Nebraska Nursing Assistant / Nurse Aide Guide
Is a License or Certification needed: You need to pass a state-certified nursing assistant program and the state exam in order to be certified. This must be done in order to work as a nursing assistant in the state of Nebraska and be listed on the Nebraska Nurse Aide Registry.
Who Grants Certification: The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services ensures and maintains the listing of nurse aides in Nebraska.
The Qualifications to become Certified: In order to take the nurse aide state exam and receive your certification, you must:
- Be able to speak and understand English
- Be 16 years of age or older
- Have a clean background, free of criminal record
- Complete a 75-hour state-approved nurse aide course within 120 of being hired as a nurse aide.
- Complete a 21-hour basic resident course for the developmentally disabled in an immediate care facility.
- Further questions concerning other options such as military training, a lapsed LPN or RN license and more, see here.
How to Apply for Certification and to take the Exam: In order to apply for your certification and to register for the state-approved nurse aide competency and evaluation exam, contact one of the following post-secondary providers of education and exam conductors:
Nebraska Health Care Learning Center
1200 Libra Drive, Suite 100
Lincoln, Nebraska 68512
Phone: (402) 435-3551
Nebraska Health Care Learning Center
Providence Health Care Institute
4600 Valley Road, Suite 401
Lincoln, Nebraska 68510
Phone: (402) 326-2792
A much longer list of providers can be found here.
These examination providers will forward your grades to the Nebraska Nurse Aide Registry. They will also determine the cost of your registry and will take payment. Direct any questions to the nurse aide exam provider of your choice.
Test Content: The test has two parts, a skills evaluation and a written section. Both parts must be passed to be listed on the Nebraska State Nurse Aide Registry. The written section is 50 questions in length. You will have 90 minutes to complete the exam and must receive a 70% to pass.
The written exam in most states for Certified Nurse Aides includes content topics like:
- Safety
- Communication
- Infection Control
- Data Collection
- Personal Care
- Basic Nursing Skills
- Mental Health
- Role and Responsibility
- Care Impaired
- Disease Process
- Resident Rights
- Older Adult Growth & Development
The skills evaluation consists of completing 6 selected nurse aide skills. If you feel that you have missed a step, verbalize to your instructor that you missed it and perform the step. You must memorize all beginning and ending steps of each skill.
Certification Renewal and Continuing Education Requirements: According to Nebraska law, to renew your license, it is required that you have had employment in the paid role of a nurse aide, under a registered nurse, during the past 24 months. This must be paid employment, not volunteer work, and in a nursing environment such as a nursing home, home health setting or a hospital. Each place of employment in Nebraska is required to provide 12 hours of continuing education for their nurse aides. In order for a Nebraska nurse aide to renew their certification, they must provide a form to their employer. The employer will fill it out and return it to the Nebraska Nurse Aide Registry.
Contact
NE Nurse Aide Registry
NE Department Health & Human Services
Division of Public Health
Licensure Unit
Nursing and Nursing Support
PO Box 94986
Lincoln, NE 68509-4986
Phone: 402-471-0537
Fax: 402-471-1066
