CNA Certification in Oregon

How to Become a Certified Nursing Assistant in Oregon

Getting certified nursing assistant certification in Oregon requires a candidate to follow a few basic steps.

They will have to determine if they are an eligible candidate for a state approved CNA program;If so, they then determine if they need the training or can challenge it and take the exam;If they do take training, it will have to be approved by the Oregon State Board of Nursing;When finished they will then have to apply to D&S Diversified Technologies to take the tests; andAfter completing the exam, the CNA appears on the state registry.Eligibility Requirements

To qualify for certified nursing assistant certification training in Oregon means:

You are at least 18 years of age;You are willing to undergo a full background check that includes fingerprinting and a felony check;You have evidence of high school graduation or a GED; andYou can pass a health screening that includes TB testing, drug screening, and evidence of current immunizations.

Once you have all of this documentation, along with your application, you can begin studies, and when those are done it is time for the state exam. Before you can schedule the exams, however, you have to complete the Certification by Examination Application to D&S Diversified. They review it and then send you confirmation that allows you to schedule a date for your exam.

Applying for CNA Certification in Oregon

Though many people must take an approved training program, there are exceptions. These include:

Anyone who has completed training in an approved program in the past 24 months;Anyone who has their CNA from another state;Any military medic or corpsman; andAnyone graduated from a nursing education program within the past three years.

For the candidate who must get training, the entire list of approved programs is available online.

CNA certification for Oregon requires at least 150 hours of study, and this is divided into 75 hour of clinical and the remainder in the classroom and lab. When successfully completed, the candidate will then sit for the state exam. This is divided into a written exam with 77 multiple-choice questions and a skills exam that asks you to do five random CNA tasks. Exams can be taken orally for those with testing or language problems.

Costs

The average price for an approved CNA certification program is over $1000, without textbooks and additional materials. There are also testing fees that include:

Both written and skills: $106 (oral is an additional $35)
Retake of both: $70
Retake of written: $25
Retake of skills: $45

FAQ

There are many useful facts to know as you prepare to train or test for your CNA certification in Oregon, and they include:

Nursing assistant certificates are valid for two years. Certificates expire at midnight the day before your birthday. If you were born in an even numbered year, your expiration will occur in an even year. If you were born in an odd numbered year, your expiration will occur in an odd year. Notices of expiration are sent 6 to 8 weeks prior to expiration.To be eligible for license renewal, a CNA must work paid for at least 400 hours in the two years immediately before the certificate expiration date.If you allow certification to expire, you can reinstate your license by submitting a renewal form with the correct fees. If renewal does not occur within 60 days of expiration, your license must be reactivated (costs an additional fee) and you will need to pass a national criminal background check; andA sample exam is available from the D&S Diversified site.
Helpful Resources around the Web

Oregon State Board of Nursing
Customer Service Center
17938 SW Upper Boones Ferry Rd.
Portland, OR 97224
Phone: 971.673.0685
Web: http://www.oregon.gov/osbn/Pages/index.aspx

HEADMASTER
3310 McHugh Lane
Helena, MT 59602
Phone: (800) 393-8664
Web www.hdmaster.com