Your Guide to HCA Certification
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The Home Care Aide (HCA) Training Certificate is a 75-hour basic training program approved by the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS). Completing this training is one of the first steps toward obtaining full HCA certification.
Train Fully Online
Cornerstone is the only approved provider in Washington State that offers the entire 75-hour HCA program, including both course modules and skills training, completely online. This allows students to meet all training requirements at their own pace and from any location, without the need to attend in-person sessions.
Requirements
HCA certification is required for all long-term care workers (LTCWs) in Washington State. LTCWs include caregivers and, in some cases, activities or transportation staff who work in assisted living facilities (ALFs), adult family homes (AFHs), home care agencies, or as individual providers (IPs) through the DSHS COPES Program. Learn more about the HCA training requirements here.
Exam and Certification
The 75-hour HCA Training Certificate must be completed within 120 days of hire. After completing the course, students submit proof of training with their HCA Application to become eligible for the Washington State HCA Certification Examination. Take your HCA exam with Cornerstone here.
HCA Training Options
(All Courses Bundled)
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One simple package. Saves time and keeps you on track
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Includes all courses required by the state
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Best for students ready to start their HCA journey
(Learn What You Want)
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Pick and choose only the courses you want to take
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Flexible for ongoing training
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Best for new students who want to learn more about caregiving
Focus Areas of HCA Training:
1
Orientation and Safety Training
Orientation and Safety Training gives you a solid foundation on how to provide personal care and protect the health and safety of yourself and your clients.
2
Core Basic Training
Core Basic Training discusses the expectations of home care aides through interactive instruction, common client scenarios, and skills practice.
3
Population Specific Training
This HCA training requirement works similarly to college electives. There are a variety of courses to choose from to meet your 12-hour minimum course requirement.
Orientation and Safety Training
Orientation and Safety Training gives you a solid foundation on how to provide personal care and protect the health and safety of yourself and your clients.
You can also get Orientation and Safety Training, along with all required courses for your HCA certification, in a Learning Plan bundle. See our Learning Plan options here.
Core Basic Training
75 Hours
Core Basic Training discusses the expectations of home care aides through interactive instruction, common client scenarios, and skills practice. It's broken into two different sections: the self-paced modules CB101-113 and CB200, a virtual skills lab course, and one final exam.
The CB200 online skills lab provides video demonstrations for 19 skills you will need to be able to perform. You will watch our training video for each skill and then record yourself performing the skill. When you complete your recording, you will then upload your video for review. Instructors will carefully review your video and provide detailed feedback to help you with your studies.
You can also get all of your Core Basic Training courses, along with all other training requirements, in a Learning Plan bundle. See our Learning Plan options here.
Courses:
Population Specific Training
12 Hours
You can think of the Population Specific HCA training requirement as similar to “college electives,” as there are a variety of courses you can take to make up your 12-hour minimum requirement. Only certain courses are approved for Population Specific training, so be sure to confirm that the ones you choose meet this requirement. All of the courses listed below are approved.
If you have questions about which courses to take for your Population Specific component of this training, please let us know. You can also choose an HCA Learning Plan that includes Population Specific Training to get all of your required courses bundled.
Courses:
HCA Application Resources
Learn about the deadlines for completing your HCA training and get tips to prevent delays.
We recommend filing your application using the Washington State Department of Health's online portal. This will ensure your application can be processed as timely as possible.
Review the most up-to-date HCA information on the WA Department of Health (DOH) website.
Frequently asked questions, answered by DOH.
You can check the status of your HCA license here.
HCA Certification Exam Resources
You can take your HCA certification exam with Cornerstone at one of our locations in Olympia, Vancouver, or Sequim. More locations are coming soon!
This PDF explains what skills are evaluated on the test and how your examiners evaluate them.
You’ll find detailed information about the your Home Care Aide exam here.
Get a head start and prepare for your HCA skills test in advance.
Registration information, exam requirements, fees, and other resources.
FAQs About HCA Certification
For Questions About Your Application:
If you have questions about your application or general HCA credentialing questions, please contact the Department of Health Home Care Aide Call Center at 1(360) 236-2700.