If you are registered and active on the registry of another state, you can work in Indiana for 120 days from date of hire before you are required to be certified. In Indiana, a Certified Nurse Aide has to meet the following requirements:
- Complete a state-approved nurse aide training program with at least 30 hours of classroom instruction and 75 hours of clinical training.
- Pass the nurse aide competency evaluation consisting of both a written and a skills test.
- Be listed in good standing as a CNA on the Indiana State Nurse Aide Registry.
The following steps are needed to register or certify in Indiana if you are an out-of-state CNA candidate who is listed in good standing on a different state registry.
- Complete the Nurse Aide Competency Evaluation Application.
- Schedule a testing date with Ivy Tech Community College at 317-917-5948.
- Take and pass the written exam only. The test is 100 questions and is all multiple choice. You must answer 80 out of the 100 questions correctly to pass the exam.
The Indiana State Department of Health maintains the Nurse Aide and Home Health Aide Registry, which lists the names of nurse aides who, through training, testing and experience, meet federal and state requirements to work in Indiana. All aides working in a licensed nursing home, home health agency, or hospice must be listed on the registry. These employers must contact the registry when hiring an aide to verify that appropriate training and testing was completed and to confirm that there are no findings against the aide. A certified nurse aide is a person who works primarily in long term care (nursing homes) assisting residents with activities of daily living under the supervision of a nurse. Individuals may access the registry by using the web-based system provided at no charge by the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency (IPLA).
Prior to hiring a job candidate for a nurse aide position an employer must contact the Indiana Nurse Aide and Home Health Aide Registry using either the automated telephone system or the web-based system, enter the social security number of the aide, and confirm that the aide is in good standing. The employer must also request a criminal background check on the candidate from the Indiana State Police. If acceptable results are received, an offer to hire can be made.
State and federal rules specify that the Indiana State Department of Health must investigate any allegation of client abuse, neglect, or misappropriation of client property by an aide. The rules indicate that once an investigation is completed and appeal rights have been exhausted, the department can enter a substantiated finding on the registry, and prohibit the aide from future employment as a CNA or RHHA.