To be on the safe side it is best to call the Nurse Aide Registry for your state and ask what you need to do to reactivate your status. If you have an expired (or inactive) CNA license you must first check how long has been since your certification expired. You most likely have to retake and pass the CNA exam although some states require retraining as well.
Federal regulation requires that an individual work at least eight hours, for pay, in the provision of nursing services without a two year break to remain active. Please note that renewal requirements may differ from state to state and may change over time and that some states make a distinction between inactive and expired CNA licenses.
Locate the contact information for the CNA registry of your state and contact them for up-to-date and accurate information regarding these requirements. You might have to retake and pass the CNA exam but once you do your certification is valid and active once again. For some individuals the only way to become recertified is to repeat the entire process of training followed by the competency examination. If you are in this situation and wish to work as a certified nursing assistant, then you need to attend a new CNA course and pass the CNA state exam.
North Carolina and Florida allow you to challenge the state examination without prior training and without attending a nurse aide program.