How to get a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) license in Maine

Maine nursing assistant licenses

Maine issues 2 nursing assistant credentials. Each has its own section below; the table shows what each one covers and its headline requirements.

Who needs a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) license

Performs selected nursing services on the Board of Nursing Official CNA Skills List under the supervision of a registered professional nurse; tasks not on the list may never be performed. CNAs may not give medication unless they become a CNA-M.²

Other rules on who may do this work:

• Skilled nursing and nursing facilities may employ, for no more than four months before listing, CNAs who have been granted reciprocity or deemed competent under Board rules.¹

Requirements for a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) license

Minimum age

16 years old¹

High school diploma or GED

Not required: proof of at least 9th grade (a high school diploma or equivalency is preferred).¹

Education or training

At least 130 clock hours¹
Complete a DHHS-approved Maine CNA training program using the Board of Nursing prescribed curriculum: at least 70 hours classroom, 20 hours skills laboratory and 40 hours supervised clinical practice (130 hours).⁴
Alternative: Nursing students (current or former) with a Certificate of Equivalent Training from their nursing school director.⁷
Alternative: Current LPN or RN license holders (copy of license).¹
Alternative: Military-trained CNAs with documented equivalent training (Army 91A/B/C, Air Force Medical Specialist, Navy Hospital Corpsman); qualified individuals may take the non-traditional CNA test.¹
Alternative: Not accepted: EMT training; EMTs must complete Maine's CNA training program and competency test.¹

Experience

At least 8 hours¹
Not required for initial listing. To stay active: at least 8 hours of paid CNA work under RN supervision in a health care setting every 24 months.¹

Exam

Maine CNA competency test (written or oral examination plus skills demonstration)²
When you can take it: After completing a DHHS-approved 130-hour Maine CNA training program; the program issues the Certificate of Training after the course and competency test.⁴
Written or oral examination²
Skills demonstration test (skills on the Board of Nursing curriculum checklist)²
Retakes: No more than three attempts within 2 years of finishing training; otherwise the training program must be retaken. Non-traditional test: first attempt plus no more than two more, within two years of the first scheduled exam.⁷
Time limit: Pass within 2 years from the training completion date.⁷
Exam waived: No Maine test needed if you passed a nationally certified CNA test elsewhere and meet the out-of-state rule, or if you are a nursing student with a Certificate of Equivalent Training whom the Registry finds competent, or a current LPN/RN.⁷

Background check

Background check required³
Convictions are annotated on the Registry. Disqualifying: substantiated abuse, neglect or misappropriation; crimes against a patient, client or resident; Class A, B or C crimes, sex assault crimes or abuse/neglect/misappropriation crimes within 10 years. Class D/E convictions are non-disqualifying unless the victim was a patient. Disqualifying crimes are listed in 10-144 CMR Ch. 60 §3(I).¹

Social Security number

The application asks for your Social Security Number.⁸

Also required

Ability to read and write English at 9th-grade level (TABE, CASAS or other Board-approved test) to enter training.⁷

Also required

Write your name on the application as it appears on your government-issued photo ID, and include a copy of that ID.⁴

How to apply

1. Enrol in a DHHS-approved CNA training program (age 16+, 9th grade completed, 9th-grade English reading and writing level). The program runs your criminal background check.⁷
2. Complete the 130-hour course (70 classroom, 20 skills lab, 40 clinical) and pass both parts of the Maine CNA competency test (written or oral, plus skills); you get a Certificate of Training.⁵
3. Apply for listing online (access code by email from [email protected]) or on the PDF application (Form 060101) with a photo ID, Certificate of Training and your background check report. No fee.⁴ Form (PDF, maine.gov)⁴
4. Send it by email, fax (207-287-9325) or mail to DLC, c/o CNA Registry, 41 Anthony Ave., Augusta, ME 04333.⁴
5. Wait for the Registry decision (two to four weeks, by rule up to 30 days after a complete application); check your listing in the online lookup.⁴

Apply online

www1.maine.gov⁴

Application form

Form (PDF, maine.gov)⁴

Temporary or provisional license

No temporary certificate for Maine-trained aides. Out-of-state-trained aides who do not qualify may get a temporary listing of up to 4 months (not renewable) while completing Maine training; facilities may use a reciprocity or Board-deemed-competent CNA for up to four months before listing.⁵

Processing time

Two to four weeks; the Registry has 30 days after a complete application to decide.⁴

Renewal and continuing education

How often

Every 24 months¹

When it expires

Renew every 24 months, on or before your expiration date, online or by returning the mailed renewal form with the current CNA Employment Verification Form showing at least 8 paid hours under RN supervision in the 24 months before expiry. DHHS mails a reminder 45 to 60 days ahead.¹

If it expires

Late or incomplete renewal: immediate removal from the Registry; you may not work as a CNA until reinstated.⁷
Fewer than 8 paid hours in 24 months: removed from the active list; you must pass the non-traditional CNA test and reapply.⁷
Inactive on the Maine registry for more than two years: apply again with the CNA application.⁴

Renew online

www1.maine.gov⁴

Moving to Maine with a license from another state

These are the routes DLC publishes for the Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) license. The other nursing assistant licenses have their own routes in their sections below.

Military service members, veterans and spouses: CNAs trained in the US Armed Forces may be listed with equivalent-training documents (training certificate if on active duty, DD214 if not) and proof of 9th grade, or may take the non-traditional CNA test.¹

Certified Nursing Assistant-Medications (CNA-M)

Gives selected medications (non-injectable, plus selected injectable diabetic medications per the rule) to patients aged 4 and older under the direct on-site supervision of a licensed nurse, only in long-term care nursing facilities, state mental health institutions, county jails and state correctional facilities, assisted living within a multi-level facility, ambulatory care (transcription of orders only) and hospital swing-bed units.¹

Requirements

Education or training

Complete the Board of Nursing Standardized Medication Course for Certified Nursing Assistants: at least 60 hours classroom, 20 hours skills laboratory and 40 hours supervised clinical practice with a cumulative course average of 70.⁵
Who may teach it: Only Board-approved CNA-M courses using the Board standardized curriculum, led by registered nurses; the course cannot be challenged and comparable training is not credited.¹
Alternative: Maine RN nursing students and Maine RN/LPN program graduates who are active on the CNA registry may give the same medications without the course, with a letter or proof from their nursing program.⁵

Experience

At least 1,200 hours⁵
Active listing on the Maine CNA Registry with no disqualifying annotations, and CNA employment of 1,200 hours in the last two years.⁵

Exam

CNA-M course examinations and skills checklist (set by the course)⁶
Passing score: Cumulative average of 70⁶
When you can take it: During the Board-approved medication course.⁵
Course examinations (cumulative average of 70)⁶
Skills Check List return demonstrations⁵
Retakes: Students may retake the examination per program policy.⁶
Exam waived: None: the course cannot be challenged; only the nursing-student/graduate exemption applies.⁵

Background check

Must be Active on the CNA Registry with no disqualifying annotations.¹

How to apply

1. Be Active on the Maine CNA Registry with no disqualifying annotations and have 1,200 hours of CNA work in the last two years; show 10th-grade reading and writing level on a Board-approved test.⁵
2. Complete a Board-approved Standardized Medication Course (60 classroom, 20 skills lab and 40 clinical hours).⁵
3. The instructor issues a CNA-M Certificate of Training; send a copy to the CNA Registry to be added to your training record.¹

Renewal

When it expires

Keep an active CNA registry listing with no disqualifying annotations and follow the competency-maintenance process of the facility that employs you as a CNA-M.⁵

If it expires

CNA-M status depends on an active CNA listing; see the CNA record for lapse rules.¹

From another state

City and county rules

Certified Nursing Assistant-Medications (CNA-M)No local license: CNAs must be listed as Active on the statewide Maine CNA Registry.¹

Check a license or report a problem

Before you hire a nursing assistant in Maine, you can confirm the license is current on the board's own search. Every board we cover in Maine is on the Maine license lookup page.

Look up a license

pfr.maine.gov⁴

File a complaint

maine.gov⁴

Laws and rules

The requirements above come from these laws and board rules.

• 22 M.R.S. §1812-G (Registry of certified nursing assistants and direct care workers)
• 32 M.R.S. §2104 (approval of nursing assistant training programs)
• 10-144 CMR Ch. 128, Certified Nursing Assistant and Direct Care Worker Registry Rule (eff. June 15, 2019)
• 02-380 CMR Ch. 5, Board of Nursing rules on CNA training programs, the CNA-M medication course and registry eligibility (eff. January 1, 2023)
• 42 CFR 483.35(d), 483.151-483.156 (nurse aide training, competency evaluation, registry)

Common questions

Certified nursing assistant (CNA) licenses in other states

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