Nurse Aide

A Nurse Aide is an individual other than a licensed health care professional who is employed to perform nursing or nursing related services.  (continued description)

Applications Accessing the Nurse Aide Registry           Instructions to Verify a Nurse Aide on the Website Contact Us Disqualification on the Registry Employment Rosters for Facilities Facility Forms Fees Guide to Licensure/       Regis for Foreign Educated Nurses Information re: Written & Skills Exams Listings Maintaining Your Registry Status Moving from Nebraska to Another State

Moving to Nebraska from Another State Name and Address Change Nursing Facility Abuse/Neglect/Misappropriation Reporting Requirements Procedures for placement on the nurse aide registry      Nursing Students      Military Training      Foreign Nurses      Lapsed/Inactive      RN's/LPN's Placement on the Nebraska Nurse Aide Registry Reactivation from Lapsed to Active Status Role of the Nurse Aide Rules/Regulations/Statutes

Nurse Aide continued...
In a medicare/medicaid certified nursing facility, a nurse aide must have completed a state approved 75 hour nurse aide training course and competency evaluation program (a competency evaluation consists of passing a written test and a skills test) and be listed on the nurse aide registry. Nurse aides who work in licensed nursing homes that are not medicare or medicaid certified must have completed a state approved 75 hour nurse aide course and competency evaluation. In an intermediate care facility for the mentally retarded (ICF-MR), a nursing assistant must have completed a state approved 21 hour basic resident care course. Nurse aides that are employed outside of these types of facilities, who meet the requirements may request to be placed on the registry, but registry placement is not required.

Regulations specific to home health aides can be found in 175 NAC 14-006.04G5 or you can contact Joann Erickson at (402) 471-3484 or e-mail her at joann.erickson@dhhs.ne.gov.

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Requirements for Placement on the Nebraska Nurse Aide Registry

To qualify for placement on the Nebraska Nurse Aide Registry an individual must:  

1. Be at least 16 years of age;
2. Be able to speak and understand the English language; and
3. Successfully complete, within 120 days of employment, a state approved 75 hour nurse aide training and competency evaluation program or 21 hour basic resident care course for intermediate care facilities for the mentally retarded.
4. Cannot have been convicted of a crime rationally related to the role of a nurse aide involving moral turpitude. (Moral turpitude has been defined as an act or behavior that violates accepted moral standards and in legal terms means anything done contrary to justice, honesty, modesty, good morals and with the intent to defraud.)

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Procedures for Placement on the Nurse Aide Registry:

An individual who successfully completes a state approved nurse aide course and competency evaluation program or a basic resident care course through either a facility or non-facility based program, does not need to complete an application. The individual’s name is automatically added to the registry within 30 days after the department is notified of successful completion of both the written and skills exams.

An individual who is a nursing student must submit:

1. A signed copy of their transcript.
   Some nursing programs automatically send in the names of students who have completed the courses required to meet the nurse aide training requirements. In this case the transcript is not required. Please check with your specific nursing program to determine if this has been done.
2. Abuse Inservice Documentation
   Some nursing programs include this information in their courses and others do not. You will be notified if this inservice will be needed for placement on the registry.
3. Application for Self Registration - Written Competency Exam. Schedule of 2008 written exam dates and locations, if grades in
   any of the required courses were less than 70%.
   **PLEASE NOTE APPLICATIONS MUST BE RECEIVED AT LEAST TWO WEEKS PRIOR TO TEST DATE
4. Application for Self Registration - Clinical Competency Exam, if grades in any of the required courses were less than 70%.

An individual who has had military training must submit:

1. A copy of their training records, if an individual is still active in the military or a copy of their DD214, if an individual is discharged from the military.
2. Abuse Inservice Documentation
3. Application for Self Registration - Written Competency Exam. Schedule of 2008 written exam dates and locations. **PLEASE NOTE APPLICATIONS MUST BE RECEIVED AT LEAST TWO WEEKS PRIOR TO TEST DATE
4. Application for Self Registration - Clinical Competency Exam.

After receipt of above information, the department will review for medical training and if applicable, status at time of discharge. If the individual’s training meets the requirements of Neb. Rev. Stat. § 71-6039, the individual will be required to pass the state administered written and skills exams prior to placement on the Nurse Aide Registry.

An individual who has been trained as a foreign nurse must submit:

1. A copy of their certificate of graduation and/or copy of their license translated to English if necessary.
2. Abuse Inservice Documentation
3. Application for Self Registration - Written Competency Exam. Schedule of 2008 written exam dates and locations.
   **PLEASE NOTE APPLICATIONS MUST BE RECEIVED AT LEAST TWO WEEKS PRIOR TO TEST DATE
4. Application for Self Registration - Clinical Competency Exam.
5. If applicable, a copy of results of the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools exam (CGFNS) or Canadian Nurse Licensing exam. If an individual has taken and passed either of these exams, the state written and skills exams are not required.

An individual who has an inactive/lapsed RN or LPN license must submit:

1. Abuse Inservice Documentation.
2. Application for Self Registration - Written Competency Exam, schedule of 2008 written exam dates and locations, if it has been longer than 24 months since the individual performed nursing or nursing related services for monetary compensation.
3. Application for Self Registration - Clinical Competency Exam, if it has been longer than 24 months since the individual performed nursing or nursing related services for monetary compensation.
4. Copy of inactive/lapsed license if license was from a state other than Nebraska.

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Name and Address Change

To request an address change, you may fill out the address change form or contact Wanda Wiese at (402) 471-0537 or email at wanda.wiese@dhhs.ne.gov.   Be sure to include your name and social security number if you mail, fax, or email your address change.

In order to change your name, you must mail or fax the name change form or a written request with your signature notarized along with a copy of the marriage certificate, divorce decree, or other court record verifying your name change. (A driver's license or Social Security Card may also be used a documentation as long as it shows the new name.) Be sure to include your social security number on the document you submit.

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Accessing the Nurse Aide Registry

In order to satisfy survey requirements, employers who are placing nurse aides in direct care positions in Medicare/Medicaid certified nursing facilities must obtain verification from the Nurse Aide Registry in the form of a Registry Letter if the nurse aide has not tested in the last two years. (We do not recommend that you use License Status or Issue Date to verify eligibility for Nurse Aides.) The Registry Letter can be requested by e-mail, fax, or by calling the Registry. The fax number is (402) 471-1066.

If the nurse aide’s last nurse aide test date is within two years, you may print out the website information and use this in the aide’s file. You do not need to request a Registry Letter for these aides.

Anyone wishing to verify a nurse aide should use the "General License Informaton" website available at www.dhhs.ne.gov/lis/lisindex.htm. Please contact the Registry for more information by e-mailing wanda.wiese@dhhs.ne.gov or by calling (402) 471-0537.

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Maintaining Your Registry Status

Once an individual is placed on the nurse aide registry their status remains active until such time as 24 months has lapsed since the individual stopped working as a nurse aide. If an individual does not provide nursing or nursing related services for monetary compensation for more that 24 months, their status becomes lapsed. This requirement is only for medicare/medicaid certified nursing facilities.

There are no inservice or continuing education requirements for maintaining an active status on the nurse aide registry. There is a requirement for medicare/medicaid certified and licensed nursing facilities to provide nurse aides with 12 hours of inservice. This inservice requirement is a facility requirement and not a nurse aide registry requirement.

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Requirements for Reactivation from Lapsed to Active Status

An individual who has performed nurse aide duties for monetary compensation that was not reported to the Registry may submit an Employment Verification Form which is a notarized statement from the employer that verifies the name and address of the employer, dates of employment, and that nurse aide duties were performed. This form may be used to update employment as long as there is not a two-year gap in employment since the last test date or last date of employment shown on the Registry. Since employment is not shown on the website, you may need to contact the Registry at (402) 471-0537 to determine the last date of employment shown on the Registry.

An individual who has performed nurse aide duties for a State-licensed facility or agency in Nebraska does not need to have the notary section of the Employment Verification Form completed. If you worked for anyone else (private duty, or a non-licensed facility or agency) the notary section does have to be completed.

An Individual who has not worked as a nurse aide for two years and who has taken an approved 75-hour nurse aide course may reactivate his/her registration by retaking the written and clinical exams. (This individual is not eligible to work in a medicare/medicaid certified nursing facility until they have successfully completed these exams and the results have been posted to the Registry or the facility has been provided with copies of the exam results.)

For retesting, there are two options:

Please note: Testing through the State of Nebraska is currently taking about two to three months to complete. If you are in a hurry, you will want to contact one of the community colleges on the approval list for retesting.

1. TESTING THROUGH THE STATE OF NEBRASKA FOR NO FEE--the written and clinical exams are generally held on separate dates at separate locations. The written exam is held at approximately six different locations on scheduled dates throughout the state each month. The clinical exam is scheduled directly with you by the tester, usually by telephone. It takes approximately three weeks to update the Registry with exam results after the exam is taken. To guarantee the test date you register for, registration forms must be submitted at least two weeks prior to exam. If you wish to sign up for the State exams, please review the Schedule (2008) for the location where you wish to take the written exam. Complete the Self-Registration Forms ( Clinical Form; Written Form) and return them to our office. (For the written exam, make sure you indicate under Examination Site the location you wish to take the exam.) We will notify you of the time of the written exam once your registration form has been processed. You may contact Kathy Eberly at (402) 471-4364 if you have further questions about the State exams or if you need to cancel or reschedule your exam. 
2. TESTING THROUGH ONE OF THE COMMUNITY COLLEGES APPROVED TO DO RECOMPETENCY TESTING FOR A FEE DETERMINED BY THAT COLLEGE--You will usually complete both the written and clinical exams on the same day and you will know that same day if you passed or failed both exams. The college will then forward your test scores to the Registry. It takes about three weeks to update your records once we receive them from the college. If you wish to sign up to take the exams through one of these colleges, you will need to contact the college directly to sign up. You will need to give them a printout of your registry information from the website to show that you completed a 75-hour nurse aide course and that you are eligible to retest.

An individual who took a 30-hour nurse aide course prior to 1989 and was "grandfathered" onto the Registry is not eligible to retest. He/she must successfully complete an approved 75-hour nurse aide course and competency evaluation program to be reactivated on the Registry.

Any questions about reactivation from lapsed to active status or eligibility for retesting should be directed to the Registry at (402) 471-0537.

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Rules and Regulations/Statutes

Regulations and Standards Governing The Approval Of Training Programs For Nursing Assistants - 175 NAC 13
Medicaid Regulations - 471 NAC 12-002
Statutes Relating to Nursing Assistants (Nursing Homes) 
42 CFR 483.75-483.158

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Moving from Nebraska to Another State

If you are on the Nebraska Nurse Aide Registry and are moving to another state, you will need to contact the Nurse Aide Registry of that state to find out what is required to transfer your nurse aide.  You can obtain the phone number of the Nurse Aide Registry in another state at the National Council State Boards of Nursing website at https://www.ncsbn.org/179.htm. Click on “2008 Directory of Nurse Aide Registries”. 

Some states have a verification form that you will need to complete and forward it to us to complete the verification section.  We do not charge a fee to complete this form.  We usually process your application the same day it is received.   It is mailed directly to the State Board of the state you are moving to unless that State Board requests that it be sent back to the aide.  If you need it faxed to the other state’s registry, you will need to indicate this on your request and indicate the fax number of the state board it is going to. 

If you are faxing your application to us, make sure it is on white paper.  (Colored paper does not fax well—if it is on colored paper, you will need to make a copy of it and use the white copy when faxing.)  It can be faxed or sent to:

Nebraska Nurse Aide Registry
ATTN:  Wanda Wiese
PO Box 94986
Lincoln NE  68509-4986
FAX 402-471-1066

You may want to contact the Nebraska Registry at 402-471-0537 or by e-mail at wanda.wiese@dhhs.ne.gov to make sure your status is Active before you contact the other state’s registry.  You could also check your status via our website at www.dhhs.ne.gov/lis/lisindex.htm.   Click on “General License information” and then “Individual” to bring up the search screen.

In Nebraska your nurse aide registration will remain active for two years from your last test date or last date of employment as reported to the Registry.     Expiration date and employment information is not shown on the website, however.  If you are currently working as a nurse aide and you know it has been reported to the Registry, you can use two years from the current date as your expiration date.  If you have tested in the last two years and have not worked as a nurse aide, you can use two years from your last test date as your expiration date.

If you have any questions, please contact Wanda Wiese at 402-471-0537.

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Moving to Nebraska from Another State

If you are a nurse aide in another state and want to work in Nebraska, you must be on the Nebraska Nurse Aide Registry before you are eligible to work in a certified nursing facility.  We process applications in order received and it normally takes about two weeks to process your application once we receive it.  To transfer your nurse aide registration from another state to Nebraska, you must submit:

1.  Application for Interstate Endorsement Form and copies of any nurse aide certificates or licensure cards you have.

2.  If you were initially trained in Iowa, you must also attach a photocopy of the actual certificate you received to prove you successfully completed a 75-hour course.  This is not a copy of your Iowa licensure card and it is not the copy of your written or skills testing results.  It must say that you completed a 75-hour nurse aide course and give the date completed and bear the name of the college or facility where you received your training.  If you do not have this copy, you will need to contact the college or facility where you received your training to get a duplicate.

3.  All nurse aides coming into Nebraska from another state will need to have the Nebraska one-hour training on abuse and neglect even if you already had it in another state.  This is usually done by your first Nebraska employer as part of your orientation.  Your employer will complete the Abuse Inservice Documentation Form and fax it in to our office at 402-471-1066.  You can print this form and take it with you when you apply for jobs.   You do not need to send this form in to our office with your Application for Interstate Endorsement, but we must receive the completed Abuse Inservice Documentation Form before we can finish your application and issue your nurse aide registration number.   If you experience difficulties in obtaining this training, please contact Nancy Stava at 402-471-4971. 

If we are not able to verify completion of an approved 75-hour nurse aide course by contacting the Registry in the state in which you received your training, you may be required to submit verification of course completion before we can finish processing your application.  You can obtain the phone number of the Nurse Aide Registry in another state at the National Council State Boards of Nursing website at https://www.ncsbn.org/179.htm. Click on “2008 Directory of Nurse Aide Registries”.  You may want to contact the Registry of the state you are coming from to verify your status is active.

You may fax or mail your application to:

Nebraska Nurse Aide Registry
ATTN:  Nancy Stava
PO Box 94986
Lincoln NE  68509-4986
FAX:  402-471-1066

We will contact the Nurse Aide Registry in the state in which you received your training and any other states in which you have worked as a nurse aide.  

We do not issue licensure cards for nurse aides. You may check the website which is updated daily at www.dhhs.ne.gov/lis/lisindex.htm    Click on “General License Information”.

If you have any questions, please call Nancy Stava at 402-471-4971.

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Fees

Nebraska does not charge any fees for placement on the nurse aide registry. There are also no fees for the state administered written and skills competency testing. If testing is completed at an approved community college, the college may charge a fee for testing.

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Applications

These forms may be completed online, however, they cannot be submitted via e-mail due to the fact that all applications and forms require original signatures. If you complete the form online, you must print the form and mail it to the address listed.

Fees (if applicable) are payable to the "Licensing & Regulatory Affairs".

Abuse Inservice Documentation
Address Change Form
2008-2010 Federal Application for Training Program Approval
State Application for Training Program Approval
Course Notification
Self Registration - Clinical Competency Exam
Facility Registration - Clinical Competency Exam
Application for 75 hour Oral Competency Exam
Self Registration - Written Competency Exam 
        (schedule of 2008 Exams)
**PLEASE NOTE, APPLICATIONS MUST BE RECEIVED AT LEAST TWO WEEKS PRIOR TO TEST DATE
Facility Registration - Written Competency Exam
        (schedule of 2008 Exams)
**PLEASE NOTE, APPLICATIONS MUST BE RECEIVED AT LEAST TWO WEEKS PRIOR TO TEST DATE
Employment Verification Form
Name Change Form
Registry forms
Termination forms

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Role of the Nurse Aide

Nurse aides may perform nonspecialized tasks related to the personal care and comfort of residents, including activities of daily living. Nurse aides are to be competent to provide the tasks they are assigned to do.

According the to Nurse Practice Act, Registered Nurses are allowed to delegate noncomplex activities to unlicensed persons if done in accordance with 172 NAC 99 Regulations Governing the Provision of Nursing Care.

In Nebraska, any unlicensed person who provides medication in a licensed facility must meet the requirements of the Medication Aide Act.

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Disqualification on the Registry

An individual can be disqualified for employment in a medicaid/medicare certified nursing facility if:

1. They lapse due to no employment for more than 24 months;
2. They have a conviction that has been entered onto the registry that is rationally related to the position of a nurse aide involving moral turpitude;
3. A substantiated allegation of resident abuse, neglect or misappropriation of resident property in a medicare/medicaid certified facility that has been entered onto the registry.

When the department is made aware of a conviction for an individual who is listed on the nurse aide registry, court records are requested and the conviction is reviewed to determine if the conviction was for a crime of moral turpitude rationally related to the role of a nurse aide. If so determined, then the individual is notified of the department’s intent to place a finding of conviction on the registry. The individual is offered an opportunity for an administrative hearing and must request this in writing within 30 days of the notification. A finding of conviction is only entered onto the registry after either the individual does not appeal the decision or if all appeal rights have been resolved in favor of the department. A finding of conviction can be appealed once the conviction is no longer rationally related.

Department substantiated findings of resident abuse, neglect, or misappropriation of resident property in a certified nursing facility is entered after either the individual has not appealed the decision or all appeal rights have been resolved in favor of the Department. Findings of resident abuse or misappropriation of resident property are permanent findings. Finding of resident neglect may be appealed one time only if the occurrence of neglect was a singular occurrence and may be done after a year has lapsed since the finding was placed on the registry.

The department looks at every conviction on an individual basis and cannot give definitive answers to whether a conviction would meet the criteria indicated above until the records have been reviewed. Specific questions regarding resident abuse, neglect, misappropriation of resident property or findings of convictions should be addressed to Marletta Stark by e-mail at marletta.stark@dhhs.ne.gov or call her at (402) 471-4969. 

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Contact Us

Phone: (402) 471-0537
Fax: (402) 471-1066

Office Hours:

8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (central time)
Monday through Friday

For the Nurse Aide Registry
Wanda Wiese
(402) 471-0537
(402) 471-1066 Fax
e-mail: wanda.wiese@dhhs.ne.gov
Registry is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 to Noon, and 1:00 to 3:30

For Interstate Endorsements, Nursing Students, Military Training and Foreign Trained Nurses
Nancy Stava
(402) 471-4971
e-mail: nancy.stava@dhhs.ne.gov

For Nurse Aide Testing
Kathy Eberly
(402) 471-4364
e-mail: kathy.eberly@dhhs.ne.gov

Program Manager
Marletta Stark, RN, BSN
(402) 471-4969
e-mail: marletta.stark@dhhs.ne.gov

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Employment Rosters for Facilities

Facilities may now access a current roster of all nurse aides the Registry shows working at your facility. This list will be updated monthly. This file is sorted by city, then alphabetically by name of facility within that city, then by last name of aide within that facility. A facility could have more than one list depending on how the name of the facility is entered. If your facility had a name change, you may need to look under both the old and new names. You can either scroll through the list until you find your facility or do a Find function (control f) and enter the name of your facility. You will want to print out just those pages for your facility. It is very important that you do not print the entire report as it is about 750 pages long.

Click here to access the roster.  (this is an .rtf format which will open in your word processing software)

Once you print out this report, you may update it in the same way as the roster that is sent to you in the mail.

1. Add termination dates for those aides no longer working for you (or you may complete a Termination Form);
2. Add name, license (registry) number, and start date for those not shown (or you may complete a Nurse Aide Registry Form);
3. Check facility name and address to make sure it is listed correctly.

An Employment Verification Form (EVF), Nurse Aide Registry Form, or Termination Form is not required when the facility updates the Registry via the roster. You may add both start and end dates if the aide started and terminated since the last updates to the Registry.

Once the list has been updated, please send it to the Registry at the following address:

Nebraska Nurse Aide Registry
ATTN: Wanda
PO Box 94986
Lincoln NE 68509-4986

Please note that the website uses license number, but it is really a registry number for nurse aides and medication aides since these individuals are not licensed or certified. Please note that we do not track employment for Medication Aides. However, if a Medication Aide is working at a certified nursing home or LTC facility, their Nurse Aide status must also be Active. So if they are performing nurse aide duties while working as a Medication Aide and they have a Nurse Aide registration, you should show them as still working as a nurse aide on your roster.

Please return the corrected roster and any address changes or name changes to the address shown below.

Nebraska Nurse Aide Registry
ATTN: Wanda Wiese
PO Box 94986
Lincoln, NE 68509-4986

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Facility Forms

Facilities that offer the nurse aide course must register those individuals who have completed the training for the written and clinical exams. Facilities may also register individuals who were not trained at their facility but who are eligible to take the written and skills exam. The following forms are to be used:

Facility Registration - Written Competency Exam (schedule of 2008 Exams)
**PLEASE NOTE APPLICATIONS MUST BE RECEIVED AT LEAST TWO WEEKS PRIOR TO TEST DATE
Facility Registration - Clinical Competency Exam
Application for 75 hour Oral Competency Exam.

An individual may self register for these exams on the following forms:

Self Registration - Written Competency Exam (schedule of 2008 Exams)
**PLEASE NOTE APPLICATIONS MUST BE RECEIVED AT LEAST TWO WEEKS PRIOR TO TEST DATE
Self Registration - Clinical Competency Exam

Facilities are asked to report employment and termination of nurse aides. The following forms are to be used:

Registry forms
Termination forms

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Information regarding the written and skills exams

The written exam consists of 50 multiple-choice questions. A passing grade is 70% or greater. Results take approximately 3 weeks to process.  You will not be notified of your indivitual exam score unless you fail the exam.  Notification of failing grades will be sent to the Director of Nursing (DON) of the facility that registered you for the exam or to you directly if you self-registered for the exam. An individual has a total of three opportunities to pass the written exam. If an individual does not pass the exam after 3 tries, they must retake the 75 hour nurse aide course if they want to pursue placement on the nurse aide registry. The department administers the nurse aide exam monthly at 6 or 7 locations across the state. Persons must be preregistered for the exam and facilities or individuals must indicate the date and location of the exam for which they are registering. It is helpful to have the registration forms in 2-3 weeks prior to the date of testing otherwise we can not guarantee that the individual will be able to test as there is limited space at test sites. Confirmation of registration including the time of the exam will be by mail or phone call to the facility or individual. The individual must be at the test site at the scheduled time in order to hear the instructions for testing or they will not be allowed to test. Individuals must also bring to the exam a photo ID or two other forms of ID in order to take the exam.

The skills exam consists of a demonstration of 6 skills selected to be representative of the skills required to be taught in an approved nurse aide course. The individual must pass each of the 6 skills in order to pass the skills exam. Passing score is 70% or greater on each skill. Some of the skills may have one or more mandatory steps. These steps must be performed and performed correctly in order to pass that skill. If any one of the 6 skills are failed, the individual fails the skills exam. The individual has a total of 3 opportunities to pass the skills exam. If an individual retakes the skills exam, they will be given a new packet of 6 skills to demonstrate. If the skills exam is not passed after 3 opportunities then the individual must retake the 75 hour nurse aide training course in order to pursue placement on the nurse aide registry. The skills exam is arranged directly with the tester. The tester will call the facility or individual to arrange the date and location for testing. Results of the skills exam are known at the time of testing. Individuals must bring one photo ID or two other forms of ID to the exam.

Clinical Examination Equipment List is a list of needed equipment and supplies that must be available in facilities with approved nurse aide training courses in order for the department to conduct the skills competency exam.

The written and skills exams are not necessarily scheduled on the same day.

The individual's name is added to the registry within 30 days after the Department is notified of successful completion of both the written and clinical exams.

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