Purpose: This study aims to mediate the impact of workplace stress and job satisfaction on nurses' perception of training. It sheds light on the links between job satisfaction, Certified Nursing Assistants' perception of training and workplace stress in nursing homes. Design/methodology/approach: A cross-sectional questionnaire was distributed in 12 different elderly home care centres in Northern Cyprus during September to October 2017. The sampling frame consists of 317 full-time Certified Nursing Assistants who completed measures of perception of training, job satisfaction and workplace stress. This paper used structural equation modelling to test a theoretical model and hypothesis. Findings: The findings emphasize that Certified Nursing Assistants' perception of training has a positive impact on their job satisfaction and negative impact on workplace stress while workplace stress mediates the relationship between their perception of training and job satisfaction. The results indicate that while the motivation for training and support for training have an effect on job satisfaction, access to training and benefits for training do not yield any significant impact on it and workplace stress plays a mediating role. Originality/value: This study confirms that the CNAs' perception of training and job stress affect the emergence of job satisfaction, and workplace stress mediated the relation between training and satisfaction posited by social exchange theory.