When you look into CNA training with us, you’ll find two options: the Standard Route and the Diploma Route. Both lead to the same place, a Florida CNA credential through the same Florida Nurse Aide Competency Exam, but the training itself isn’t identical. Each route is built with a different kind of student in mind, and once you understand what actually happens in each one, the decision tends to make itself.
Here’s what’s actually different between the two.
1. What They Have in Common
Both the Standard Route and the Diploma Route prepare you for the exact same thing: the Florida Nurse Aide Competency Exam and the same CNA credential once you pass it. Neither path is a shortcut and neither is a “lesser” version of the other. You’re not choosing between two different licenses, you’re choosing between two different amounts of training built around the same core.
2. What the Standard Route Is
The Standard Route is the exam preparation you need to sit for the Florida Nurse Aide Competency Exam. You’ll learn every skill you can be tested on, exactly what to expect on testing day, and strategies for the written portion of the exam. It’s a direct, focused path for people who know what they want and want to get there in the most direct means possible.
3. What the Diploma Route Adds
The Diploma Route includes everything in the Standard Route, plus additional online coursework that goes deeper into long-term care, giving you broader exposure to the field beyond what’s needed for exam day alone. It also includes a two-week externship at a skilled nursing facility.
The externship adds real, practical value on top of that coursework. Instead of walking into your first job with only classroom, lab, and online coursework behind you, you get two full weeks working directly with patients and staff in a real skilled nursing setting before you’ve even finished the program. You build confidence applying what you’ve learned in an actual clinical environment, get a real feel for the day-to-day work, and in many cases start building the kind of relationships with a facility that can lead directly to a job offer after graduation.
The Diploma Route is offered through Career Training Institute, the entity under which CNA Training & Testing Center’s diploma programs run, including our state-approved Nursing Assistant Diploma Program.
The Diploma Route also comes with a real advantage on exam day: graduates are Clinical Skills Exam Exempt, Written Exam Only, as long as they apply for the exam within 6 months of completing the Diploma program.
| Standard Route | Diploma Route | |
|---|---|---|
|
Leads to |
Florida CNA credential |
Florida CNA credential + Nursing Assistant Diploma through Career Training Institute |
|
Best for |
Getting certified and into the workforce in the most direct means possible |
Gaining broader long-term care exposure and hands-on experience before you graduate |
|
Includes |
Exam preparation: skills you’ll be tested on, what to expect on testing day, written exam strategies |
Everything in the Standard Route, plus online long-term care coursework and a two-week externship at a skilled nursing facility |
|
Exam requirement |
Full exam: written and clinical skills portions |
Clinical Skills Exam Exempt, Written Exam Only, if you apply within 6 months of completing the program |
4. How to Actually Decide
A few honest questions can make this decision easier:
- Do you want to start working as a CNA as quickly as possible, with nothing extra? The Standard Route is built for that.
- Are you thinking about LPN or RN school down the road, or want broader exposure to long-term care beyond exam-day skills? The Diploma Route’s additional coursework builds that foundation.
- Do you want hands-on experience in a real skilled nursing facility before you graduate? That’s what the two-week externship in the Diploma Route specifically adds.
- Want to walk into exam day already Clinical Skills Exam Exempt? Diploma graduates get Written Exam Only, as long as they apply within 6 months of finishing the program.
Neither answer is wrong. Plenty of successful CNAs took the Standard Route and never looked back. Others chose the Diploma Route specifically for the broader long-term care exposure and hands-on externship experience it provides, which also happens to set up well for anyone considering LPN or RN school down the road. What matters is picking the one that matches what you’re actually trying to do next.
About CNA Training & Testing Center: Both the Standard Route and the Diploma Route are offered at our Brandon, Florida location, preparing students for the same Florida Nurse Aide Competency Exam. CNA Training & Testing Center has earned more than 700 five-star Google reviews. Learn more about the CNA program.
5. Still Not Sure? Ask Before You Register
If you’re genuinely torn between the two, visit our website or email us for a program handout with current pricing and a full breakdown of what the Diploma coursework and externship include. Having that in writing makes the decision a lot easier.
Ready to Pick Your Path?
Explore the CNA program and review upcoming class dates. Everything you need to know is right here on our website.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do the Diploma and Standard Route lead to the same license?
Yes. Both paths prepare you for the same Florida Nurse Aide Competency Exam and the same CNA credential. The Diploma Route includes everything in the Standard Route, plus additional coursework.
What does the Diploma Route add that the Standard Route doesn't have?
The Diploma Route includes everything in the Standard Route, plus additional online coursework in long-term care and a two-week externship at a skilled nursing facility, offered through Career Training Institute as part of our state-approved Nursing Assistant Diploma Program.
How much more does the Diploma Route cost?
The Diploma Route costs more than the Standard Route because it goes beyond the skills you could be tested on, it exposes you to additional long-term care coursework and a two-week externship at a skilled nursing facility. It also comes with a real advantage: Diploma graduates are Clinical Skills Exam Exempt, Written Exam Only, as long as they apply for the exam within 6 months of completing the Diploma program. Ask CNA Training & Testing Center for current pricing on both options.
