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N.C. Nurse Aide I

Frequently Asked Questions

for prospective and practicing Nurse Aide Is and their employers

 

N.C. DHHS/Division of Health Service Regulation

Health Care Personnel Registry Section

Center for Aide Regulation and Education

2709 Mail Service Center

Raleigh, NC 27699-2709

Staff: 919-855-3969/9 a.m. - 3 p.m., M-F

24 hour: 919-715-0562

Fax: 919-733-9764

HCPR website: www.ncnar.org

 

 

1.      What registries are maintained by the Health Care Personnel Registry (HCPR) Section?

The HCPR Section is responsible for the Nurse Aide I Registry, N.C. Medication Aide Registry, and the Health Care Personnel Registry.   The Center for Aide Regulation and Education (CARE) Branch provides regulatory oversight for aide registry, training and competency, and for providing registry listing verification to health care employers.  The Investigations Branch is responsible for investigating and listing allegations and findings on the Health Care Personnel Registry.

 

Note: The Nurse Aide II Registry is maintained by the N.C. Board of Nursing, and can be reached by calling 919-782-7499 or online at www.ncbon.org.

 

1.      What is the N.C. Nurse Aide I Registry and who must be listed?

The N.C. Nurse Aide I Registry is a federally mandated registry that lists all individuals who meet federal and state training and competency requirements to perform Nurse Aide I activities.  Anyone who desires to work as a nurse aide in a North Carolina nursing home must first be listed on the Nurse Aide I Registry, including RNs, LPNs, and Nurse Aide IIs.  Medication aides who work in skilled nursing facilities must also be listed on the N.C. Nurse Aide I Registry. 

 

2.      How does one become listed on the N.C. Nurse Aide I Registry? 

To become a Nurse Aide I, one must successfully complete a state-approved Nurse Aide I Training Program and the state-approved Nurse Aide I Competency Evaluation, or for individuals with previous or equivalent training (such as nursing students, nurse aides from other states, and nurse aides who have allowed their listings to expire) the state-approved Nurse Aide I Competency Evaluation.  North Carolina does not accept reciprocity from another state. 

 

Licensed nurses may be listed with no additional training or testing if they are or have been employed in health care during the past 24 months and have a current, unrestricted license to practice in North Carolina.  An application form may be obtained from the HCPR website or by contacting registry staff.  

 

3.      How long does it take to be listed on the Nurse Aide I Registry after completing the exam?

Successful Nurse Aide I candidates (those who pass both portions of the exam) are typically listed on the registry within two to four business days after completing the exam.  New listings can be verified online and through the automated Voice Response System after one business day.  See question 21 below.

 

4.      What is the listing period of a Nurse Aide I (how long is the listing valid)?

A Nurse Aide I listing is valid for a 24-month period only.  The 24-month listing period begins when the individual passes the state-approved competency evaluation, and can be reinstated based on reported qualified employment dates.  See questions 7 through 9 below.

 

5.      How is the Nurse Aide I listing expiration date calculated?

Initially, Nurse Aide I listings expire 24 months after the date the aide passes competency evaluation.  Exams taken by October 31, 2005 resulted in expiration dates calculated 24 months after the day of the exam.  All test dates starting November 1, 2005 will have expiration dates 24 months from the end of the month in which the exam was taken.  At listing renewal, expiration dates are calculated in the very same way, using the individual’s most recent reported date of qualified employment.


6.      How does a Nurse Aide I renew listing?

Nurse Aide I listings are renewed based on qualified work (see questions 8 and 9 below) performed by the Nurse Aide I during each 24-month listing period.  Approximately 2 to 3 months before the expiration date, eligible aides are automatically mailed a renewal application and instructions for reporting their qualified employment to the registry. 

 

To avoid a lapse in listing, the Nurse Aide I is responsible for 1) ensuring that his or her employment will meet the renewal criteria during each listing period, 2) reporting name/address changes to the registry, 3) knowing when his or her listing will expire, and 4) ensuring that the completed renewal application is returned to the registry before the listing expires, even if the automatic mailing is not received*.  To allow time for processing, it is recommended that the renewal application be returned at least 4 to 6 weeks before the listing expires.

 

Level I nurse aides who perform no qualified work during a 24-month period must complete a new state-approved Nurse Aide I Training Program and the state-approved Competency Evaluation Program or the state-approved Nurse Aide I Competency Evaluation Program to be relisted.

 

*If the automatic mailing is not received at least two months prior to expiration, the Nurse Aide I should contact the registry to request an application form be mailed to them. (A request for mailing can be obtained from the website and faxed or mailed to the registry.)

 

7.      What is qualified work for the Nurse Aide I renewal?

Qualified work for a Nurse Aide I is employment that meets ALL FOUR (4) of the following criteria:

1)   The employment must be for monetary compensation

2)   The employment must be as either:
a) a nurse aide, performing direct patient care OR
b) an RN-supervised medication aide, performing medication administration tasks

3)   The work must be delegated and supervised by a registered nurse

4)   Total time worked during the aide’s 24-month listing period equals 8 hours or more

 

8.      What is not qualified work for Nurse Aide I renewal?

The following types of work cannot be considered for Nurse Aide I listing renewal:

a.      Work that is not delegated and supervised by an RN

b.      Less than 8 hours of cumulative qualified employment during the listing period

c.      Employment dates on which the aide did not actually work, even if on payroll (e.g., on medical leave)

d.      Volunteer work - work with no monetary compensation

e.      Sitter work

f.        Periods of orientation where no direct patient care or medication administration tasks are performed

g.      Work that the RN supervisor cannot support with written documentation or facility records, or by personal supervision on (and thereby knowledge of) the employment date.

h.      Work that is not within the scope of a Nurse Aide I or Medication Aide

 

9.      Does the state charge a listing or renewal fee?

No. 

 

10.  Is a notification sent once the Nurse Aide I renewal is complete?

Renewed listing expiration dates are added each business day at www.ncnar.org and at 919‑715‑0562.  Aides and facilities may register online to receive a courtesy email notification to alert when the registry has received a renewal form and also when a listing expiration date has been changed.  (To register, visit www.ncnar.org, click on Verify Listings, and enter your email address and the social security number for which you wish to receive notification, then click submit.  The registration will be valid for 12 months.)  It is important to complete this registration before submitting the renewal application to the registry to receive notification.  Note: The registry does not guarantee delivery of email.  No other notifications are sent verifying the renewal.

 

11.  Why wasn’t my listing expiration date extended for two more years upon renewal?

See question 6 above for an explanation of how expiration dates are calculated.  The reported qualified employment date on the Nurse Aide I renewal application, determines the date on which the next 24-month listing period starts.  The new listing period does not start on the last expiration date.  If the employment date is prior to November 2005, the new expiration date will be calculated 24 months out from the exact day.  An 8-hour qualified employment date occurring in November 2005 or later qualifies as employment held during the entire month, and the 24-month period is extended 24 months out to the end of the month. 

 

12.  How does a Nurse Aide I report changes (name, address, etc.) to the registry?

Address and phone number changes may be made either in writing or by phone during registry office hours, which are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.  Contact information for the registry can be found at the top of this document.  Written requests for address and phone number changes must be signed and include social security number. 

 

Name change requests must be submitted in writing and must include:

1) a copy of the official court document* (e.g., state-issued marriage license, state-issued birth certificate, divorce decree stating the resumption of a prior name, etc.) that demonstrates the name change or correction, AND 

2) a copy of the signed social security card*, with the new name on it.  For convenience, a change of address or name form may be obtained at www.ncnar.org. 

 

*Please do not send original documents through the mail.  Copies are sufficient.  All copies provided to the registry must be made from official and legal documents; documents may be subject to verification with the issuing source. 

 

13.  Where are state-approved Nurse Aide I Training Programs taught?

State-approved Nurse Aide I Training Programs (75 hours or longer) are offered at most community colleges and at various nursing homes, hospitals, home care agencies, and private companies.  For assistance locating state-approved Nurse Aide I Training Programs in your area, visit www.ncnar.org, or contact registry staff.   Since admission policies and class schedules vary, individuals should contact the Program Coordinator at an approved location for information specific to that site.

 

Note:  Some community colleges offer Nurse Aide I refresher courses, as well as Nurse Aide I transition courses for EMTs, paramedics, surgical technicians and medical office assistants.  While these are not considered state-approved Nurse Aide I Training Programs, they were designed to prepare individuals with prior training for competency.  Contact your local community college for information.

 

14.  Is completion of a state-approved Nurse Aide I Training Program required? 

No.   However, training is recommended for anyone seeking listing as a Nurse Aide I and prior to attempting competency evaluation.  Nursing students, nurse aides from other states, and nurse aides who have allowed their listings to expire may wish to attempt the state-approved Competency Evaluation Program without taking any additional training.  Completion of a state-approved Nurse Aide I Training Program is required if an individual fails three consecutive competency examination attempts.

 

15.  Is it important for a test candidate to indicate completion of a state-approved Nurse Aide I Training Program on the application for competency evaluation? 

Yes.  For example, training verification may be requested by other state registries for nurse aides seeking reciprocity from North Carolina.  Only state-approved programs are monitored for compliance with the federal standards for nurse aide training.  Therefore, test candidates whose training is not validated on the application for competency evaluation will not have a record of their training included on the Nurse Aide I registry for verification and disclosure purposes. 

16.  Where and how does one apply for the state-approved N.C. Nurse Aide I Competency Evaluation?

Pearson Vue is the state-approved vendor for North Carolina Nurse Aide I Competency Evaluations.  The Nurse Aide Competency Evaluation Service (NACES) works with Pearson Vue to schedule and administer the examinations.  Approved training programs may assist their students with exam scheduling.  Individuals who wish to schedule an exam may obtain a candidate handbook, application and test schedules at www.pearsonvue.com (Test Taker Information, North Carolina Nurse Aide I & Medication Aide), or by calling NACES at 1‑888‑282‑6904. 

 

17.   When is retraining or retesting required for the Nurse Aide I?

Level I nurse aides who do not hold qualified employment (see questions 8 and 9 above) for at least 8 hours in a 24‑consecutive-month period (two full years) must complete either a new state-approved Nurse Aide I Training and the state-approved Nurse Aide I Competency Evaluation Program or the state-approved Nurse Aide I Competency Evaluation Program to be relisted.

 

18.  What is the Health Care Personnel Registry?

The Health Care Personnel Registry is a state-mandated registry (NC G.S. 131E-256; 10 NCAC13O) that contains the names of health care personnel who have pending investigations of allegations or substantiated Findings by the department of resident abuse, resident neglect, misappropriation of resident or facility property, fraud against a resident or facility, or diversion of drugs belonging to a resident or facility.  The Health Care Personnel Registry includes all of the Findings contained in the Nurse Aide I Registry (resident abuse, resident neglect, or misappropriation of the property of a resident in a nursing facility by a nurse aide) under NC G.S. 131E‑255.  Before hiring health care personnel into a health care facility or service, health care facility employers as defined in NC G.S. 131E‑256(b) must access the Health Care Personnel Registry and note each incident of access in their business files.

 

A listing on the Health Care Personnel Registry does not indicate completion of any type of training or competency evaluation.  A listing on the Health Care Personnel Registry only indicates that the individual is either under investigation or has had a substantiated Finding placed on the registry as noted above.

 

Nurse aides who have substantiated Findings of resident abuse, resident neglect, or misappropriation of resident property in a nursing home listed against them on the North Carolina Nurse Aide Registry (or on any state’s Nurse Aide Registry) are prohibited from working in a nursing facility [42 U.S.C. Section 1395i-3(g)(1)(C); 42 U.S.C. Section 1396r(g)(1)(C); 42 CFR 483.13 (c)(1)(ii)(B)].  Additionally, medication aides who have any type of substantiated Finding listed on the Health Care Personnel Registry are prohibited from working in a nursing facility per NC G.S. 131E-270(C).  Employment prohibitions unique to other health care employers may also apply.  Health care employers needing guidance on prohibitions specific to them can contact their respective survey or licensure section within the Division of Health Service Regulation or other appropriate regulatory agency.

 

19.   What is the N.C. Medication Aide Registry and how can I obtain additional information?

The N.C. Medication Aide Registry contains the names of all health care personnel in North Carolina who have successfully completed a medication aide training program approved by the North Carolina Board of Nursing and have passed the state-approved Medication Aide Competency Exam administered through Pearson Vue.  To work in a skilled nursing home as a medication aide, an individual must be listed on the N.C. Medication Aide Registry.  Note: The N.C. Medication Aide Registry does not include listings for Medication Aides who work in Adult Care Homes.  Further information can be obtained at www.ncnar.org.

 

20.  How can employers access the N.C. Nurse Aide I Registry, N.C. Medication Aide Registry, or the N.C. Health Care Personnel Registry for listing verification?

Registry access is provided 24 hours/day at www.ncnar.org and at 919-715-0562. Staff-assisted verifications are available at 919-855-3969, weekdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. 

 

To obtain listing verification, an individual’s social security number is required.  No other number can be used to obtain verification.  TAX ID NUMBERS ARE NOT VALID FOR USE WITH THESE SYSTEMS.

 

Listing verification through any of these methods will include information from the N.C. Nurse Aide I Registry, N.C. Medication Aide Registry*, and the N.C. Health Care Personnel Registry.  Printed listing verifications are available only through the website. 

 

Updates to the registries appear on the Voice Response and website after one business day.

 

*Important: The North Carolina Medication Aide Registry verification provided by these verification systems does not apply to Medication Aides working in Adult Care Homes. Employers of Medication Aides working in Adult Care Homes must verify listing by calling (919) 733-7615.

 

 

This page was last updated: JANUARY 9, 2008