How to get a Nurse Aide license in Pennsylvania

Who needs a Nurse Aide license

Nursing or nursing-related services to residents of long-term care (nursing) facilities.⁵

Other rules on who may do this work:

• Federal rule: a facility may use a person as a nurse aide for up to 4 months full-time while they complete training and competency evaluation.⁶

Requirements for a Nurse Aide license

Minimum age

16 years old⁴

Education or training

At least 80 clock hours²
Complete a PDE-approved Nurse Aide Training and Competency Evaluation Program (NATCEP) of at least 80 hours (PDE recommends 120), including 5 hours of Act 14 abuse-prevention training and at least 37.5 hours of supervised practical (clinical) training in a DOH-licensed long-term care facility; 16 hours of core topics must come before any resident contact. Theory/lab may be delivered in person, online or blended; clinical hours must be in an approved clinical setting.²
Who may teach it: Program must be approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Education (approved list by county, updated annually); nursing facilities pay full training and testing costs for aides employed or offered employment when they start, and reimburse others hired within 12 months (half after 130 hours worked, half after another 130).³
Alternative: Testing without new training is allowed for aides whose PA registry status lapsed, aides on another state's registry whose status lapsed after 24 months without work, and temporary nurse aides with an attestation form.⁵

Exam

Pennsylvania NNAAP nurse aide competency examination (Credentia): written or English oral test plus skills evaluation³
Given by: Credentia⁵
When you can take it: After completing a PDE-approved training program within the last 24 months (or under the lapsed-registry categories); you cannot be scheduled until training is complete.⁵
Written exam: 70 multiple-choice questions in English (online or at a test center, up to two hours); or English oral exam: 60 multiple-choice plus 10 reading-comprehension questions.⁵
Skills evaluation: five randomly selected nurse aide skills rated by a Nurse Evaluator, test center only, 30 minutes.⁵
Retakes: Three attempts to pass both parts; a no-show counts as an attempt.⁵
Time limit: Pass both parts within two years after finishing training, or retrain.⁵
Exam waived: Aides active and in good standing on another state's registry use the reciprocity application instead of testing.⁵

Background check

Background check required⁴
Fingerprints required⁷
Mandatory bar: training programs may not admit applicants convicted of listed offenses (e.g. homicide, aggravated assault, kidnapping, sexual offenses, arson, burglary, robbery, felony theft or two theft misdemeanours, forgery, felony drug offenses, and similar federal/out-of-state offenses).⁷

Social Security number

SSN is held on the registry; changes need a correction form with documentation.⁵

Also required

Physical exam before training, showing freedom from communicable disease and a negative 2-step Mantoux (or chest x-ray under five years old if positive).⁴

Also required

Basic math, reading and writing skills in English.⁴

How to apply

1. Get a PA State Police criminal history report (and FBI report if not a PA resident for two years) within the year before training, and a physical with a 2-step Mantoux.⁴
2. Choose a PDE-approved program from the annual approved list and contact it for start dates and fees.⁴
3. After training, register and schedule the exam in your Credentia Platform account (with help from your program or employer).⁵
4. Pass the written/oral and skills tests; you are placed on the PA Nurse Aide Registry.⁵

Apply online

credentia.com⁵

Temporary or provisional license

No temporary registry status; federal rule allows up to 4 months of work while training.⁶

Processing time

Score reports are generally online within a few hours after the test day; passing both parts places you on the registry.⁵

Renewal and continuing education

How often

Every 24 months⁵

When it expires

DOH mails a renewal notice about 90 days before expiry; renew online in the Credentia Platform.⁵

Required topics

Work requirement: at least 8 paid hours as a nurse aide (nursing home, hospital, home health, or a DOH-approved employer, now including home care agencies/registries) in the previous 24 months; self-employed or private-duty work does not count.⁵
Employers must give annual Act 14 abuse-prevention in-service training (employer obligation, not a registry renewal condition).⁷

If it expires

After 24 consecutive months without paid nursing-related work, enrollment lapses; you must retest (eligible to test without new training).⁵

Renew online

credentia.com⁵

Moving to Pennsylvania with a license from another state

These are the routes DOH publishes for the Nurse Aide license.

City and county rules

No local license: enrollment is on the statewide Pennsylvania Nurse Aide Registry.¹

Check a license or report a problem

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

Look up a license

cna365.examroom.ai¹

File a complaint

pa.gov³

Laws and rules

The requirements above come from these laws and board rules.

• Nurse Aide Resident Abuse Prevention Training Act, Act of June 9, 1997, P.L. 169, No. 14 (63 P.S. § 671 et seq.)
• 42 CFR 483.150-483.158 (nurse aide training, competency evaluation and registry)

Common questions

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