Nurse Aide

To streamline Registry customer service requests, an email account has been created to accept requests and provide responses.  The email address is HSS-CNA-DSW-Request@la.gov.  The email account will be monitored by Registry staff, but please be patient while waiting for a response. 

You are strongly encouraged to check the online Registry to verify status, obtain certification number or expiration date, or check test eligibility. The information you are trying to locate can usually be found on the Registry website, in the FAQ's (below), or on the Prometric website.

If unable to find your answer using the above resources, questions may be submitted to HSS-CNA-DSW-Request@la.gov.  Include name, certification number, and date of birth in your email in order to expedite your response.

Please contact Prometric for questions regarding scheduling, reciprocity, or any other concerns related to the competency test, as this office is unable to assist with these concerns. 

The reciprocity process allows for an aide who is certified on a Nurse Aide Registry in one state to transfer the certification to another state.   

To transfer TO Louisiana:

You must be active and in good standing in all states you are currently certified in. 

Effective July 1, 2018, Prometric will handle the processing of reciprocity applications for Louisiana.

Please read the "Reciprocity Procedure" before submitting the application to Prometric. You must submit payment with the application, along with a legible copy (clear enough to be read) of your social security card and official Louisiana identification (ID card, driver's license, etc.). A military ID is acceptable.  Also, if the CNA lives within a 30 mile radius of the LA border, a LA ID will not be required.

  Mail all required information to this address: 

Prometric
ATTN: LA Nurse Aide Program
7941 Corporate Drive
Nottingham, MD 21236  

To transfer FROM Louisiana to another state:

A nurse aide certified in Louisiana, who wishes to transfer certification to another state, must contact the Nurse Aide Registry of the state transferring to for their reciprocity application and/or requirements.  

The directory of state registries will provide the contact information for each state's Nurse Aide Registry. 

The LA Nurse Aide Registry does not complete Reciprocity forms for other states.  The required information can be printed from the public Registry look up page.  Reciprocity forms received will be returned to the applicant. 

The LA Nurse Aide Registry does not have records of, or access to, a CNA’s original certificate, transcript, certification examination scores, etc.  If this information is required to complete the reciprocity process, the CNA must contact their training facility, not the LA Nurse Aide Registry.

Effective July 1, 2018, all trainees must successfully complete the competency examination in order to be certified to the LA Nurse Aide Registry.  

Prometric is the testing company that will provide the standardized test.  This will ensure all trainees have met the minimum requrements to be certified in the state of LA. 

The Prometric website for LA can be accessed here.

The Candidate Information Bulletin will provide detailed instructions and sample test questions.

The application must be submitted with payment in order to schedule your examination.  

Providers/agencies who do NOT have a facility code:

Work history must be submitted by the provider on official letterhead.  It shall be signed and dated by the administrator or designee.  It must be mailed or emailed; faxes will not be accepted. The following information is required:

• the name, social security number, date of birth, address, e-mail address, and phone number of the aide

• the date (month, day, and year) the aide began working and the date (month, day, and year) the aide last worked

• the specific nursing and nurse-related duties performed by the aide

• the name, address, phone number, and provider license number of the agency reporting the work history

• the name and title of the individual reporting the work history

Providers/agencies who DO have a facility code:

Work history is reported using the NAT-7 Form.  It must be mailed; faxes will not be accepted.  Nursing homes are required to electronically submit work history via the eNAT-7 in LARS. 

CNA’s employed through staffing agencies:

Staffing agency employment is ONLY accepted for work performed in a nursing home. Work history for a CNA employed through a staffing agency is reported using the NAT-7SA Form. It may not be submitted by the staffing agency; the nursing home must submit to the Nurse Aide Registry.  It must be mailed; faxes will not be accepted.

Please see the requirements regarding work history reporting for NH's per the LA Administrative Code, Title 48:1, Subpart 3, Chapter 97, Section 9757 C.  

Submit to:

See other FAQ's:

“What is the nurse aide certification period and what are the requirements to retain certification?”

“How do I obtain a facility code for my agency?”  

Complete the Designated Signature Form. The form will be reviewed to determine whether your agency meets the criteria necessary to be assigned a facility code by the Louisiana Nurse Aide Registry. Mail the original form, completed in its entirety, to the Louisiana Nurse Aide Registry, Department of Health, P. O. Box 3767, Baton Rouge, LA  70821. You must also submit a detailed description of the nursing and nursing-related duties performed by the CNA's.

Incomplete forms will be returned. The registry will send written notification of whether your agency meets the criteria for a facility code.

If assigned a facility code, please be advised that:

Completion of the "Designated Signature Form” indicates you agree to adhere to all policies and procedures which include completing the NAT-7 form on all certified nurse aides who are hired and terminated (regardless of the reason for termination). The NAT-7 form shall be mailed to the registry once the aide has worked a minimum of eight (8) hours and immediately upon termination.  You also agree that the NAT-7 form will be kept secure, and not provided to employees.

1. Go to http://www.ldh.la.gov/cnadsw

            a. Select "Nurse Aide Registry/Direct Service Worker Registry"

            b. Select "CNA" 

            c. Enter the "social security number" only.
                    * You must enter the dashes in the social security number.
                    * Scroll to the bottom of the page to see your information.

2. If you are having problems accessing the website as instructed above, please call the registry at (225)
    342-0138 to report a problem.    

Nurse aides are certified for 2 years, beginning with the certification date.

Nurse aides are required to work at least 8 hours during every 24 month period (2 years) once certified.  The 8 hours must include "nursing or nurse related" duties and should have been performed in approved settings such as: nursing homes, hospitals, home health agencies, personal care attendant agencies, assisted living programs, hospice agencies, respite agencies, supervised independent living agencies, adult day health care programs and intermediate care facilities for the developmentally disabled (ICF/DD) programs).

Approved settings must be licensed by the state of LA in order for work history to be accepted. Private duty sitting and employment through staffing agencies are NOT accepted.

NOTE: Duties performed in schools serving children with special needs, work in correctional facilities caring for patients, supervised independent living agencies, adult day health care programs, supported employment and intermediate care facilities for the developmentally disabled (ICF/DD) programs) may be reviewed to determine whether they meet the established criteria.

1. If certification is lost because the nurse aide does not have the required work history, the nurse aide may retest (within 2 years) or complete another Nurse Aide Training Program (provided there is no other reason which would prohibit recertification).  Aides may go to http://www.ldh.la.gov/cnadsw to find out if they are eligible to retest and get instructions for retesting.

2. If certification is lost because the nurse aide has the required work history but it has not been reported to the registry (regardless of the reason), that work history may be submitted to the registry in accordance with the instructions outlined in "How do I report or verify work history for aides?" on this FAQ page.

A link to the "Directory of Nurse Aide Registries" can be found on the Nurse Aide (CNA) Training and Certification home page.

This link provides the Designated Signature Form needed to report changes in authorized personnel.

Click on the link for a list of train the trainer instructors approved to teach the course for individuals who wish to teach in a Nurse Aide Training Program or Nurse Aide Training School.  You must contact one of the instructors for more information, including cost and schedule.

ALL changes to a Nurse Aide Training Program MUST be submitted to the Nurse Aide Training Program Desk Manager.

Changes in RN Coordinator, Instructor, and Clinical Site will NOT receive approval.

All other changes must receive approval PRIOR to implementation.  

See this website for NATP Change Form and Instructions:  https://www.ldh.la.gov/index.cfm/page/2766

The Louisiana Registry System (LARS) can be accessed directly or through the Louisiana Nurse Aide Registry web page at http:www.ldh.la.gov/cnadsw.

For problems accessing or navigating through LARS, send an e-mail to lars@trisine.com.

Please click this link for a list of Nurse Aide Training Schools.

RN and LPN students who have completed sufficient course content may be eligible to test for certification, if the application and required documentation is submitted within 3 years of taking relevant nursing courses.

RN's and LPN(LVN)'s who trained in other countries will be required to test in order to be certified to the Registry.

Military personnel and RN/LPN's will be required to test in order to be certified to the Registry.  Approval requires verification of training as well as other criteria determine eligibility for certification. Documentation may include, but is not limited to, (for military personnel) military transcript and DD-214, and (for RN/LPN's) transcript, nursing license, consent order and related documentation (if applicable).  Submission of this information with the application will allow quicker processing. 

Complete the LA Nurse Aide Certification--Approval to Test Application and submit all required documentation noted on the application.  If approved, you will receive an approval letter via email that will provide additional instructions for certification testing.   

Please note:

• The Nurse Aide Registry does not offer the certification exam.  You will be required to schedule the exam with the testing provider Prometric, and will be responsible for the cost of the exam.
• Obsolete applications and unofficial transcipts will NOT be accepted.  
• Information may be submitted by mail or email to HSS-CNA-DSW-Request@la.gov.
• You will have one (1) opportunity within 12 months of the date of the approval letter to pass both portions.
• If additional information is needed, you will be notified once your application has been reviewed. Submission of documentation with the application will prevent delays in the approval.  

The option to retest is available to certified nurse aides whose certification is expired and is listed as "not certified" on the Louisiana Nurse Aide Registry.  Aides are eligible to retest during the two (2) year period immediately following the expiration of their certification. You will have one (1) opportunity to pass both portions of the competency test. For additional information regarding retesting, click here.

If the aide's certification expired is for more than two (2) years, or does not pass the test in one (1) attempt, the aide must retrain.