Twenty Questions To Ask When Looking For A Certification School

As you are exploring which certification school would be the right one for you to get your CNA or CMA – you need to ask yourself some questions. And you need to understand the answers.

1. How long has the school been in business?   You want an established certification school…with an established staff. QCP has been offering courses since 2011.
2. How many certifications are offered?    Sometimes is good to focus on one thing. But we have found that most students want to be certified in more than one area. QCP offers eight certification programs – and provides discounts to those who take more than one course with us.  Our courses include Certified Nursing Aide (CNA), Certified Medication Aide (CMA), Pharmacy Technician (Pharm Tech), Personal Care Assistant (PCA), Basic Life Support (BLS), Pediatric CNA (PEDS), C.N.A. Refresher (CNA-R) and CMA Refresher (CMA-R).
3. What are your accreditations?  If you spend the time to get certified, you want that certification to be accredited. QCP is accredited by the Nebraska Department of Education and we are approved to provide certifications through the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, Nebraska Board of Pharmacy and American Heart Association.
4. Do you have affiliations with hiring partners?  One of the reasons you are looking to get certified is to find a new career, right? QCP helps you do that by partnering with Omaha-area companies. First, through our Premier Partner program our students benefit from having hiring companies visit them during class to discuss what they look for when hiring. Our Premier Partners are Children’s Hospital and Medical Center, Comfort Keepers, Douglas County Health Center, Hillcrest Health Services, Methodist Health Systems and Nebraska Medicine. In addition, our website lists additional employers who have hired our graduates or assisted with tuition. See that list HERE.
5. Can you guarantee employment after graduation?  No school can guarantee employment, and if they tell you they can they are lying. But here is what QCP can do as a stellar certification school: help our students find employment by providing access to school partners during their time at school.
6. Do you have any exclusive courses?  This means, do you curate your own content? And our answer is, ‘yes’. We have traditional courses like the CNA and CMA classes.  But we also have a program that we designed with Children’s Hospital that can only be found at QCP, the Pediatric CNA Course. This teaches you how to apply your CNA skills to work with children. Plus, our PHARM program was created to include an externship with a school partner.
7. Are there online hybrid options?   Yes, all QCP certifications have an optional hybrid except BLS. This means you complete a set amount of hours online – at your own pace – before you come to the school for your hands on training and testing.
8. What about traditional in-person courses?   Periodically we offer a 100% in-person CNA course. Check our calendar for more information. 
9. Are there flexible schedule options?  You can’t take a course if it doesn’t fit into your schedule. That is why we offer multiple options each month. Select whether you want to attend class during the weekday, during the evenings or on the weekend. We have an option that is right for you.
10. Does the school offer payment plans?   Sometimes you need to pay over time, instead of everything up front. That is okay. All of our cornerstone courses offer a payment plan. Plus, there are some other ways pay for courses. Check out those options HERE.
11. What is the average class size? You come to the school for hands on training – so you want to ensure you get the instruction you desire. At QCP we keep the class sizes small to ensure everyone learns their skills properly. Depending on the certification course, average class sizes range from 9 – 16 students.
12. When was the equipment last updated?  When it comes to all things medical, you want the state of the art. This certification school is no exception. Our building was completely renovated in 2018 and the equipment is replaced as needed. The Vinton campus opened in 2022 with a brand new space.
13. Is all testing completed on site?  Not all certification schools are approved by the state of Nebraska to complete testing onsite. That means once you complete your course, you have to schedule time to test elsewhere. Not at Quality Career Pathways. We are state approved for all testing so you get everything done under one roof.
14. Are testing fees included in the tuition?  Don’t be fooled by a tuition that doesn’t include everything. No one wants to be surprised by an additional testing fee when you finish class. At QCP, tuition includes all first attempt exam fees associated with the course. No surprises here.
15. What are the level of the instructors?  This is an import question to ask. You want to learn from people who know what they are talking about. All our instructions are licensed in their respective courses and have experience instructing students. And for some courses, our instructors are RNs and LPNs with experience working in medical settings.
16. What are your graduation rates? Graduation rates tell you how effectively the certification school taught the course.  Over 98% of our students graduate from their course.
17. What is your withdrawal policy?  Sometimes you need to change your plans. Make sure your certification school will allow you to do so.  If you need to withdraw from a QCP course, you must contact the school.  The amount of your refund will be based on the course and timing of withdrawal.
18. How responsive is the front office staff?  Make sure the certification school is easy to contact.  You may have questions and you should get your answer quickly. Our office hours are Monday through Friday at the Fort Campus from 8AM to 5PM and can be reached during this time via phone, walk in, email, text and online chat. Please note that the Vinton Campus is only stuffed during class times.
19. How many locations do you have?   Location is key. You can’t attend class if you can’t get to the location. Our Fort Campus is conveniently located off of I-680 at Fort Street.  The Vinton Campus is off I-80 at the 42nd Street exit. We also offer classes periodically at Employer Partner locations.
20. Is there parking available? This may not seem like much, but who wants to hassle with finding a parking spot.  No plugging meters or long walks here. QCP has a free parking lot attached to each location.

Which Certification School Is The Best For You?

Now that you know our answers, it is time to look at the other guys. Click HERE to download a PDF of these questions. You will soon see that Quality Career Pathways is the best certification school in Omaha.