N.C. Department of Health and Human Services
Division of Health Service Regulation
Health Care Personnel Education and Credentialing Section
The N.C. Nurse Aide I Registry is a federally mandated registry for nursing home nurse aides. Anyone who works as a nurse aide in a North Carolina nursing home must be listed on the N.C. Nurse Aide I Registry. This includes RNs, LPNs, and Nurse Aide IIs. Medication aides who work in nursing homes must also be listed on the N.C. Nurse Aide I Registry.
The three ways to become a Nurse Aide I are these:
Nurses with restricted licenses may contact our office for listing procedures.
No. North Carolina does not accept reciprocity or listing transfers from another state. To be listed in North Carolina, you must pass state-approved Nurse Aide I training (or comparable) and competency testing
Yes. For most individuals, completion of a state-approved Nurse Aide I training course is required to be eligible to take the N.C. Nurse Aide Competency Exam.
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. To find state-approved sites in your area, view our guide to state-approved training and competency evaluation programs, 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 and licensed proprietary schools offer Nurse Aide I refresher courses.
Pearson VUE is the state-contracted provider of Nurse Aide I competency evaluation (testing). NACES Plus Foundation, Inc., works with Pearson VUE to schedule and provide tests. Candidates must obtain registration information, apply for and schedule their Nurse Aide I Competency exam by visiting the Pearson VUE website 
. Candidates can obtain a Nurse Aide I candidate handbook in these ways:
Important test policies and information are provided in the candidate handbook. To protect your exam fee investment, applicants should thoroughly read the candidate handbook before applying for the exam.
If a Nurse Aide I does not perform, or cannot document having performed, at least 8 hours of qualified (see FAQ #7) employment during the active registry listing period (a two year period), or if an aide's listing has expired, the aide must retrain/retest to renew. See the Guide to State-Approved Nurse Aide I Training and Competency for further related information.
Successful Nurse Aide I candidates (those who pass both the skills and written portions of the competency exam) are usually listed on the registry within two to five business days after completing the exam. The new listing can be verified online on the following business day.
A Nurse Aide student who is enrolled in a state-approved training component, has completed training and is waiting to take the competency exam can work for a maximum of four (4) months from the date of initial enrollment in the training program, as long as the facility and the training program have an agreement that the training program has a responsibility to be available to answer questions from its students. This option applies only to skilled care facilities. Your training program and/or potential employer facility can answer this question. If a student is hired during this four-month period, he/she may not perform any duty for which he/she has not been trained and checked by the instructor.
The Nurse Aide I listing period is always a 24-month period during which the listing is active. Nurse Aide I listings are valid for two years (24 months), initially. The initial listing period starts on the day you pass competency evaluation and ends, or expires, on the last day of the 24th month.
Aides can renew (for up to another 24 months), based on qualified work reported to the registry. At renewal, the new listing period starts on the reported qualified work date and it ends, or expires, on the last day of the 24 month.
Initially, Nurse Aide I listings expire 24 months after the date the aide passes competency evaluation. At listing renewal, Nurse Aide I listings expire 24 months after their latest reported qualified work date.
Note: Beginning with November 2007 expiration dates and later, all listing expiration dates fall on the last day of the 24th month.
Nurse Aide I listings may be renewed through qualified work experience completed by the aide during every two years. To be "qualified", the work must be ALL of the following:
The registry mails a renewal form to nurse aides about three months before their listings expire. Both the aide and the supervisor must complete the form to report the qualified work experience. Upon receipt of qualified work verification, the registry will renew the nurse aide’s listing. The renewal lasts for 24 months (two years) from the most recent qualified work date reported on the renewal form. The expiration date falls at the end of the 24th month.
Renewal is the aide's responsibility. Aides should report name and address changes promptly. Contact the registry if you do not receive your renewal application on time. You can download a Request for a Replacement Renewal Form (PDF, 36 KB) to be sent to you by mail. Tips and instructions for completing the renewal form are also available.
Anytime there is a 24-month period during which a Nurse Aide I does not perform qualified work (or cannot document such work), or the listing has expired, the aide must retrain/retest to renew. See the Guide to State-Approved Nurse Aide I Training and Competency for further information.
Qualified work for a Nurse Aide I is employment that is ALL FOUR (4) of the following:
The following types of work cannot be considered for Nurse Aide I listing renewal:
No. The Nurse Aide I Registry does not charge listing or renewal fees.
Renewed listings are posted each business day to the Verify Registry Listings page. You may monitor these systems to confirm when the listing has been renewed.
When checking the Verify Registry Listings page, you may register to receive a courtesy email notification to alert you when the registry has received a renewal form and when your listing expiration date has been changed. (To register, go to the Verify Registry Listings page, and enter your email address and social security number, 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 both notifications. Note: The registry does not guarantee delivery of email.
No other notifications are sent verifying the renewal.
New and renewed listings are posted to the Verify Registry Listings page on the following business day. Same-day renewal verification is available during business hours by calling registry staff.
This depends on the qualified work date reported on your renewal application. Expiration dates are calculated for two years (24 months), starting with the last reported work date. The more recent the work experience is that is reported, the later the expiration date can be extended. A nurse aide must work during every 24 months to maintain his or her listing.
Note: All listing expiration dates, beginning with November 2007 expiration dates and later, fall on the last day of the 24th month.
You may report your changes in these ways:
Note: If you are listed on the N.C. Medication Aide Registry or Geriatric Aide Registry, your changes will also appear there.
You are asked to voluntarily provide your SSN. This number is for record keeping and registry identification purposes only. Your SSN will remain confidential and will not be disclosed to the public.
All documents submitted to the registry may be verified with the issuing source before a change occurs.
Employers can verify N.C. Medication Aide, N.C. Nurse Aide I and N.C. Health Care Personnel Registry listings by these methods:
The verification systems use the last four (4) digits of social security numbers to access registry records. Also required are the first and last names as they are listed on the Nurse Aide I Registry. Printed verifications are available only through the web site. Daily changes to the registry database are uploaded to the web site on the following day. Same day verification of updates is available by calling registry staff.
IMPORTANT: The N.C. Medication Aide Registry verification given by these systems does not apply to Medication Aides working in Adult Care Homes. Employers of Medication Aides working in Adult Care Homes must verify listing via the N.C. Adult Care Medication Aide Testing Web site: https://mats.dhhs.state.nc.us/searchVerifications.aspx.
The N.C. Board of Nursing operates the Nurse Aide II Registry. Visit their web site or call (919) 782-7499.
If you are moving FROM North Carolina, contact the Nurse Aide Registry in the state where you are moving, to obtain state requirements.
Health care professionals who have completed training and credentialing in a comparable field may not have to complete nurse aide training. However, they must submit a Health Care Training Waiver for review and approval. Not all health care professionals are eligible for waived training. Military medics, EMTs, and inactive/expired licensed nurses are examples of those who may be eligible.
10A NCAC 13O.0301, was approved in December by the Rules Review Commission of the N.C. Office of Administrative Hearing and adopted by the N.C. Division of Health Service Regulation. As of March 1, 2016, individuals wishing to take the North Carolina Nurse Aide I Competency Exam must complete state-approved training in order to register and schedule the exam. Below are some explanations:
N.C. Nurse Aide I Registry
2709 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, N.C. 27699-2709
Phone Staff: Weekdays, 8 a.m. - 12 noon, and 1 p.m. - 3 p.m., EST: (919) 855-3969
Fax: (919) 733-9764
Denotes link to site outside of N.C. DHHS