Facts
About Nursing Assistant Certification
Who Must Be Certified
All individuals who routinely perform nursing tasks
delegated by a registered nurse or a licensed practical nurse must be
certified by the Board of Nursing.
Certified nursing assistant is defined as an
individual regardless of title, who routinely performs nursing tasks delegated
by a registered nurse or a licensed practical nurse for compensation; and does
not include a medication assistant or an individual who merely provides
assistance with activities of daily living, unless the client's needs are such
that adverse health consequences are predictable.
Only persons certified as a nursing assistant by
the Board may use the title Certified Nursing Assistant or the initials C.N.A.
after their name.
Training Requirements
The
Board has developed regulations outlining the nursing assistant training
programs.
The Board shall approve in conjunction with the
Maryland Higher Education Commission each nursing assistant training program
prior to its implementation.
Only persons completing the approved program may be
certified as a nursing assistant.
Applicant Completing an Out-of-State
Program
The applicant who completed a CNA/GNA program out
of state must demonstrate that the CNA training is essentially similar to the
Maryland CNA training requirements and that the certification is in good
standing and free from any findings of patient abuse or neglect.
Out-of-state candidates with CNA certification
which is current, active, and in good standing may endorse/transfer the
certification directly to Maryland and obtain CNA/GNA status from the
following states:
| Delaware |
Kansas |
Virginia |
| Florida |
Maine |
West Virginia |
| Idaho |
New York |
|
| Illinois |
Oregon |
|
The
verification must come directly from the out-of-state registry or
certification program directly to the Maryland CNA Certification.
Out-of-State candidates from states OTHER than the
above ten states, who hold a CNA certificate which is current, active and in
good standing on the out-of-state registry or certification program may be
endorsed after demonstration of competency in written and clinical knowledge.
This requires that the applicant contact a Maryland Board Approved CNA
Training Program and make arrangements for testing. The Board proposes that
the candidate demonstrate their knowledge and clinical skill by completing the
Maryland CNA Training Program’s in-house final examination (both written and
clinical). It is the decision of each training program to determine whether to
charge the candidate a fee or whether to offer the in-house examination to a
new employee for no fee, etc. If successful on the first attempt and with
documentation by the Maryland Training program of demonstrated competency, the
candidate may endorse/transfer the CNA certificate from the out-of-state
registry and obtain CNA/GNA status in Maryland. If the candidate is
unsuccessful, on one or both parts of the examination, the candidate must
complete the entire Maryland Board approved 100 hours training program.
Please see the Board’s web for more information.
Other Requirements
Individuals wanting to be certified geriatric
assistants, home health nursing assistants, certified medicine aides, school
health nursing assistants, developmental disabilities nursing assistants, and
certified nursing assistant - dialysis technicians must
meet additional requirements.
The
Board will also certify those individuals who meet the requirements as a
nursing assistant - skilled. Click here for more
information on the certified nursing assistant - skilled. [PDF]
The Board will also certify those individuals who meet the requirements of
certification as a medication technician (MT). The medication technician
is defined as an individual who has completed a Board approved medication
technician training program and is certified by the board as a medication
technician. This individual works in community based practice settings such as
assisted living, group homes, etc. Click
here for more information on the Medication Technician
The Board will also certify those individuals who
meet the requirements for certification as a medicine aide. Medicine aides
must have had 1 year of previous experience as a geriatric nursing assistant,
and have completed the 60-hour state approved course in medication
administration. These individuals work in the licensed nursing home.
An advisory committee makes recommendations to the
Board regarding:
-
Education and training
requirements;
-
Clinical and administrative
procedures; and,
-
A plan for mobility of nursing
assistants between various practice settings.
Certification Costs
Initial
Certification: $20.00
Renewal: $40.00 every 2 years
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