CNA Certification in Arkansas

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To appear on the state registry of Arkansas and work as a CNA in the state, you need to attain the state approved nurse aide training program and pass the exam followed by the training. The agency ‘Department of Health and Human Services Division of Medical Services Offices of Long Term Care’ monitors the CNA training programs and certification in Arkansas.

Eligibility Requirement:

  • Age must be 16 or above.
  • CPR certified
  • Proof of GED or High school graduation
  • Proof of being immunized of  hepatitis B vaccine series
  • Criminal background check and fingerprinting.

Costs:

To pursuing training programs in Arkansas, cost somewhere between $ 800-1000.  Training period is usually one year. If candidates work during training, then the fees of CNA certification is paid by an employer. Hence, it is advantageous for candidates’ pockets to work while training.

The testing fees include:

  • Eligibility Screening- $ 10
  • Oral or written only retake- $ 34
  • Written/ Oral and Skills- $ 79
  • Oral Exam in Spanish/ English- $ 33
  • Retake of only Skill exam- $ 45

How to Apply for CNA Certification in the state, Arkansas

To earn CNA certification, initial training is important and then writing the exam. If candidates have already earned

  • the nurse aide certification in another state
  • LPN or RN licensure in another state or Arkansas
  • A nurse student or nurse graduate with no CNA license

,then candidates have privilege  to skip training and sit directly for the examination.

On the website of ‘Arkansas Department of Human Services’ you can find a list of the state approved training programs. There are many schools in the state where classroom lectures of 75 hours and practical training of the 100 hours training programs are available.     As you done with your training program, the next step is to register yourself for the exam, which is a combination of both – written questions as well as clinical skills. From the Prometric site, you may get sample of the examination.

Must Know Facts

  • In accordance with the Federal laws, a candidate is not supposed to pay the fees of training, books, certification testing and other training related stuff if he is employed in a nursing home. All these costs will be borne by the employer of the nursing home.
  • The applicant needs to write the exam within 24 hours of the finish of CNA training. If he/ she don’t, then re-training is required.
  • Those enrolled in the state approved CNA program and seeking CNA certification, can job at a healthcare setting prior to receiving the licensure but not for more than 120 days.  If aspirants are unable to make it in that time frame of 120 days, can’t work as a nursing aide further.

To keep the license active, renewal of it is needed within the 60 days of the expiration date. A license stays active only for two years. Renewal is done on the very last date of the birth year. If the birth year of a candidate is even, then renewal has to be done on every even numbered year.