Minnesota Nursing Assistant / Nurse Aide Guide
Is a License or Certification needed: To get licensed and work as a nursing assistant or nurse aide in Minnesota you need to complete a 75-hour state-certified nursing assistant program and pass the National Nurse Aide Assessment Program (NNAAP) exam.
Who Grants Certification: The Minnesota Department of Health grants certification to Minnesota nursing assistants and nurse aides.
The Qualifications to become Certified: There are three different training programs that will qualify you to be a licensed Certified Nursing Assistant in the state of Minnesota. These include:
- Red Cross 75 hour curriculum of which 16 hours must be spent working in a licensed nursing home.
- Many Minnesota State Universities and Colleges provide curriculums as well. These curriculums have the same time parameters as the Red Cross curriculum.
- The more rigorous Health Care Core Curriculum and Skills Set is 128 hours long and requires a total of 24 clinical hours spent working in a licensed nursing home.
How to Apply for Certification: Candidates can get on the Nursing Assistant Registry by 1) Completing an approved training program in Minnesota; 2) Passing the competency exam offered through PearsonVue or 3) transfer from another state's registry.
How to Apply to Take the Exam: According to the Pearson Vue Minnesota Candidate Handbook, you must get your test application from the training site. Your training site can be found here. If you have any questions about the test application, you may call Pearson VUE at (800) 274-0504.
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 Minnesota 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 renew your certified nurse aide license in the state of Minnesota, you will need to pay a fee for the two-year renewal. Your CNA certification will expire 2 years after your first license renewal on the 28th day of your birth month. If you were born in an odd year, your license will expire in an odd year and if you were born on an even year, your CNA license will expire on an even year.
Contact
MN Nursing Assistant Registry
MN Department of Health
Compliance Monitoring Division
P.O. Box 64501
St. Paul, MN 55164-0501
Phone: 651-215-8705
800-397-6124 (in state only)
