Louisiana Nurse Aide Registry
Direct Service Worker Registry
P.O. Box 3767, Baton Rouge,
LA 70821-3767
Phone (225) 342-0138 (Opt. 6)
Fax (225) 342-5073
Nurse aides must be listed in the Louisiana CNA Registry to qualify for employment as Certified Nurse Aides in Louisiana. The registry is managed by the Louisiana Department of Health while Prometric administers the competency evaluations and processes reciprocity applications.
How to Become a New CNA in Louisiana
For an individual to become a new Certified Nurse Aide in Louisiana, they must follow this route:
- Enroll in and complete a state-approved nurse aide program
- Complete and submit an application-to-test form and Nurse Aide Training Verification Form to Prometric (along with required fees)
- Take and pass the skills and knowledge tests in the competency examination program administered by Prometric.
Nurse aide programs in Louisiana entail a minimum of 80 hours, including 40 hours of clinical experience and 40 hours of classroom education.
- Application to test
- Candidate Bulletin
- List of Approved Schools
- Online Verification of Louisiana CNA Certification
- Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals Adverse Actions
Other routes to become a CNA in Louisiana
RN or LPN students, foreign-trained nurses, licensed nurses on probation or suspended status, as well as military trained individuals may apply to test and become a CNA in Louisiana after they have previously obtained an approval to test letter from the Louisiana Department of Health. The letter is to be submitted with the application to test.
Approval to test application form
Certification renewal for Louisiana nurse aides
Nurse aides’ certifications are renewed automatically at midnight on the expiration date if required work history has been submitted to the CNA registry in Louisiana. The status of a nurse aide will change to “not certified” if the required work history is not reported to the registry. Therefore, if a nurse aide has performed the work and the status shows “not certified”, the nurse aide must contact the employer and ask to submit verification to the registry.
Reinstatement of a lapsed CNA Certificate
- If the certificate of a nurse aide is lapsed for less than 2 years, they may complete the application-to-test form and submit it with the adequate fees to Prometric. Nurse aides that take this route only have one attempt to pass the written and clinical evaluations before they are required to re-train.
- If the nurse aide has allowed her certificate to expire but has re-trained in the last 12 months, they must complete the application-to-test form along with the NA training verification form and submit then with the adequate fees to Prometric. They have 3 attempts at their disposal to pass the written and clinical evaluations before they must re-train.
Nurse aides who fail either portion of the assessment will be required to retrain. An aide whose certification expired too long in the past will also be required to retrain.
Transfer an out-of-state CNA certification
Nurse aides that are active CNAs in good standing on their home state’s registry may apply for certification by reciprocity. Nurses aides who take this route must apply by completing a form found on the Prometric website along with payment and required documentation. Prometric will verify your documentation and send the information to the Louisiana Department of Health. You will then be added to the LANAR.