them; there were limited classes to accomplish this feat, and instructors have struggled to find reasonable alternatives.
As a result, WABON is hosting several sessions where interested parties can vote to include or exclude the specialty classes from the core nursing assistant training curriculum. WHCA staff has attended one of these meetings so far and has voted to remove the requirement to include specialty classes from the curriculum. This change of heart comes from better understanding of the other training programs (particularly in community colleges and high schools) and the costs associated and passed onto the students.
If you are interested in attending one of these meetings to learn more and share your thoughts on the topic, please review the briefing from DOH, below, and plan to join one of the following scheduled sessions:
The Washington State Board of Nursing (Board) filed a CR-101 Preproposal Statement of Inquiry for chapter 246-841A WAC on February 18, 2025, under WSR 25-05-087.
The Board is considering amendments to nursing assistant rules in chapter 246-841A WAC to:
- implement skills testing in training programs
- make changes to the specialty curricula rule requirements
- implement changes resulting from the passage of SB 5051
The Board is hosting a public rule workshop to receive input from interested parties. You are invited to participate in this workshop to discuss changes to the nursing assistant rules. Draft language will be shared closer to the workshop date.
Workshop #12:
Specialty Curricula
Thursday, October 2, 2025
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Join online via Zoom
Workshop #13:
Specialty Curricula
Friday, October 3, 2025
11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Join online via Zoom
