West Virginia Nursing Assistant / Nurse Aide Guide
Is a License or Certification needed: To work as a nursing assistant or nurse aide in West Virginia, you need to complete a nursing assistant program and pass the nurse aide exam.
Who Grants Certification: The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources Office of Health Facility Licensure and Certification grants certification to nurse assistants or nurse aides. The department has contracted with Professional Healthcare Development for nurse aide testing.
The Qualifications to become Certified: There are multiple routes of eligibility to qualify to receive a nurse aide license in the state of West Virginia. These include:
- You have successfully completed a West Virginia state-approved training program within the past 24 months.
- You are a currently enrolled nursing student who has passed the Fundamentals in Nursing course or have graduated from an LPN or RN program.
- Your previous CNA certificate has lapsed. If it has been more than a year since you successfully completed, you will need to retrain and retest.
- You are a certified nursing assistant in another state seeking reciprocity in West Virginia.
- See all details here.
How to Apply to get Certification and to Take the Exam: There is an online application can be begun here. Otherwise, a step by step guide to becoming a nursing assistant in the state of West Virginia can be found here. Fill out the application and send to:
Professional Healthcare Development, LLC
P.O. Box 399
Ona, WV 25545
Phone 304-733-6145 Fax 304-733-6146
Test Content: There is a written and a skills portion of the exam. The written portion has 100 multiple-choice questions. You have 2 hours to complete the written part of the exam. If you have trouble reading, there is an oral exam that can be requested.
In the skills portion of the exam, you will have 50 minutes to complete 5 randomly selected nurse aide skills.
See the Candidate Handbook for more details.
Certification Renewal and Continuing Education Requirements: According to West Virginia law, to renew your license, it is required that you have worked in the paid role of a nurse aide 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. You can renew your license online, through the mail or in-person with the West Virginia State Nurse Aide Registry.
Renewal of your West Virginia Nurse Aide Registry listing can be begun by printing out this application.
Mail this completed application to:
Nurse Aide Program Office of Health Facility Licensure and Certification
408 Leon Sullivan Way
Charleston, WV 25301-1713
Telephone: (304) 558-0050 FAX (304) 558-1442
Online Renewal can be found here.
Contact
WV Nurse Aide Registry
WV Division of Health and Human Resources
Office of Health Facility Licensure & Certification
408 Leon Sullivan Way
Charleston, WV 25301-1713
Phone: 304-558-0050
Fax: 304-558-1442
