How to get a Nurse Aide I license in North Carolina

North Carolina nursing assistant licenses

North Carolina issues 3 nursing assistant credentials. Each has its own section below; the table shows what each one covers and its headline requirements.

Rules shared by several license levels

These rules are the same for several of the North Carolina nursing assistant licenses on this page, so they are shown once here, with the licenses they apply to. Each license's own section lists only what differs.

1. Every license level except Nurse Aide II (listed on the NC Board of Nursing Nurse Aide II Registry)

Renewal

Renew online

ncnarforms.ncdhhs.gov⁴¹⁴

2. Every license level except Nurse Aide I (listed on the North Carolina Nurse Aide I Registry; "CNA" is not the NC title)

Requirements

High school diploma or GED

Required⁹¹⁵

Renewal

How often

Every 2 years¹⁶¹⁵

Who needs a Nurse Aide I license

Basic nursing skills and personal care activities delegated by a licensed nurse; the NC Board of Nursing publishes the Nurse Aide I task list.¹⁰

Other rules on who may do this work:

• Nursing homes may use unlisted staff as nurse aides for up to four months (cumulative across all nursing homes) while they work full-time as a nurse aide and actively complete training and testing.¹⁷
• No listing needed for care by clients themselves, their families, or caretakers giving personal care where health needs are incidental.¹⁰

Requirements for a Nurse Aide I license

More rules for this license are shared with other levels: group 1 under Rules shared by several license levels.

Education or training

At least 75 clock hours²
Complete a state-approved Nurse Aide I Training and Competency Evaluation Program (NATCEP), or a state-approved Competency Evaluation Program (CEP) only.²
Who may teach it: Program must be approved by DHSR (list on Training Locations); high-school programs run through DPI CTE and nursing-school programs through the NC Board of Nursing count. Nursing homes pay training for their employees.¹⁸
Alternative: Training waivers (Credentia eligibility types E8, E9, E10) let some candidates test without NC training; apply on the Credentia platform.¹⁹
Alternative: Military medical corpsmen and retired or non-practicing nurses need not take training (unless they fail the exam three times).¹¹
Alternative: Nurses with a current unrestricted NC license can be listed by submitting the Licensed Nurse Form (no exam).²⁰

Exam

National Nurse Aide Assessment Program (NNAAP) examination (North Carolina Nurse Aide I competency exam)³
Given by: Credentia³
When you can take it: After completing a DHSR-approved training program, or after Credentia approves a training waiver.¹⁹
Written or oral exam¹¹
Skills demonstration¹¹
Retakes: Up to three attempts; after that you must retake and pass a Nurse Aide I training program.¹¹
Exam waived: No exam for reciprocity applicants active and in good standing on another state's registry, or for NC-licensed nurses using the Licensed Nurse Form.¹¹

Background check

Employers may not hire anyone with a court finding or a registry finding of abuse, neglect, exploitation, mistreatment or misappropriation (42 CFR 483.12); a substantiated finding also blocks renewal.⁴

Social Security number

SSN on reciprocity application and a signed Social Security card; for registry changes SSN is requested voluntarily.¹

Also required

Before a nurse aide starts work, an RN must complete a clinical skills validation (employer duty).²¹

How much a Nurse Aide I license costs

Each line is a separate charge as the board lists it. The board does not publish a combined total, so none is shown here.

How to apply

1. Find a DHSR-approved Nurse Aide I training program (Training Locations list) and complete it; if you are hired by a nursing home it pays for training.²³
2. Register with Credentia and pass the NNAAP written/oral exam and skills demonstration ($140 until December 31, 2026; $145 from January 1, 2027); training-waiver candidates apply on the Credentia platform.³
3. DHSR adds you to the North Carolina Nurse Aide I Registry; there is no card and no registry fee.¹
4. Your employer verifies your active listing and an RN validates your clinical skills before you work.²¹

Application form

Form (PDF, ncnar.ncdhhs.gov)²⁴

Temporary or provisional license

No temporary or provisional NC listing is described on the DHSR pages (and temporary or provisional status from another state is not accepted for reciprocity); nursing homes may use unlisted aides for up to 4 months under G.S. 131E-255 while they train and test.¹⁷

Processing time

Listed within 5 business days after passing the exam; reciprocity applications answered within 10 business days.¹

Renewal and continuing education

How often

Every 24 months⁴

When it expires

Listing expires on the last day of the 24th month; at renewal the new period runs from the last day of qualified work reported by the RN.¹

Required topics

Work requirement: at least 8 paid hours of nurse aide duties delegated and supervised by an RN during the 24-month listing period (not volunteer, sitter, private duty or virtual work).⁴

If it expires

If you do not meet the work requirement you must retrain and retest. DHSR does not send renewal reminders.⁴

Moving to North Carolina with a license from another state

These are the routes DHSR publishes for the Nurse Aide I license. The other nursing assistant licenses have their own routes in their sections below.

Military service members, veterans and spouses: Military medical corpsmen are exempt from Nurse Aide I training (must still pass the exam within three attempts); the reciprocity form asks about military service and military spouses.¹¹

Medication Aide - Nursing Home

Technical aspects of medication administration in nursing homes, after Board-approved training, a state competency exam and registry listing; does not cover adult care facilities.⁸

Requirements

Education or training

24 clock hours⁹
Be a Nurse Aide I and complete a 24-hour Medication Aide training program approved by the NC Board of Nursing (DHSR: contact your local community college or the Board for courses).⁹
Who may teach it: Board of Nursing-approved program.¹⁴

Exam

Medication Aide - Nursing Home written examination²⁵
Given by: Credentia¹⁴
When you can take it: After the Board-approved training program.¹⁶
Written examination²⁵
Retakes: Three attempts before retraining.¹⁶

Background check

Employers must confirm no substantiated findings on the Nurse Aide I, Medication Aide and Health Care Personnel registries.²⁶

Also required

An RN must complete a clinical skills validation before you give medications in a facility.²⁶

Fees

How to apply

1. Be listed as a Nurse Aide I and hold a high school diploma or GED.⁹
2. Complete a 24-hour Board of Nursing-approved Medication Aide course.⁹
3. Pass the Credentia Medication Aide - Nursing Home exam ($60); DHSR lists you within 5 business days.²⁷

Processing time

Listed within 5 business days after passing the exam.¹⁴

Renewal

When it expires

Expires the last day of the 24th month; renew online with RN employment verification.¹⁴

Required topics

At least 8 paid hours as a Medication Aide in a North Carolina nursing home, delegated and supervised by an RN, in the 24-month period.¹⁴

If it expires

If you do not meet renewal requirements you must retrain and retest.¹⁴

From another state

More rules for this license are shared with other levels: group 1 and group 2 under Rules shared by several license levels.

Nurse Aide II

More complex nursing skills, with emphasis on sterile technique in elimination, oxygenation and nutrition, delegated by a licensed nurse.¹⁰

Requirements

Education or training

At least 80 clock hours¹²
Complete a Board-approved Nurse Aide II course (or Board-approved equivalent); you must already be an active Nurse Aide I.¹⁵
Who may teach it: Courses must be approved by the NC Board of Nursing and taught by RNs with 2+ years of direct patient care; clinical ratio no more than 1:10.¹²
Alternative: Nursing students who completed equivalent coursework, students who withdrew in good standing within 24 months, and NC-licensed RNs/LPNs may be listed without the course.¹⁵

Exam

Nurse Aide II competency evaluation (part of the Board-approved course)¹⁰
Given by: Board-approved Nurse Aide II course providers (no state vendor exam)¹²
When you can take it: During/at the end of the Board-approved Nurse Aide II course.¹⁰
Time limit: Apply for listing within 30 business days of finishing the course.¹⁵

Background check

No substantiated findings of abuse, neglect, exploitation, mistreatment, drug diversion, fraud or misappropriation on the DHSR registries.¹⁵

Fees

The board's pages we cite do not list the exam fee.

How to apply

1. Be an active Nurse Aide I with no findings and hold a high school diploma or equivalent.¹⁵
2. Complete a Board-approved Nurse Aide II course (80 hours theory + 80 hours clinical).¹²
3. Apply online to the Board with the fee within 30 business days of finishing the course; you cannot work as a Nurse Aide II until listed.¹⁵

Apply online

portal.ncbon.com¹³

Renewal

When it expires

Initial listing expires on the last day of your birth month the following year; then renew biennially.¹⁵

Renewal fee

$24¹³

Required topics

Work requirement: at least 8 paid hours of nursing care activities under RN supervision in the past 24 months.¹⁵

If it expires

After expiry you must pass a Board-approved competency evaluation or complete the whole Nurse Aide II course again.¹⁵

Renew online

ncbon.com¹⁵

More rules for this license are shared with other levels: group 2 under Rules shared by several license levels.

City and county rules

Medication Aide - Nursing Home (North Carolina Medication Aide Registry for Nursing Homes)No local license: listing is on a statewide North Carolina registry.¹⁴

Check a license or report a problem

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

Look up a license

ncnar.ncdhhs.gov²⁸

Laws and rules

The requirements above come from these laws and board rules.

• 10A NCAC 13O .0301 (Nurse Aide I training and competency evaluation; reciprocity)
• 21 NCAC 36 .0403 (Qualifications - nurse aide I and II)
• 42 CFR 483.150-483.158 (nurse aide training, competency evaluation and registry)
• 10A NCAC 13O .0201-.0202 (Medication aide competency evaluation and registry)
• 21 NCAC 36 .0403 (Qualifications - medication aide)
• 21 NCAC 36 .0403 (Qualifications)
• 21 NCAC 36 .0404 (Listing and renewal)
• 21 NCAC 36 .0405 (Approval of nurse aide education courses)

Common questions

Certified nursing assistant (CNA) licenses in other states

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