To become a certified nursing aide in Virginia, the state requires participation and successful completion of an education program before taking the certification exam. Valid nursing aide programs must conform to the guidelines constructed by the Board of Education and the Board of Nursing. The program must provide students with at least 120 hours of education and distribute copies of Virginia law pertaining to criminal history records checks to all applying students. These handouts inform students of crimes that would prevent them from working in the health care field. The nurse's aid program must also teach the following: communication and interpersonal skills; safety and emergency procedures; personal care skills; appropriate clinical care of the aged and disabled; skills for basic restorative services; clients' rights; legal aspects of practice as a certified nurse assistant; occupational health and safety measures; culturally sensitive care; and appropriate management of conflict.
Created by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, the National Nurse Aide Assessment Program (NNAAP) examination ensures ability to perform the duties of a nurse's aide in an entry level position. To register for the exam you must send an application, a certificate of completion from your education program and as of November 2010 a $94 fee to the Nurse Aide Competency Evaluation Service (NACES). Applications are available from the Pearson Vue website or by mail from the NACES. Once the NACES receives your materials, they schedule your test time and location.
The test consists of two parts --- the written exam and the skills evaluation. Including 70 multiple choice questions, the written portion of the exam covers topics such as physical care skills, basic nursing skills and mental health needs. According to the Virginia Nurse Aide Candidate Handbook, "The Skills Evaluation is set up to resemble an actual care giving situation." A Nurse Aide Evaluator will arbitrarily choose five nurse aide skills to perform using the provided equipment, which must be completed in the allotted 25 minutes. To become certified, both parts of the NNAAP examination must be passed.
Once you pass the exam, your name automatically gets submitted to the Virginia Nurse Aide Registry. You cannot practice, however, until your name appears on the registry. If you fail one or both parts of the exam, you must retake those portions of the test. To do so, resubmit your application, your failing score report and fee to NACES to retake the test. As of November 2010, you must pay $94 to retake both parts of the test, $25 to retake the written exam or $69 to retake the skills evaluation. You can retake the exam as many times as needed.
Virginia requires its CNAs to renew their certification every two years. Complete a renewal form --- either online or on paper --- and pay a $50 fee, as of November 2010. According to the Virginia Board of Nursing you must also "certify that you have performed nursing related duties for compensation during the two years prior to your expiration date." If your expiration date passes without renewal or you haven't practiced as a CNA for pay for the last two years, you must retake the state competency exam.