CNA License to Enter Health Care Field

Who is eligible for CNA License? Why Certified Aide License is essential to work in various types of health care facilities? Before we answer these questions, it is essential to know, who are these certified nurse assistants? CNAs are these nursing personnel, who are well qualified through CNA Training Program and earned CNA Certification to work in various types of health care facilities.

You must also note that once certification is earned and candidate is registered with the state Nurse Aide Registry, certified nurse assistant is provided a license number by the Registry that allows working legally in various nursing jobs.

If you are also aiming to start your career in nursing field, you must remember that you must obtain CNA License to work in various health care settings. There are few steps that must be completed to earn certified nurse aide License and they include:

Completion of state and federal OBRA-87 approved training program.

Sit for state CNA licensing exam

Earn CNA License by passing the licensing test.

The licensing also allows you to get registered with respective state nurse aide registry.

CNA Licensing Program

CNA Licensing Program comprises of two components, consisting of state and federal OBRA-87 approved classroom theoretical instruction and clinical hands-on experience. As per OBRA legislation, the training program must have a minimum duration of 75 hours of both components and all states are required to follow these OBRA mandates because federal authorities are very specific about the safeguard of public health and CNAs must be well qualified and competent through training programs, and earn CNA License through competency evaluation test to offer safe, quality and competent cares to ailing patients in hospitals, long term care facilities and other health care settings.

But, it is also true that many states have their own training program schedules that may cross federal requirements of 75 hours. The programs can be attended from various nursing schools, community and vocational colleges, private schools and technical institutes.

During your training program, you will instructed on various skills, such as Basic Nursing Cares, Personal Care Skills, Adult Care, Restorative Cares, CPR and numerous other skills.

You must also remember that during classroom instruction, you are forbidden to work with actual patients but after completion of classroom/lab training and during clinical training in a long term care facility, you are permitted to gain experience with the actual patients. The clinical part of the training is completed under the supervision of a RN.

The completion of the Licensing program allows a student to sit for the CNA Licensing Exam.

CNA Licensing Exam Features

CNA Licensing Exam comprises of Written Test and Skill test and a candidate must pass both test to earn CNA Licensing No. and Certification.

Written Test features multi choice questions, where candidates are offered 70 -75 multi choice questions and, each question have 4 answers. The candidate is required to pick the best answer from 4 given answers. Questions are based on classroom theoretical course instructions.

Skill Test comprises of demonstration of 5 skills that are randomly selected from 25 skills experienced during clinical training of the Nurse Aide Training Program. The skills are to be performed on a dummy or live model.

The scoring of 75% & above passes the both tests and results are announced same day. Official result is send to candidates mailing address within 12 days. Students get 2 chances to pass the licensing exam, if they fail in the first attempt.

CNA License Renewal

CNA License is valid for 2 years then it gets expired. Thus, CNAs must get their license renewed within 2 years by completing Application Form, working for specified hours in an approved facility; submit License Renewal Fees and meet other renewal requirements.

CNA License Verification

On numerous occasion CNAs forgot to renew their license or are unaware whether their license is expired or not. Such incidences happen, when nurse aides are more absorbed in their work or employers do not ask for their licenses, while offering the job.

In such cases, CNAs can contact the licensing authority and state Nurse Aide Registry for verification. They can also verify their license through online license verification system of licensing authority by paying necessary verification fees.

CNA License Transfer to another State

If any certified nurse aide aims to move to another state for working, they are not permitted to work in that state carrying the CNA License earned from the state where they were staying previously. In order to work in another state, they are required to meet certain requirements of the states they are moving and they include:

If the states have reciprocity arrangement with each other then Certified Nurse Assistant is exempted from reappearing in the CNA Test of that State for the certification and licensing procedures will undergo same process as license renewal.

If the states do not have any reciprocity arrangements with each other then, it becomes necessary for a moving CNA to reappear for the specific State approved Certified Nursing Assistant training program and pass the CNA Exam of that state for Certification.