CNA Certification for Sebastian Residents
One-Week Exam Prep with an RN Instructor and AHA BLS Certification Included
Sebastian has healthcare employers hiring CNAs, but no CNA training program within city limits. Medical Plus Training Center in Fort Pierce offers a one-week exam prep course that gets you certified and BLS-credentialed — about 35 minutes down US-1.
“I walked into this program with zero experience in the CNA field, and I just passed both my CNA written and skills test on my first sitting”
Sebastian is the biggest city in Indian River County — nearly 27,000 people, a median age of 58, and more than a third of its residents over 65. Orlando Health Sebastian River Hospital has been here for over 50 years. Assisted living facilities, memory care communities, and home health agencies employ CNAs throughout northern Indian River County. But when it comes to earning the certification those employers require, Sebastian residents have had to look elsewhere. Our one-week CNA exam prep course closes that gap.
Where Sebastian CNAs Work
Orlando Health Sebastian River Hospital
Orlando Health Sebastian River Hospital is a 145-bed acute care facility on North US Highway 1. Part of the Orlando Health network — one of Florida’s largest not-for-profit healthcare systems — it provides emergency care, cardiac catheterization, orthopedics, bariatric surgery, wound care, and surgical services. The hospital holds Joint Commission accreditation and advanced certification as a Primary Stroke Center.
At 145 beds, Sebastian River is a community hospital, and that shapes the CNA experience. You are not locked into a single unit. CNAs here support medical-surgical, post-operative, cardiac, stroke, and emergency department teams, often crossing between departments in a single shift. For someone early in a healthcare career, that breadth of exposure is difficult to find in a larger system where staffing is more siloed. AHA BLS certification is required for every patient-facing role.
Senior Care Facilities in Sebastian
Pelican Landing Assisted Living and Memory Care is the largest senior care facility in Sebastian, with 101 beds spanning assisted living and a dedicated memory care program. The Promenade offers assisted living and memory care in a campus that consistently earns high marks from families for food quality and staff engagement. Pelican Garden, locally owned since 2004, provides assisted living to 50 residents in a quiet residential setting.
These facilities are community-scale, not institutional. CNAs working in Sebastian’s assisted living market develop sustained relationships with the same residents and families over months and years. If that kind of continuity appeals to you more than the pace of acute care, Sebastian’s senior care employers are a natural fit.
Home Health in Northern Indian River County
A large share of Sebastian’s senior population prefers to age at home rather than move into a facility. Home health agencies serve the Sebastian, Barefoot Bay, and Micco corridor, hiring CNAs for in-home personal care, vital sign monitoring, and daily living support. It is independent work with flexible scheduling, and agencies universally require CNA certification and a current AHA BLS card before your first visit.
Sebastian’s CNA Training Gap
Despite being the largest city in Indian River County, Sebastian has no CNA training program of any kind. Not a full-length state-approved course, and not an exam prep program. The nearest training options are in Vero Beach — IRSC’s Mueller Campus and Treasure Coast Technical College — both about 15 to 20 minutes south. Both run 120 to 165 hours over 10 or more weeks.
Those are solid programs for students who want the traditional classroom-and-clinical pathway. But if you already have some caregiving instinct or experience, and your goal is to get certified and start earning as quickly as possible, a 10-week commitment is hard to justify when a one-week alternative exists 35 minutes away.
How Our Course Works
Florida is a challenge state. You do not need to complete a 120-hour program to sit for the CNA competency exam. You can register with Prometric and take the test directly. What you need is preparation — and that is what we provide.
Our course runs one week. Day sessions meet Monday through Thursday. Two evening options are available for students who work during the day. Every session is taught by Chevaughn Maitland, RN, who brings clinical nursing experience into the classroom. You practice blood pressure measurement, patient transfers, catheter care, infection control, and patient documentation under direct RN supervision, performed to the standard that Orlando Health and other Treasure Coast employers actually expect on the floor.
Your AHA BLS Provider certification is part of the course, not an add-on. Every employer in Sebastian — Orlando Health, Pelican Landing, The Promenade, home health agencies — requires it before your first shift. You leave our program holding both the exam preparation and the BLS credential. No separate class, no separate cost, no delay.
Tuition is $650 and covers everything except the Prometric state exam fee ($155, paid directly to Prometric) and your background check. No hidden fees.
Schedule and Tuition
Class Schedules and Tuition
We offer three class formats, all completed in one week. Choose the schedule that fits your life:
CNA Exam Prep: Day Classes
20 hours @ $650.00
Schedule: Monday–Thursday (1-Week Course)
CNA Exam Prep: Night Classes - Option A
16 hours @ $650.00
Schedule: Wednesday, Thursday & Saturday (1-Week Course)
CNA Exam Prep: Night Classes - Option B
16 hours @ $650.00
Schedule: Monday, Tuesday & Friday (1-Week Course)
Included in Your Tuition
✓ CNA Exam Prep Skills Workbook ✓ AHA BLS/CPR Certification ✓ Hands-On Skills Practice ✓ Bloodborne Pathogens Training ✓ RN-Led Instruction
Paid Separately
Prometric State Exam Fee ($155) | Background Check (varies)The Drive from Sebastian
Medical Plus Training Center is at 602 North US Highway 1 in Fort Pierce. From Sebastian, that is roughly 35 minutes south on US-1, or you can take I-95 to the Okeechobee Road exit. No tolls either way.
We will be straightforward: 35 minutes is longer than a crosstown errand. But the math still favors a one-week commitment. The CNA programs in Vero Beach require 10 or more weeks of attendance. Over those 10 weeks, you would make roughly 50 round trips to Vero Beach at 15–20 minutes each. Over our one-week course, you make three or four round trips to Fort Pierce at 35 minutes each. The total time on the road is comparable. The total time to your certification is not.
Questions Sebastian Residents Ask
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It is. Florida is a challenge state, meaning you can register for the Prometric CNA competency exam without completing a state-approved 120-hour program. The certification you earn is identical regardless of which pathway you take. Our course prepares you for both the written knowledge test and the hands-on clinical skills evaluation.
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Yes. Medical Plus Training Center is an authorized American Heart Association training site. The BLS Provider certification you receive is the clinical-grade AHA credential that Orlando Health and every other major healthcare employer in Florida requires for patient care positions.
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This is exactly the situation our course is built for. You already understand the fundamentals of patient care from lived experience. What you need is structured preparation for the specific format of the Prometric exam and the AHA BLS credential that employers require. Our course bridges that gap in one week.
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You can still succeed, but expect to work hard. The course is compressed into one week by design, so students with no background should plan to study outside of class hours. We provide the workbook and all practice materials. Your job is to show up ready to learn at an accelerated pace.
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As soon as you feel prepared. Most students schedule their Prometric test within a week or two of finishing the course. The exam has two parts: a 60-question written section and a clinical skills evaluation where you demonstrate five randomly selected nursing tasks. We cover all 21 testable skills. For a complete walkthrough, see our Prometric exam guide.
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Because the programs in Vero Beach take 10 or more weeks. Ours takes one. If your priority is getting certified and employed quickly, the extra 15 minutes of drive time beyond Vero Beach saves you two or more months of calendar time. You also get AHA BLS included in the tuition and an RN instructor — neither of which is standard at every program.
Get Certified and Get to Work
Orlando Health Sebastian River Hospital, Pelican Landing, The Promenade, Pelican Garden, and home health agencies across northern Indian River County are hiring CNAs. Sebastian has the jobs. We have the fastest path to the credentials they require.
Call (772) 306-6622, or view class dates and enroll online.
Medical Plus Training Center
Your Instructor
Chevaughn Maitland, RN leads every session at Medical Plus Training Center. Chevaughn is a Registered Nurse whose clinical background shapes the way she teaches — every skill is demonstrated and practiced to the standard that hiring managers at hospitals and care facilities actually evaluate, not just to the minimum needed to pass a test.