Nurse Aide Registry in Pennsylvania

The Pennsylvania Department of Health has appointed the Nurse Aide Registry office to set the rules and regulations for the nurse aide training and certification.

To become a certified nursing assistant you must enrol in a program that is approved by this registry.

The registry scrutinizes the training program after fixed time periods and if it finds that the programs are not providing quality training or has violated any rules, the approval of the training is withdrawn.

CNA Certification Requirements in Pennsylvania

Although becoming a nurse aide is a very good option, you have to take training from a state-approved program before you can work with patients.

Although there are state and federal laws as a minimum qualification for nurse aides, individual schools and colleges may have their own requirements for students. Most of the schools or colleges that offer this program will require that you should be physically fit to be able to lift weight about 40 pounds easily. To find a suitable training program browse our this post.

You should not have any communicable disease; you will be required o produce a chest X-ray to show that you do not have TB, and you should have Criminal History Record information to show that you have a clear record. They will also prefer candidates who are at least 16 years old and have done their high school or GED.

The test consists of the written and the skills test. The written exam consists of 70 multiple choice questions which should be completed within two hours. If you are unable to read properly then you can take an oral test instead of a written test. To take free CNA practice tests online visits our this post.

This test consists of 60 multiple choice questions and 10 questions are based on reading comprehension or word recognition. The skills test will be conducted by the Nurse Aide evaluator who will test your knowledge for the five skills.

The first will be hand washing skill and the remaining four will be selected randomly from the skills listed in your handbook. You will get 30 minutes to complete all the tasks provided to you.

Step 1 – To download the application click the link below:

https://asisvcs.com/publications/pdf/063909.pdf

Step 2 – Submit your application to the following address

Pearson VUE – Pennsylvania Nurse Aide Registry
PO Box 13785
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19101-3785

How to Verify CNA Certification in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Department of Health has an option for their healthcare professional to verify the certification online. This service is also available 24/7. To verify your status, go to the URL below and follow the steps.

Online Verification 

Renewal of CNA certification in Pennsylvania

Your certification will remain valid for about 24 months from the date it was issued. You will have to retake the competency test and pay for the test if you are unable to renew your certification and it lapses.

If you want to be eligible for re-certification then you should have worked for at least 8 hours for pay in the last 24 months.

This work should be paid work and should not be volunteer work or services provided to a family member. You should also have received 12 hours of continuing education from your employer to renew your certification.

The state of Pennsylvania accepts certification transfer from other states. So if you have CNA certification in Oregon or any other state, then you will be able to get it transferred to this state very easily.

However, your certification should be active in your current state and should not have lapsed. If it lapses, you should retake the competency test and place yourself on the registry before you apply for a transfer to Pennsylvania.

But you should not have any criminal background or have ever been accused of patient neglect, abuse or misappropriate of property.

To download the renewal application click the link below:

Renewal Application

Pennsylvania CNA Reciprocity

Reciprocity form must be obtained from the Nurse Aide Registry to apply for transfer to Pennsylvania.

This includes proving the following criteria:

• Active certificate from the home state
• Must be in good standing with that state
• Completion of a state-approved CNA program
• Clean criminal history track

After you submit the application form along with the required documents, you will be informed about your transfer status following verification of the documents. Once they endorse you, you will obtain a license in Pennsylvania to gain employment at any place in the state.

Reciprocity Application

Advantage of CNA Certification in Pennsylvania

There will be many job opportunities that will come across you after you get CNA certification in Pennsylvania. If have the sympathy for ill people and can manage to work for long hours involving physical exertion then you can consider becoming a CNA.

This is a very steady job in which there is a lot of scope for growing and learning. Many students take up advanced courses of CNA or study full time to become a Licensed Nurse.

You can also study to become a licensed nurse or a licensed practical nurse after you get sufficient experience as a nurse aide and want to upgrade your skills. So there will always be scope for you to study more and improve on your chances of employment.

There are many challenges that you might face when you start working as a nurse aide; the training program prepares you to some extent to face them and you learn to deal with them with experience. However, most of the nurse aides say that they welcome these challenges, and being a nurse aide gives them a lot of job satisfaction.

The nurse aides in Pennsylvania earn an average of about $27,000. This is a very decent salary to support yourself and your family financially. You will have lots of scope of growth after you become a CNA.