To be eligible for permanent employment as a nurse aide and to have your name enrolled on the PA Nurse Aide Registry, you must successfully complete a PDE-approved nurse aide training program and pass the test. Access the Approved Nurse Aide Training Program (PDF), select the program to attend and contact them directly for information regarding class start dates and fees.
Report Abuse
To make an inquiry about the annotation of nurse aide registration or to report abuse, neglect or misappropriation of property, please contact:
Pennsylvania Department of Health
8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
717-787-1816
Nurse Aide Enrollment and Reimbursement
- Only graduates of a state approved nurse aide training program are eligible to take the state nurse aide competency examination.
- The candidate must be 16 years of age before taking the Nurse Aide Competency Examination. Some nursing facilities (employers) may require the candidate to be at least 18 years of age.
- The candidate must obtain a Criminal History Record Information (CHRI) report from the PA State Police during the year prior to beginning a nurse aide training program. The CHRI report must be free of prohibitive offenses. Prohibitive offenses include those contained in Act 14, Nurse Aide Resident Abuse Prevention Training Act 14. A CHRI report can be obtained at PA State Police Criminal History Record
- If the candidate has not been a resident of Pennsylvania for at least the past two years, they must obtain an FBI report as well as the PA State Police CHRI described above. Information about an FBI report can be found on the PDE Nurse Aide website under the heading Criminal History Record Information.
- The candidate must have a physical examination prior to starting the Nurse Aide Training and Competency Evaluation Program (NATCEP). This examination must include: (1) evidence that the individual is free of any communicable diseases and (2) a negative 2-step Mantoux. If the Mantoux is positive, a negative chest x-ray that is less than five years old is required.
- The occupational responsibilities of the candidate may involve having full use of their hands, the ability to stand for extensive periods of time, and the ability to perform bending, pushing, pulling, and lifting a minimum of 40 pounds without restrictions.
- The candidate must possess basic math, reading, and writing skills in English.
- Long-term nursing care facilities are responsible for the full payment of training and testing costs for candidates employed or offered employment at the time they start the nurse aide training program. Federal Department of Health regulations prohibits training and testing costs from being imposed on the nurse aide.
- A candidate who does not have an employment relationship with a long-term care nursing facility at the time they start a NATCEP and personally incur the cost for training and testing is eligible for reimbursement if they become employed by a long-term care nursing facility within twelve (12) months of completing the nurse aide training program.
- In compliance with Federal Department of Health regulations, candidates who personally incur training costs will be issued one (1) reimbursement receipt by the private or public school upon completion of the program. The official letter of reimbursement cannot be duplicated by the nurse aide program. The candidate is responsible for providing the original letter to the licensed long-term care nursing facility for reimbursement of the training costs. The current testing vendor will also issue one (1) letter of reimbursement per examination. This letter cannot be duplicated.
- Candidates have three (3) opportunities to pass the state competency examination and are eligible for reimbursement for three attempts.
- Long-term care nursing facility could reimburse the candidate on a pro rata basis which means half of the costs of training and testing are reimbursed after the nurse aide has worked for 130 hours and the remaining half after the nurse aide has worked an additional 130 hours.
- For assistance regarding the federal regulations for reimbursement from nursing facilities to employed nurse aides or for assistance with any discrepancies in eligibility for reimbursement, call the Department of Human Services at 800-932-0939 option 1.
Nurse Aide Examination Information
Please refer to the Credentia CNA365 website regarding the following:
- register for the nurse aide examination
- secure information on nurse aide examination accommodations
- view regional test sites
- view or download a Nurse Aide Candidate Handbook
- renew enrollment on the PA nurse aide registry
- search the PA nurse aide registry
- secure an application for reciprocity
- secure a form to report a name or address change for a nurse aide enrolled on the nurse aide registry
The PA Department of Education has no authority over nurse aide examinations. Any questions or concerns related to nurse aide examinations should be emailed to the PA Department of Human Services at ra-pwnurseaide@pa.gov.
Temporary Nurse Aide
March 14, 2023
See guidance regarding TNA deadlines on PA Department of Health website. Click on Message Board, then TNA Waiver updates .
TNA and nurse aide employment and registry questions should be directed to the PA Department of Health ra-NCF@pa.gov.
TNA and nurse aide testing questions should be directed to the PA Department of Human Services ra-PWnurseaide@pa.gov.
- Complete the attestation form and obtain the required signatures and dates.
- Scan pages 3-6 of the completed attestation form and save on your computer as "LastName-FirstName-Date" (Date format: YYYY-MM-DD).
- Go to the PA Credentia website.
- Select the blue "CNA365 LOGIN" button.
- If you previously had an online Pearson VUE account (PCM) to register for examinations, you will need to create a new CNA365 online account with Credentia. Select the "Sign Up" link on the login page.
- When you create a new CNA365 account, the data from your old Pearson VUE online account will carry over to your new Credentia CNA365 account.
- For new users, Select the "Sign Up" link on the login page and follow the instructions to create an account and submit our application.
- Select the E6A (Temporary Nurse Aide-Examination) Eligibility Route.
- Complete the application questions and upload the scanned attestation form and SUBMIT. Be sure to save a copy of your completed attestation form and any related emails until the process is completed.
NOTE: PDE will only process complete forms. Incomplete forms will be returned to the applicant for correction and resubmission. - Once PDE has reviewed the attestation form, you will receive an auto-generated email from PA Credentia containing one of the following notifications:
- You are eligible to sit for the nurse aide (NA) exam and should follow the instructions in the email to register.
- You do not meet the requirements to take the NA exam or to have your name enrolled on the PA Nurse Aide Registry, and the reasons for denial.