Montana Nurse Assistant Registry
Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services
2401 Colonial Drive, 2nd Floor
PO Box 202953
Helena MT 59620-2953
Phone:(406) 444-4980
Fax:(406) 444-3456
Email: [email protected]
The classes and certification requirements of Certified Nurse Assistants in Montana are supervised by the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS). All nurse assistants must be listed in the Montana CNA Registry in order to be allowed to work as a CNA in the state of Montana. Headmaster has been designated to deliver the nurse aide competency evaluations in Montana.
Initial CNA certification
An individual seeking to become work as a nurse assistant in the state of Montana, must take the following steps:
- Enroll in and complete successfully a state-approved CNA program, which, in Montana, consists of minimum 75 hours, with 25-30 clinical hours and 45-50 classroom hours.
- Take and pass the skills and knowledge examinations of the competency evaluation via Headmaster, which is the Montana-approved vendor.
Useful tips for post-program certification
- Candidates must take the competency evaluation within 6 months of completing a program or the coursework will expire, and the candidate will lose eligibility to test;
- Candidates have 3 attempts to pass the competency exam;
- A form for payment is required in addition to the testing application for self-pay candidates.
Useful links
- Nurse Aide Registry Applications
- Nurse Aide Registry Online Verification
- Nurse Aide Programs
- CNA skills checklist
- Nursing student applications
- FAQ
- Headmaster Candidate handbook
- Testing application form 1101
- Payment and scheduling form
- Test sites list
- Headmaster website
Challenging the CNA exam
Candidates without valid coursework can still become certified in Montana if they challenge the exam and that apply for certification through the Montana DPHHS. Candidates have only one attempt to pass the exam and further testing is allowed only after the candidates has successfully completed a state-approved CAN program.
- Challenging instructions
- Testing application form 1101
- Payment and scheduling form
- Online CNA certification verification
Certification Renewal for Montana CNAs
In Montana, nurse assistants’ certificates are valid for 24 months. The expiration date is the last day of the 24th month. The renewal procedure is simple, and it entails submitting a filled-out renewal application to the MT DHHS. In order to be eligible for renewal, nurse assistants must have worked as a CNA for pay in the past 24 months. Continuing education hours do not count towards NA certification renewal.
Reinstatement of a Lapsed Certificate
Expired certificates cannot be renewed. However, nurse assistants with expired certificates have several options at their disposal:
- Take a class via the available state-approved CNA programs;
- Challenge the CNA exams
- Apply for interstate endorsement based on an active out-of-state certificate.
Out-of-state CNA Certification Transfer
CNAs certified in another state may transfer their certification to the CNA registry in Montana via interstate endorsement. Candidates are required to fill out and submit an interstate endorsement application along with a letter or card from each certification state. Their name should be placed on the registry 10-15 days after application. Pending certification, out-of-state CNAs are allowed to work for up to 30 days in Montana IF their status has been verified to be active and in good standing in the registry of the state of certification.