Illinois CNA Registry: Basic Information

The Illinois Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Registry is a database handled by the State Department of Health that involves information pertaining to all public health workers who practice in the State. Those who want to work with patients, be it in a hospital setup or home care facility, need to get registered.

Purpose of the CNA Registry

The creation of the Illinois Certified Nursing Assistant Registry is for the State to be able to comply with the Health Care Worker Background Check Act (225 ILCS 46). All certified nursing assistant health care workers in the state must undergo a background check, including their credentials, to ensure that patients are given quality care by qualified professionals.

For a registered nurse or a licensed nurse practitioner currently licensed to practice in Illinois and is in good standing, there is no need to get on the registry in order to practice as a CNA.

State Requirements
There are basic requirements to become a certified nursing assistant in Illinois. Depending on the type of facility you want to work in, there may be additional requirements, such as years of work experience. Here are the basic requirements to get listed in the Illinois Certified Nursing Assistant Registry.

•  Must be at least 16 years of age.
•  Completed  certified nursing assistant training programs from accredited programs, nursing arts course or US military medical nurse aide training program. Proof is needed such as a copy of the certification or diploma. The student must have a minimum of 40 hours of supervised clinical setting experience.
•  Passed the written competency exam called the Nurse Aide Competency Evaluation Exam, which is administered by Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (SIU-C). A person is allowed to take the exam three times or he will need to re-enroll at another accredited training program
•  Must be a legal resident or citizen of the United States and is able to show proof of legal residence.
•  Pass the criminal background check.
•  In some cases, a manual competence exam is administered for those who have previously passed a CAN accredited training program but have not practiced in at least two consecutive years.
•  Completed application form which can be filled out directly on the website at www.idph.state.us/nar.

Process

You must complete an accredited training program, which includes a minimum of 40 hours of supervised clinical experience. Next, you must take and pass the written exam. The results are posted online within three weeks of taking the test. When you have all the requirements, you can go to the registry website at download the necessary forms and submit it.

Contact Information

The Illinois Department of Public Health can be found at 4/F 525 West Jefferson Street, Springfield, IL 62761 and can be contacted at (217) 785-5133 between the hours of 8-5 Monday through Friday. or (800) 547-0466. The Illinois Certified Nursing Assistant Registry can also be reached at their website at www.idph.state.il.us/nar. If you want to send an email to the registry, the email address is DPH.HCWR@Illinois.gov.

You can look forward to a lucrative and challenging career as a certified nursing assistant. Get your name of the Illinois certified nursing assistant registry so you can start practicing today.

Approved CNA training program in Illinois
There are several colleges and campuses in Illinois that offer CNA training programs, you can choose and opt to register into one that’s nearest to you. Below is a list with the corresponding contact details: