An applicant is required to have 75 hours of state-approved training before the examination. These 75 hours typically cover anatomy and physiology, nutrition, kinesiology, patient rights and infection control. In addition, applicants must pass a background check before working with patients. Furthermore, the applicant is allowed to take the exam only three times, and must pass the exam within one year of application.
The certified nurse's assistant licensing exam is designed to test the applicant's knowledge of the duties and limitations of a certified nurse's assistant. The test is designed to assess the applicant's knowledge of patient confidentiality as well. In addition, the test evaluates the applicant's competency to become a certified nurse's assistant.
The written portion of the exam is given by a state-approved examiner. In most states. the exam contains 55 multiple-choice questions and the applicant has two hours to finish. If the applicant is illiterate or blind, the exam is given orally for an additional fee. Similarly, if the applicant does not speak English, the exam is available in many other languages for an additional fee. For the clinical test, the applicant must complete five tasks in 35 minutes. The tasks are performed on a volunteer, another applicant or a patient.
The length of the tests varies from state to state. Typically, the tests take place on one day and results are given immediately afterward. The certification given by the state takes one to two weeks to be mailed. In the meantime, a supplementary paper of certification is given by the state-approved examiner.
Every year, the certified nurse's assistant must recertify with the state. Some states do not acknowledge certification from other states. In addition, the exam costs over $100 in every state, and the average pay rate for certified nurse's assistants is fairly low.