How to Become a CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) in West Virginia

Who can apply

• You must complete an OHFLAC-approved Nurse Aide Training and Competency Evaluation Program (NATCEP).
• Instead of a NATCEP, OHFLAC can accept an RN or LPN student who finished the Fundamentals of Nursing part of a nursing program, including at least 32 hours of clinical work in a certified nursing facility. OHFLAC decides these case by case.
• You must pass the state competency evaluation (written or oral, plus skills) within 24 months of finishing your program.

Step by step

1. Complete an OHFLAC-approved NATCEP (at least 120 clock hours, including 55 supervised clinical hours).
2. Send the nurse aide test application and fee to Professional Healthcare Development (PHD), the testing vendor OHFLAC contracts with. Fees must reach PHD at least two weeks before your test date.
3. Take the computer-based written (or oral) exam and the skills evaluation on the same day.
4. When you pass both parts, you are listed on the West Virginia Nurse Aide Registry. Print your official verification and registration number from OHFLAC's Nurse Aide Verification lookup.

Official application →

Training and exam

Training: OHFLAC's Nurse Aide Program Policy Manual (effective May 2016) requires at least 120 clock hours. At least 55 of those hours must be supervised clinical practice under an RN, and the rest are classroom and skills-lab instruction. At least 55 hours of the required curriculum must be finished before any direct resident contact, and a course must last at least four weeks. Orientation and pre- and post-conference time do not count. This is 45 hours above the 75-hour federal minimum.

Exam: Professional Healthcare Development (PHD) gives West Virginia's exam. The written exam is computer-based, with 100 multiple-choice questions in 90 minutes. An oral version, read in English, must be requested two weeks ahead. The skills evaluation has five skills in 30 minutes. PHD fees: written and skills $140; oral and skills $180; written only $55; skills only $85; oral only $90. You get three tries to pass. After three failures you must complete another full training program, which gives you three more tries. You must pass within 24 months of graduating, or within 6 months if you qualified through the RN/LPN challenge.

What it costs in West Virginia

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

PHD posts final exam results on its website within one business day.

Staying on the registry

Renewal: Re-register with the OHFLAC Nurse Aide Program every two years, online or on paper. You need at least eight hours of paid nurse aide work under RN supervision in a direct care setting during that two-year period. Staffing agency or in-home workers must have their employer verify the hours. There is no in-service or continuing education requirement to stay on the registry, although employers must give 12 hours of in-service training each year. If you have no reportable work for two to four years, you take a 16-hour refresher course and retest. After five years with no paid nurse aide work, you must take the full course again.

Good to know in West Virginia

Transferring from another state: Submit OHFLAC's Nurse Aide Application by Reciprocity online, listing your training and your registration numbers in other states. Your listing depends on good standing in the other state and on not having a 24-month gap in paid nurse aide work within the past three years. A Social Security number is required (W. Va. Code § 48-18-133).

Working before you test: Federal rules let a nursing facility use you as a nurse aide for up to four months while you are in training. After that you must have completed training and the competency evaluation.

RN/LPN challenge: Nursing students can challenge the registry if they are enrolled in an approved higher-education nursing program, or finished Fundamentals of Nursing within the last two years with a C average or higher plus at least 32 clinical hours in a certified Medicare/Medicaid nursing facility. Send OHFLAC a sealed certified transcript, an instructor's recommendation letter verifying the clinical hours and facilities, and your own challenge letter. You must pass the exam within six months.

Proof you are test eligible: When you apply to PHD to test, include the printed page from the OHFLAC Nurse Aide Lookup (ohflac.wvdhhr.org/Apps/Lookup/NALookup) showing you are test eligible; PHD schedules you only after it has your application, fees and this page.

Sources

• OHFLAC - Nurse Aide Program
• OHFLAC - Nurse Aide Program Policy Manual (effective May 2016)
• OHFLAC - Nurse Aide Education Program Criteria & Guidelines
• OHFLAC - Third-Party Vendor (PHD)
• OHFLAC - Nurse Aide Reciprocity
• OHFLAC - Nurse Aide Application by Reciprocity (online form)
• Professional Healthcare Development - Sponsor/Candidate Handbook 2025
• 42 CFR 483.152 - Requirements for approval of a nurse aide training and competency evaluation program (Cornell LII)