Getting a Certified Nursing Assistant License

A few things you should know about the licensing process for Certified Nursing Assistants are:

• You will have to fill out the local state application form at the Nursing Aide Registry licensing authority and then sign and notarize it. You will have to send in the form to the local division of the State Licensing Office. Most states require you to attach recent attested photographs to the form with the registration fee in the form of a demand draft.
• The licensing authority of your state will also ask you to fill up a local Verification of Training form to ensure that the school you have completed your training from is a part of an accredited program. You have to give the form to the school you passed out from and they will fill it out for you and send it on to the Nurse Aide Registry to aid in your licensing.
• Almost every state will also require you to submit to a background and medical check. You will have to ask for and fill up a fingerprint card and submit it to the local Department of Public Safety to pass a state and national criminal background check.
• The local board of nursing will also need to approve your application before you can be eligible for licensing.
• Temporary permits are also issued if required but only when you put in your fingerprint cards and a processing fee. You can also get an endorsement application to fast track your licensing application. You have to get your licensing verified from a website like Nursys.com or the state where you passed your nursing examination.
• The total cost of your processing fee for the licensing form will come to approximately $300- $600 depending on the state you are applying to.
• Licensing takes about four to eight weeks to come through and the applications are processed from the date of their receipt.
• You will be notified with email or a letter about the status of your application. But you cannot ring up the State Nursing Board about the status of your application though.

The main point you have to remember is that different states have different licensing requirements for the exam. Almost all of the states will have a handbook attached to local Nursing Registry site from where you can download the requirements for the CNA license. The fees, work requirements and continuing education requirements will also vary from state to state so check with the National Network of Career Nursing Assistants for the latest information.