Alabama Nursing Assistant / Nurse Aide Guide
Is a License or Certification needed: To work as a nursing assistant or nurse aide in Alabama, you need to complete a state certified nursing assistant program and pass the National Nurse Aide Assessment Program (NNAAP) exam.
Who Grants Certification: The State of Alabama does not grant certification. A nurse or nurse aid who wants to work in a nursing home must be on the Alabama Nurse Aide Registry.
The Qualifications to become Certified: To qualify to work as a nurse aide, you must successfully complete a state approved nurses aide training and competenecy evaluation program and pass both a written and skills test.
How to Apply to get Certification: The school where you get nurse aide training will provide information on how to get certified.
How to Apply for the Exam: The application for the NNAAP exam is here.
Test Content: The NNAP test has two parts, a Skills Evaluation and a Written (or oral) part. Both parts must be passed to be listed on the Alabama Nurse Aide Registry. The written section is 70 questions in length, 60 are multiple choice and 10 are reading comprehension questions. Take two pencils with you. You will have two full hours to complete the exam. (The oral exam if given in place of the written exam is 160 questions in length.) The Skills Evaluation will be a 25 minute time period given to complete 5 randomly selected nurse aide skills.
Content topics include:
- Activities of Daily Living – Hygiene, Dressing and Grooming, Nutrition and Hydration, Elimination, Rest/Comfort/Sleep
- Basic Nursing Skills - Infection Control, Safety/Emergency, Therapeutic/Technical Procedures, Data Collection and Reporting
- Restorative Skills – Prevention, Self-care/Independence
- Psychosocial Care Skills – Emotional and Mental Health Needs
- Spiritual and Cultural Needs
- Communication
- Client Rights
- Legal and Ethical Behavior
- Member of the Health Care Team
Certification Renewal and Continuing Education Requirements: In order to keep your certification up to date, you need to work at least eight hours, paid, not volunteer hours in a home health agency, hospital, hospice agency, nursing home or mental health facility within a two year period. Recertification can be accomplished after a lapse by being retrained and retested. This information and more can be found here.
Contact
AL Certified Nurse Aide Registry
AL Department of Public Health
Division of Health Care Facilities
The RSA Tower, Suite 600
201 Monroe Street Montgomery, AL 36104
Phone: 334-206-5169
Fax: 334-206-5219
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