Last updated on March 25th, 2025 at 06:14 pm
For caregivers in Washington State, continuing education is a must. You are required to earn continuing education (CE) credits each year to maintain your HCA-C license.
However, continuing education isn’t just a hoop to jump through: it’s also an opportunity to grow your career. The right CE pathway can help you qualify for more jobs or even advance into a nursing role.
Washington State CE Requirements For HCA-Cs
Under state law, most long term care workers (including HCA-Cs) must complete 12 hours CE credit each year. Your first set of CE credits are due before your birthday the year after being issued your HCA-C credential. From that point on, you will need to earn an additional 12 credits each year before your birthday.
If you have not completed your CE requirement before the annual deadline, you cannot be paid for care until you complete those CE hours. You must complete any needed remaining CE hours at your own expense from an approved DSHS community instructor.
Making the Most Out of Continuing Education
Continuing education is a great way to advance your career. Depending on the educational path you pursue, you can specialize, prepare for increased responsibilities, or even get ready to move into a nursing role.
Specialty Courses
At Sunrises Services, we offer specialty courses for caregivers. You can choose a specialty course in mental health or dementia. These courses each count as 8 hours of CE credit if you pass the exam at the end.
Each specialty course is a 1-day, in-person training. There is a written exam at the end, and you will need to pass it with an 80% or higher to achieve the certificate. The certificate will allow you to count the course toward continuing education or meet job requirements for assisted living and AFH roles.
Nurse Delegation Training
Sunrise Services’ Nurse Delegation Core course is a 9-credit self-study route that leads to a certificate. You will need to read through a workbook, fill out all the exercises in the book, and then bring the book in during an in-person exam session.
After achieving the Nurse Delegation Core certificate, you can receive further training with an RN at your facility. They will train you on the specific nurse-delegated tasks you can complete in your current role.
To meet your full 12-credit CE requirement, you can supplement the 9-hour Nurse Delegation Core Course with the 3-hour Nurse Delegation Diabetes course. This self-study course teaches you how to care for diabetic clients, including how to inject insulin. The process for receiving Nurse Delegation Diabetes credit is the same as for the Nurse Delegation Core course.
NAC Bridge Program
HCA caregivers can also choose to upgrade their certification by taking the Nursing Assistant Cerified (NAC) Bridge course. This course “bridges” the gap between HCA-C training and what a NAC needs to know. It prepares you to take the Washington State NAC licensing test and ultimately work in the nursing field.
Becoming a NAC allows you to earn higher pay and work in a long-term care facility or hospital. It also gives you extra points toward entering a nursing program if you hope to eventually become an LPN or RN. Many hospitals, healthcare centers, and assisted living facilities will help you schedule your work hours around nursing school, and they may even help pay for your tuition.
The NAC Bridge program completely covers your continuing education requirement for the year. It’s a 24-hour course with 8 hours of classroom instruction, 8 hours of practice in the skills lab, and 8 hours of clinical practice.
Online CE Options
Every year, Sunrise creates a bundle of online CE credit courses that are approved by DSHS. We sell them in bundles of 12, but you can also purchase them one class at a time if you prefer.
This year’s bundle included classes on risk management, bloodborne pathogens, how to work with clients who hoard, and health equity. We are currently developing new classes for next year’s bundle.
Sign Up For Continuing Education Today
Sunrise Services offers a wide range of online, remote, virtual live-taught, and in-person course options that can count toward your annual CE credit requirement. All of our caregiver training courses are approved by the DSHS. Enroll in your next CE credit course today or contact us if you have questions about our trainings.
Enroll Now