Colorado Nursing Assistant / Nurse Aide Guide
Is a License or Certification needed: To get licensed and work as a nursing assistant or nurse aide in Colorado, you need to complete a state certified nursing assistant program and pass the National Nurse Aide Assessment Program (NNAAP) exam. This must have occurred within 4 months of being hired to work as a nurse aide in Colorado.
Who Grants Certification: The Colorado Board of Nursing grants certification to Colorado nursing assistants and nurse aides.
The Qualifications to become Certified: In order to receive a new nurse aide certification in the state of Colorado, you must have completed a nurse aide program and either pass an exam or qualify by endorsement (you hold an active license from another state). You can find more information here.
How to Apply to take the Exam and for Certification: All applicants by examination must apply through the Pearson Vue website. The application by endorsement is online only.
Test Content: The NNAAP test has two parts, a Skills Evaluation and a Written (or oral) part. Both parts must be passed to be listed on the Colorado Nurse Aide Registry. The written section is 70 questions in length, 60 are multiple-choice and 10 are reading comprehension questions. Take two pencils with you. You will have two full hours to complete the exam. (The oral exam if given in place of the written exam is 160 questions in length.) The Skills Evaluation will be a 25 minute time period given to complete 5 randomly selected nurse aide skills.
Content topics include:
- Activities of Daily Living – Hygiene, Dressing and Grooming, Nutrition and Hydration, Elimination, Rest/Comfort/Sleep
- Basic Nursing Skills - Infection Control, Safety/Emergency, Therapeutic/Technical Procedures, Data Collection and Reporting
- Restorative Skills – Prevention, Self-care/Independence
- Psychosocial Care Skills – Emotional and Mental Health Needs
- Spiritual and Cultural Needs
- Communication
- Client Rights
- Legal and Ethical Behavior
- Member of the Health Care Team
See the Candidate Handbook for more details.
Certification Renewal and Continuing Education Requirements: In order to keep your certification up to date, you need to have worked at least eight hours in the past 24 months. These must be paid, not volunteer, hours in a home health agency, hospital, hospice agency, nursing home or mental health facility within a two year period. Recertification can be accomplished after a lapse by being retrained and retested at one of Colorado’s approved training programs, just like if you were a new nurse aide.
Contact
CO Nurse Aide Registry
Colorado Board of Nursing
1560 Broadway, Suite 1350
Denver, CO 80202
Phone: 303-894-2430
Fax: 303-894-2821
