6 Best Home Health Aide Schools in Portland, OR

Portland Community College offers an Oregon State Board of Nursing-approved Nursing Assistant program in both credit and non-credit formats.

The curriculum totals 120 hours: 40 hours of online lecture, 40 hours of in-person skills laboratory training, and 40 hours of clinical practice at a Portland-area healthcare facility.

Students typically spend about 8 to 24 hours per week on the program during one academic term.

Program Length

The program lasts one academic term.

Clinical sites can be as far as 30 miles from the campus, so reliable transportation is important.

PCC accepts up to 40 students per cohort, with another 20 selected as alternates.

Cost

For 2026-27, resident tuition is $143 per credit, and the CNA course is 6 credits.

Mandatory per-credit fees include a $4.25 student activity fee and $7.35 technology fee, plus a $15 college service fee.

That puts the basic 6-credit college charge at roughly $943.

Additional CNA expenses are estimated at $650, including approximately $230 for background screening, drug testing and compliance tracking, $130 for BLS/CPR, $106 for the Oregon certification exam, $70.50 for fingerprinting, and $110 for scrubs and equipment.

A realistic total is therefore around $1,590 before transportation or vaccination expenses.

Admission Requirements

Applicants should have high school-level English and math skills.

Students must complete background and drug screening, required immunization documentation, and American Heart Association BLS certification.

If English is not the student’s first language, proof of English proficiency is required.

What Makes This Program Worth Considering?

PCC gives students 120 hours of structured preparation through a public college, and the 40-hour clinical component provides substantial hands-on experience.

The 6-credit version can also be useful for students who may continue into another healthcare program later.

Caregiver Training Institute offers one of Portland’s most flexible private Nursing Assistant programs.

The standard instructional curriculum includes 37 hours of classroom education, 33 hours of skills-lab training, and 40 hours of supervised clinical experience, plus approximately 2 hours for the final examination.

Classes are offered in accelerated, regular day, evening, weekend, and hybrid formats.

Program Length

Most students finish in 4 to 7 weeks.

Accelerated students complete 11 weekday classroom/lab sessions plus 40 clinical hours and can finish in roughly 3 to 4 weeks.

Regular day and evening classes generally take at least 5 weeks, while weekend training takes approximately 7 weeks.

Skills labs and clinical groups are limited to a maximum of 10 students per instructor.

Cost

Tuition is $2,200, including a $150 enrollment-processing fee.

That price also includes the textbook, skills kit with gait belt, stethoscope and blood-pressure cuff, drug screening, criminal background check, CPR course, exam-preparation materials, and one supplemental CNA micro-course.

Students need at least an $800 down payment to reserve a seat.

Oregon certification expenses add $106 for the CNA examination and $70.50 for fingerprinting, bringing the known total to about $2,376.50 before scrubs, shoes, TB screening, and any needed vaccinations.

Admission Requirements

Students need government-issued photo identification and must complete background screening, drug screening, TB testing, required immunization documentation, and healthcare-provider CPR requirements before clinical training.

What Makes This Program Worth Considering?

The biggest advantage is scheduling.

Students can choose accelerated, daytime, evening, weekend, or hybrid lecture options, with classes starting weekly, biweekly, or monthly depending on the schedule.

That is unusually flexible for an 110-plus-hour CNA program.

Platinum Career Solutions offers an Oregon-approved Nursing Assistant program in partnership with West Hills Health & Rehabilitation.

The course combines classroom instruction, skills-lab practice, and clinical work inside a skilled nursing community.

Program Length

Training takes 5 weeks.

The first portion focuses on classroom and laboratory instruction, while the final weeks include supervised clinical care.

During 2026, classes were scheduled roughly every two months, with cohorts beginning in March, May, July, September, and November.

Cost

Tuition is $0. Platinum covers the 5-week class, course materials, and the Oregon state certification examination.

It also provides the required TB test and CPR certification.

Students are responsible for appropriate scrubs and closed-toe, rubber-soled shoes.

Admission Requirements

Applicants must be at least 17 years old, with a parent or guardian signature required for students under 18.

Students must pass a criminal background check, communicate fluently in English, complete TB and CPR requirements, and earn at least 80% on the classroom final before advancing in the program.

What Makes This Program Worth Considering?

The numbers are difficult to beat: $0 tuition, $0 state testing cost, a 5-week schedule, and employment opportunities with partner skilled nursing communities after completion.

For someone primarily concerned with entering paid healthcare work quickly, this is one of Portland’s strongest options.

Family Healthcare Academy operates an Oregon State Board of Nursing-approved Nursing Assistant program in Portland.

Training covers vital signs, bathing, dressing, feeding, infection control, patient rights, safety, documentation, communication, medical terminology, and preparation for the state CNA examination.

The school uses a hybrid learning model with online coursework combined with practical training.

Program Length

The school promotes its Oregon CNA pathway as a roughly 1-month program.

Its online curriculum currently contains 50 lessons divided into 11 units, and students must earn at least 90% in each unit before progressing.

Cost

The currently listed Oregon CNA program price is $2,000.

Students should confirm exactly which clinical, background-check, CPR, fingerprinting, and Oregon certification expenses are included before paying because those costs can add several hundred dollars when charged separately.

Admission Requirements

Students must meet Oregon nursing assistant eligibility and clinical requirements.

Because the program includes online coursework, students should also have reliable internet access and a suitable computer or tablet.

What Makes This Program Worth Considering?

The approximately 4-week format is considerably faster than a traditional college term.

The hybrid structure can also reduce the number of hours students need to spend physically in a classroom while still providing the practical experience required for Oregon certification.

Long-Term CareWorks, now transitioning to the Care Pathways name, offers an employer-connected Nursing Assistant training pathway.

The program provides 65 hours of coursework and skills-lab training plus 40 hours of clinical experience, for at least 105 hours of formal preparation.

Program Length

Training can be completed in as little as 5 weeks.

Students are paired with participating long-term-care employers for clinical preparation and employment support.

Cost

Tuition is $0 for accepted sponsored students.

The program also pays the Oregon licensing examination and fingerprinting fees, worth more than $150, provides CPR certification, reimburses up to $80 for scrubs, and provides an additional $80 allowance for slip-resistant shoes.

Students can also receive a training stipend plus assistance with expenses such as childcare and transportation.

Admission Requirements

Students must be at least 18, pass a background check and drug screening, provide vaccination documentation, and be available for the full training schedule.

The program works with employers representing more than 40 long-term-care facilities across Oregon.

What Makes This Program Worth Considering?

This program goes beyond simply making tuition free.

It can also cover roughly $160 in clothing and shoe expenses, more than $150 in exam and fingerprinting costs, CPR certification, and other support while providing a stipend during training.

The limitation is availability, since applications open and close by cohort.

Clackamas Community College is just south of Portland and offers a 6.5-credit Nursing Assistant course.

The current program contains 72 hours of lecture and lab plus 45 hours of supervised clinical experience, for 117 total training hours.

Clinical training begins during approximately the sixth week of the term.

Cohorts are relatively small, typically accepting about 10 to 20 students depending on faculty availability.

Program Length

Training takes one academic term and is offered during fall, winter, spring, and summer when faculty and clinical capacity are available.

Cost

The college estimates the entire program at approximately $1,730.

That includes about $929.50 in college tuition and fees, a $350 course fee, $110 for textbooks, $130 for two sets of scrubs, $100 for AHA BLS/CPR, and $106 for the Oregon CNA licensing examination.

The $350 course fee covers items such as the criminal background check, drug screening, clinical placement, and laboratory supplies.

Admission Requirements

Students must be at least 18 and have a high school diploma or equivalent.

Requirements also include a TB test, criminal background check, drug screen, AHA BLS certification, and immunization documentation. MMR, varicella, Tdap, and hepatitis B documentation are included in the clinical requirements, while COVID-19 and influenza vaccines are currently recommended rather than required by the college.

What Makes This Program Worth Considering?

Clackamas offers a strong balance between cost and hands-on training.

At roughly $1,730 all-in, students receive 117 hours of instruction, 45 clinical hours, equipment and screening expenses, CPR preparation, and the $106 state examination in the estimated program budget.