How to Become a CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) in Nebraska

Who can apply

• You must be at least 16 years old.
• You must not have been convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude that is rationally related to the position of nurse aide.
• You must be able to speak and understand English, or a language understood by a substantial portion of the nursing home's residents.
• You must complete a state-approved course of at least 75 hours (or the 21-hour course for intermediate care facilities for people with developmental disabilities) plus one hour of Nebraska abuse/neglect/misappropriation training.
• You must pass a state-approved written or oral exam and a clinical skills exam.

Step by step

1. Complete a DHHS-approved nurse aide course of at least 75 clock hours. If a nursing home hires you, you must finish it within 120 days of starting work.
2. Complete the one-hour Nebraska abuse/neglect/misappropriation training (part of the course).
3. Take the written or oral exam and the skills exam with a state-approved testing entity. Nursing homes may not give the competency evaluation, and your course instructor cannot test you.
4. The testing entity gives you your scores within 5 calendar days and sends them to the Nurse Aide Registry within 14 calendar days.
5. DHHS makes you Active on the Nurse Aide Registry. There is no application or fee for nurse aides, and you can print your own wallet card from the Registry search.

Training and exam

Training: Nebraska requires at least 75 clock hours, including at least 16 hours of supervised practical training (172 NAC 108-004.01; Neb. Rev. Stat. 71-6039). At least 16 hours (communication, infection control, safety, independence and residents' rights) must come before any direct contact with residents. The course must also include at least 1 hour on reporting suspected abuse or neglect. A registered nurse must give the course. Aides at intermediate care facilities for people with intellectual disabilities take a separate course of at least 20 hours (DHHS lists it as 21 hours, including the abuse training).

Exam: DHHS approves the entities that give the competency evaluation; its pages do not name a single vendor. The written or oral exam has 50 multiple-choice questions, and you need 70% to pass. The skills exam is a demonstration of six skills. You need 70% on each skill and must do every mandatory step correctly, and failing any one skill means you fail the skills exam. You get three chances to pass each exam. If you do not pass after three tries, you must retake the 75-hour course.

What it costs in Nebraska

Fixed amounts are set by the state. Items marked “your quote” are priced by private sellers, so enter what you’re quoted.

How long it takes

DHHS says it takes about three weeks after you pass the exams to be made Active on the Registry. Interstate endorsement forms can take up to 30 days to process.

Staying on the registry

Renewal: Nebraska has no renewal application or fee. To stay Active, you must work as a nurse aide in a paid position, in a DHHS-approved employer setting, within 24 months of your last nurse aide job. If your status becomes Lapsed, you reactivate by retaking the written/oral and clinical exams through an approved post-secondary education provider. You can take both exams on the same day. Aides who took a 30-hour course before 1989 must take the 75-hour course instead.

Good to know in Nebraska

Transferring from another state: Complete the Interstate Endorsement form and the one-hour Nebraska Abuse/Neglect/Misappropriation Training, even if you had similar training in another state. DHHS checks the registries in the states where you trained and worked. Processing can take up to 30 days, and you must be Active on the Nebraska Registry before you can work in a certified nursing facility.

Nursing students, foreign-trained nurses and lapsed nurses: Nursing students can be listed based on their nursing coursework, with a cover letter and a transcript or instructor letter. If a required course grade was under 70%, they must pass the state exams. Foreign-trained nurses need a CGFNS Credentials Evaluation Service report and must pass the state exams. RNs or LPNs whose license has been inactive or lapsed for more than 24 months must also pass the exams.

Lifts for 16- and 17-year-olds: A nurse aide must be at least 18 to use a lift alone. Aides who are 16 or 17 may assist with a lift, under a U.S. Department of Labor rule.

Sources

• Nebraska DHHS - Nurse Aide
• Nebraska DHHS - Nurse Aide Requirements
• 172 NAC 108-003 - Nurse aide requirements (Cornell LII)
• 172 NAC 108-004 - Nurse Aide Training Programs (Cornell LII)
• 172 NAC 108-006 - Competency evaluation (Cornell LII)
• Neb. Rev. Stat. 71-6039 - Nurse aide qualifications and training
• 42 CFR 483.152 - Requirements for approval of a nurse aide training and competency evaluation program (Cornell LII)