Important Information about CNA License in Illinois

The need for Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) is constantly growing especially with the Baby Boomers, which currently comprised 28% of the country’s total population, hitting their ripe, old age. This is causing a growing demand of competent nursing aides to specially look after their long term care.

License Requirements

The State-approved program for a Certified Nursing Assistant requires at least 80 hours of classroom discussion and 40 hours of practical training. However, for an individual to be eligible for the certified nursing assistant program, he or she must:

Complete at least eight grade levels education
At least 16 years old
Good moral character with no record of abuse, neglect or misuse of property in Illinois or in other states
Pass the state administered examination which consists of both written and practical application

Schools Offering CNA Training

Individuals aspiring to be CNAs should be careful in applying to an online certified nursing program since the state currently do not allow certification done entirely online. Some schools you can look into are:

Beck Area Career Center
6137 Beck Rd, Red Bud, IL 62278
Black Hawk College, East
26230 Black Hawk Road, Galva, IL 61434
City Colleges of Chicago - Harold Washington College
30 E Lake St, Chicago, IL 60601
City Colleges of Chicago - Kennedy - King College
6301 S Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60621
City Colleges of Chicago - Malcolm X College
1900 W Van Buren, Chicago, IL 60612
City Colleges of Chicago - Olive - Harvey College
10001 S Woodlawn Ave, Chicago, IL 60628
City Colleges of Chicago - Richard J Daley College
7500 S Pulaski Rd, Chicago, IL 60652
City Colleges of Chicago - Wilbur Wright College
4300 N Narragansett, Chicago, IL 60634
College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn
425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn, IL 60137
College of Lake County, Grayslake
19351 W Washington St., Grayslake, IL 60030
Computer Systems Institute, Chicago
29 East Madison, Chicago, IL 60602
Computer Systems Institute, Gurnee
5330 Grand Avenue, Gurnee, IL 60031
Danville Area Community College
2000 E Main St, Danville, IL 61832
East-West University
816 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60605
Elgin Community College
1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin, IL 60123
Governors State University
1 University Parkway, Park Forest, IL 60466
Graham Hospital School of Nursing
210 W Walnut St, Canton, IL 61520
McHenry County College
8900 US Hwy 14, Crystal Lake, IL 60012
Midwest Technical Institute
2731 Farmers Market Road, Springfield, IL 62707
Morton College
3801 S Central Ave, Cicero, IL 60804
National University of Health Sciences, Lombard
200 E Roosevelt Rd, Lombard, IL 60148
Northwestern College, Bridgeview Campus
7725 South Harlem Avenue, Bridgeview, IL 60455
Oakton Community College
1600 E Golf Rd., Des Plaines, IL 60016
Parkland College
2400 W Bradley Ave, Champaign, IL 61821
Prairie State College
202 South Halsted Street, Chicago Heights, IL 60411
Rock Valley College
3301 N Mulford Rd, Rockford, IL 61114
Rockford Career College
1130 South Alpine Road, Rockford, IL 61108
Sauk Valley Community College
173 Il Route 2, Dixon, IL 61021
Shawnee Community College, Ullin
8364 Shawnee College Rd, Ullin, IL 62992
Solex College
350 E Dundee Road, Suite 200, Wheeling, IL 60090
South Suburban College
15800 South State Street, South Holland, IL 60473
Southwestern Illinois College
2500 Carlyle Ave, Belleville, IL 62221
Southwestern Illinois College, Red Bud
500 West South Fourth Street, Red Bud, IL 62278
Southwestern Illinois College, Sam Wolf Granite City
4950 Maryville Road, Granite City, IL 62040
The College of Office Technology
1520 West Division Street, Chicago, IL 60642
Triton College
2000 5th Ave, River Grove, IL 60171
Waubonsee Community College
4S783 State Route 47, Sugar Grove, IL 60554

However, registered nurses and licensed practical nurses with valid Illinois license can act in the capacity of a CNA even with the certification from the Illinois Health Care Workers Registration.

For Illinois nursing students, you can also likewise apply for a CNA license during the course of your nursing education as soon as you pass the written examination after you have completed appropriate basic nursing courses and 40 hours of practical application.

Illinois CNA Licensing Procedure

Unlike other state licensing procedures, Illinois applicants need to only complete the written examination. The examination is administered by Southern Illinois University and sends the results to the Illinois Health Care Workers Registry electronically. There is also no written certification issued to a licensed CNA but your name will be actively registered so long as you maintain a paying job and the license do not expire.

Moreover, since there are only around 100 certified nursing assistant programs in the state of Illinois, an out-of-state practicing CNA can apply for an Illinois CNA certification without having to take the state-administered examinations. An applicant would only need to submit a duly accomplished form stating intent to apply for a certification and submit his or her electronic fingerprint for a background check. He or she must not also posses any allegations of abuse and neglect or be convicted of a crime.

However, life-time validity of your Illinois CNA license may be revoked and will require recertification if the individual:

Fails to provide proof of rendering nursing related services in a period of 24 consecutive months
Out-of-state CNA license expired

You don’t need to stay in school for 10 years to be able to help people. Yes, it may not be as glamorous as a doctor’s job but a certified nursing aide’s job is definitely much more fulfilling