The certification as a CNA must be renewed every 24 months. Skilled nursing facilities and nursing facilities (intermediate care facilities) can only hire CNAs who are on Delaware's CNA Registry, in good standing. To verify if a CNA is in good standing in the State of Delaware, you can check the Delaware CNA Registry. You can also call the CNA Registry at 302-421-7403.
Continuing education is required by both state and federal law to ensure that CNA skills are kept current in order to provide quality care to the residents of facilities and to patients in the community. In addition to the 64-hour work requirement within each 24 month recertification period, CNAs are also required to complete 24 hours of continuing education found at the free Elsevier website which includes:
- A minimum of 6 hours of dementia training,
- A minimum of 2 hours of patient abuse prevention/maltreatment training,
- The balance of required hours will be in other general health care topics.
CNAs who have completed the required education/training (CEUs) through Elsevier but have failed to submit their renewal form and fee before their expiration date, can still renew up to 30-days past their expiration date by submitting their renewal form and payment along with a $25 late fee. If CEUs are not completed before the expiration date, the CNA will be required to re-take and pass the state competency test (written/oral, and skills) in order to have their certification reinstated.
A CNA who does not perform at least 64 hours of nursing-related services in a certification time period or fails to complete the required continuing education must complete and pass the competency test. Testing is scheduled through Prometric by calling 866-664-9504. Nursing assistants who fail to obtain a passing score after testing three times must repeat the CNA training program before additional testing is permitted.
The Division of Health Care Quality's contractor, Prometric, sends a renewal notification form with instructions to all CNAs 45 days prior to the expiration date of the CNAs' certifications. Effective January 1, 2016, there is a $25.00 fee for renewal.