CNA Certification in North Carolina

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Aspiring Certified Nursing Aide of the state of North Carolina, need to follow a process that is under the regulation of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).

DHHS governs the state’s training course. The DHHS agency has contracted with the Pearson VUE to conduct the examination of the National Nurse Aide Assessment Program (NNAAP) level. Aspirants must complete the approved training course and the examination.

Eligibility Requirements

To get approval for the North Carolina’s training program requires meeting the following guidelines of the state’s Board of Nursing:

  • Possession of the CPR Certification;
  • Minimum age of the candidate must be 18 or above;
  • Own an evidence of a GED or a High School graduation;
  • Must have taken the testing held for criminal background check. Candidate must be free from the past convictions record; and
  • Candidates must also take a complete physical test that must include TB screening and drug screening tests.

Aspirants can apply for the state approved training programs once they fulfil the required criteria to become eligible for the training.

How to Apply

Some candidates can skip the training part of the CNA process. This privilege is given to the-

  • Candidates who took the CNA training in other state;
  • Candidates with lapsed certificates who have taken a refresher course;
  • Candidates who got equivalent healthcare knowledge and experience; or
  • Candidates who are enrolled in the state’s approved training course.

Rest of the aspirants need to take the CNA training. Approved training programs involve at least 75 hours with minimum 16 hours for each hands on training and classroom lectures. A list of the State approved training programs is provided by the North Carolina Division of Health Service Regulation and is available on the link-http://www.ncdhhs.gov/dhsr/hcpr/guide.html.

After taking the training, aspirants can apply for the competency examination conducted by the Pearson VUE group.

Fees

Expenses to earn CNA credentials in the state of North Carolina fall in the range between $ 800 and $ 1000. This amount does not include expenses on testing.  There are two portion in which testing is done- Written and Practical. Written portion involves multiple choice questions and in practical part, candidates perform the chosen clinical tasks.

Testing fee is as follows:

Both Practical and Written test: $ 101
Written re-test: $ 24
Practical re-test: $ 77
Orally administered both Written and Practical test: $ 101
Oral re-test: $ 24

Certificate Renewal

CNAs stay active on the state’s registry for 24 months from the date of registration in the registry. To get the active status of the license, Nursing Assistants need to provide an evidence of the paid employment of the minimum of eight hours work- day in a skilled nursing facility.

Must Know Facts

  • Candidates, who are enrolled in the nursing aide training course, can take up a job of a CNA in a nursing home or a healthcare centre for a period of up to 4 months. In this duration they must earn the credentials otherwise they face termination from the nursing services.
  • Issues related to criminal offences and previous nursing assistant job related crisis may pose danger to find employment as a CNA in the state.
  • The link of the DHHS official website- http://www.ncdhhs.gov/dhsr/hcpr/personnel.html .