The Pennsylvania Division of Nursing Care Facilities provides the information that you need to become a certified nurse aide in the state. They provide materials which will help you learn more about the nursing aide training programs that they have as well as the curriculum and other requirements that you will need to comply with in order to apply for the certification exam. It also contains some of the sample questions that you may encounter in the exam making it easier for you to navigate the test. You can also get other types of information on the website such as renewal process and reciprocity programs in the state.
Pennsylvania CNA Registry
Room 526, Health & Welfare Building
625 Forster Street, Harrisburg, PA 17120
Toll free – 800-852-0518
Locally: 717-787-1816
Managed by: Pearson VUE
P.O. Box 13785, Philadelphia, PA 19101-3785
Phone: (800) 852-0518
Hours: 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM ET
Testing Services: 717-783-6207
Schedule an Exam: 800-795-2350
Check Eligibility Requirements: 717-783-6207
PA License Search
The state does not allow nursing aides who are not in good standing in the registry to be eligible for work. Those who are also not entered into the registry cannot be hired as well especially by nursing facilities that are under Medicare or Medicaid reimbursement programs. It is required for employers to verify the standing of their potential workers first in the registry before they can be allowed to hire them. The applicant should be eligible for enrollment to the registry and must not possess any finding of abuse, neglect, or misappropriation of resident’s property in any nursing facility.
The registry can also be a resourceful guide when looking for nursing aides who have been convicted of such cases and which can be of extreme help to a nursing facility or private employer who wishes to employ a nursing aide. They have a list of nursing aides who have been under disciplinary action due to the commission of abuse, neglect, or misappropriation of property of a resident. There are hundreds of reported instances of these cases each year and the registry maintains an update on it by including an notation on the name of the nurse aide to indicate they have been convicted of such violations.
The process of reporting the said violation can also be found on the nurse aid registry. They are reported to the Department of Health of the state of Pennsylvania through the nursing facility where they have been committed. The Department will then conduct an investigation and there shall be a written report submitted after five consecutive days. The report will then be given to the Division of Nursing Care Facilities and a committee will decide on whether to provide disciplinary action or not.
You can use the registry as well if you wish to determine whether a nursing assistant is certified and can be hired by your facility. You simply need to enter the name, last name, or certification number of the candidate you wish to look up. It will then display a result which will show the candidate’s current status on the registry and whether there had been any cases which have been filed on him or her and any disciplinary action which may have been imposed on the candidate. The Pennsylvania Division of Nursing Care Facilities’ website is available for public use without any fee. For additional details about the PA nurse aide requirements, visit this page.