The responsibility of administrating a state approved nurse aide program in Michigan is shouldered by the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) and the Bureau of Health Professions. LARA has made an agreement with Prometric , according to which, they together will develop and direct the Certified Nurse Aide Evaluation Program in the state of Michigan.
The Prometric also looks after the Registry of the state, wherein all the certified nurse aides of Michigan are enlisted. The bulletin helps the applicants, who are seeking to become a CNA in Michigan, to know about the appropriate procedures in detail.
Eligibility Criteria
In order to work as a nurse aide in the state, you need to meet certain eligibility criteria, which are as follows:
- Completion of the training from the state approved nurse aide program.
- Obtaining the registration form (pertaining to the Michigan Nurse Aide Competency Evaluation) online from www.prometric.com/NurseAide/MI, and submitting the duly filled form.
- Preparing for both parts of the nursing tests (written and skill tests).
- Taking the tests at the mentioned scheduled time and the regional testing site.
- Qualify both the parts of the exam.
Skills Evaluation Test
In skills evaluation test, a candidate is graded on the basis of how accurately he/she demonstrate the five skills, given by the examiner. Apart from hand-washing skill and indirect care skill, three clinical skills will be assigned to you, as these two skills are compulsory to perform during the clinical test.
- 35 minutes of time is allowed to each candidate, to finish the assigned skills.
- Passing each given skill is compulsory for every candidate, in order to qualify the entire skills test.
- You must show your competency while demonstrating every skill.
- Every candidate must try to match up the checkpoints, written in the checklist.
- To observe your performance keenly, and compare your presentation with the checkpoints, a Nurse Aide Evaluator (NAE) remains available in the clinical room or lab.
- Every candidate is provided with an instruction sheet, which comprises of the name of skills, you need to perform during the test.
- The candidates are taken to the clinical laboratory, where the test occurs, with somebody acting as a patient or with a replica.
- The regulations of the clinical skills test permit the candidates to make necessary corrections during their performance, if they require.
- While doing the correction in a certain skill, the candidate must inform the NAE about it.
- Applicants will not be allowed to correct any skills, once they have finished it, and have already notified the NAE about the completion of the skill.
- The NAE is not allowed to coach, teach or talk about the results and/or performance of any candidate with anyone.
- It is mandatory to qualify the clinical skills test, prior undertaking the written test.
Written Exam (Knowledge Test)
For undertaking the written test, you have to access the regional testing site on your computer. Before starting the test, you will get some practice questions to answer that will make you familiar with the testing format. The written test comprises of 60 multiple-choice questions. Every candidate gets 90 minutes for completing the test.
The AAT or Authorization to Test Letter
Once, a complete registration form is sent to the Prometric, it gets under-processed. After completion of the processing of the form, the candidate obtains a mail of ATT or Authorization to Test Letter.The ATT contains your authorization number and other general information about your tests, like scheduled time and venue of the exam.
In Michigan, candidates have to qualify the CNA exam within one year of completion of their training. Those, who don’t get an ATT letter before exam, can call Prometric at 800.752.4724.
Preparation of the Exam
Aspiring candidates can prepare themselves for the nursing exam by practicing on the below given site www.prometric.com/nurseaide
The practice tests, available on various testing sites, are designed in the format, as available on the actual certification site. These practice tests help the candidates to get acquainted with the computer-oriented testing procedures. Immediately after the practice test, candidates can get information about their score. The practice exam contains around 50 questions. The fee charged for each practice test is $10. You can pay the fees online, with the help of a credit or a debit card.
Exam Fees
Applicants can pay their testing fees at the official test site, prior appearing for the test. Applicants, who don’t pay the complete fees in advance, are not allowed to sit in the test. You can make payments through cashier’s cheque, money order or nursing facility cheque. No cash and personal cheques are allowed.
Applicants need to pay the test fees on two separate sites through two different cheques.
- For the test administration fees, you need to send one cheque to the regional test site;
- For the testing fee, you need to send another check to the Prometric.
Here is the fees structure for taking the nursing test in the state of Michigan.
Test Options | Cheque to Test Site | Cheque to Prometric |
Knowledge Test and Clinical Skills Test | $100 | $76.50 |
ONLY for the Clinical Skills Test | $85 | $34 |
ONLY for the Knowledge Test | $15 | $30.50 |
For Scheduling the Tests
Those, who are hired by any nursing facility, must inform their facility to make arrangements for their exams. Those, who are not employed anywhere, can mail the given credentials to the Prometric:
- You need to send the Michigan Nurse Aide Competency Evaluation Registration Form online at www.prometric.com/NurseAide/MI. You must fill the form accurately.
- Students are also required to send the training completion documents or evidence of training exemption from LARA, which includes a copy of the exemption consent form. During the test, you need to provide the original approval form to the testing site.
- Applicants must have a Social Security number at the time of completing the registration form. Candidates, not having Social Security number, are not permitted to sit for the test.
Remember, incomplete, unreadable and/or unsigned registration forms are sent back to the candidates, which results in the delay of your test.
Rescheduling
If you want to reschedule your test without any fee, you must call at the regional test site 48 hours prior to your scheduled test.
Fees of Rescheduling the Test
- No fee is charged, if you apply for rescheduling at least 48 hours before the scheduled test.
- A fee of $25 is charged, if you fail to apply before 48 hours of your scheduled exam.
Testing sites doesn’t give a testing schedule to those candidates, who have a no-show for three times, till the time he/she has compensated with all the exceptional rescheduling fees.
Cancellation of Test
If the scheduled test gets cancelled, because of the unfavourable weather conditions, or any other major complications, then the regional test site tries to make contact with you, to make you aware about the cancellation. In case of any doubt or question, regarding the closing of testing site, you may also call the testing site to confirm the appointment. If you find the test site closed, then your test is rescheduled for one more time, with no additional charges.
Candidates must reach the test venue at least 30 minutes before the test time appointment. This secures the time to sign in and get your identifications verified by the staff.
On the Exam Day
While going to the regional test site, you must bring the given things with you:
- Candidates must take the original Authorization to Test (ATT) letter sent by the Prometric.
- Bringing a signed Social Security card is also compulsory. In case, the candidate lost their Social Security card, they need to bring an official message from the Social Security Administration.
- Ensure that the letter, you have received from the Social Security Administration, must have your Social Security number acknowledged as a replacement for your lost card.
- Identification cards (IDs are driver’s license, Michigan ID card or passport), you carry with you, must have your latest photo, along with your signature.
- Candidates are required to bring two cheques at the time of test, one payable to Prometric; and the second one payable to the regional test site.
- Cracked, torn or tampered IDs will not be approved or accepted, and candidates with such ID cards will not be allowed to sit for the test.
- Candidates, who fail to bring all the required documents to their testing location, are also not granted permission to take the test.
- Such candidates will need to pay an extra, non-refundable charge of $25, to reschedule their test.
Exam Results
The test scores are displayed at your district test site. Applicants can know their results immediately after finishing the test.
What If You Fail the Exam?
If a candidate fails to qualify the clinical part of the test, then his/her knowledge test appointment also gets cancelled. The local test site provided a Knowledge Test Voucher to such candidates, as evidence that the testing payment has been made. Those, who fail to qualify any of the tests, are eligible for retesting, and will get a new ATT letter via mail within 14 days, after giving their test.
Candidates, who don’t receive their ATT letter, can call at 800.752.4724. After, getting your latest ATT letter, you can schedule a new testing appointment. If you find that your ATT letter is going to expire soon, you can request the Prometric to fax your ATT letter, directly to the regional testing site.
Three chances are provided to the candidates for qualifying both the tests. If any candidate fails to qualify the exam in three attempts, then he/she is entitled to enrol again for the training program and get through the whole process again.
Retesting
Students, who have failed in the knowledge test, can schedule their test at any site. Those, who want to go for retesting at another site, must request the original site to pass on the knowledge test fees to the new suggested site, if they can. You can also enquire the new selected site, whether they accept a knowledge test voucher from the original test site or not.
If the original test site is not ready to pay the knowledge test administration fee of $15 or the new test site is also not willing to accept the knowledge test voucher, then the candidate is liable to pay the entire fee of $15 to the new regional test site.
What If You Pass the Exam?
Candidates receive their nurse aide Registry certificate through mail, within 14 days, after their test date, when they pass both the clinical skills and knowledge test. The result of every candidate is strictly confidential, and it cannot be exposed on the telephone. Prometric holds a record of every candidate, who takes the test. Prometricalso pass on the details of those, who have qualified in both the tests to the state Registry.
Successful candidates receive a Registry certificate and get placed on the Michigan Nurse Aide Registry. The Nurse Aide Registry certificate, provided to the successful candidates, is valid only for two years from the date it was issued to them. After that, it gets expired, and you need to go for the renewal process.
For acquiring more information regarding the testing method, you can contact at the below mentioned address:
Prometric
1260 Energy Lane
St. Paul, MN 55108
Phone: 800-752-4724
Fax: 800-813-6670