How to Become a Certified Nurse Aide in Delaware

(found 25 schools with pass rates, updated in February 2018)

Becoming a Certified Nurse Aide (CNA) in Delaware is an excellent career choice for anyone who wants to work directly with patients and long-term care residents, and wishes to find employment as quickly as possible. New CNAs complete a training program and take a competency examination. Nurse Aides who have already completed equivalent training can take different paths to CNA certification in Delaware. The Delaware Division of Long-Term Care Residents Protection (DLTCRP) is the responsible state agency, and it has contracted with Prometric to administer the exam and manage the CNA Registry. In the following sections, the steps to earning certification are reviewed.

• 6 Steps to Becoming a CNA in Delaware
• Renew CNA Certification in Delaware
• Job Outlook and Salary for CNAs in Delaware
• Becoming a CNA in Bordering States

6 Steps to Becoming a CNA in Delaware

Most individuals in Delaware meet CNA certification requirements by completing a training program and taking and passing a state CNA Competency Exam that evaluates knowledge and skills. However, there are other routes available, including only taking the competency exam, getting reciprocity approval and deeming. Certified Nurse Aides are also known as Certified Nursing Assistants.

Step 1: Determine the Best Path to Becoming a CNA in Delaware

The first step a person should take is reviewing the different routes leading to CNA certification. Delaware has seven (7) routes.

Route 1: New Nurse Aide Who Trained in Delaware

A new nurse aide will complete a training program that is approved by the DLTCRP. After successfully completing the CNA program, the individual will need to pass a competency examination within 24 months.

Route 2: Nursing Students Who Completed Basic Nursing Course

Nursing students who have completed a basic or fundamentals course at a state licensed nursing program can request to take the CNA state exam. The nursing course must have included a minimum of 75 hours of clinical instruction in a long-term care facility.

Route 3: Lapsed (Expired) Nurse Aide

A Delaware Certified Nursing Assistant must work a minimum of 64 hours during a 24-month certification period in order to recertify. If the nurse aide does not meet this requirement, and allows certification to expire, he or she must retest.

Route 4: CNA From out of State With Less Than 3 Months Full-Time Employment

A Certified Nurse Aide who obtained certification in a state other than Delaware, and has less than three months of full-time employment, can take the CNA Exam without retraining in a Delaware state-approved CNA school.

Route 5: Graduates of LPN or RN Program

An individual who graduated from an RN or LPN program over two years (24 months) before he or she submitted an application for CNA certification can request to take the state exam. The RN or LPN training meets the CNA training requirement.

Route 6: Reciprocity for out of State CNA in Good Standing

An out of state Certified Nurse Aide who is in good standing on an out of state Nurse Aide Registry can request direct placement on the Delaware Nurse Aide Registry. An individual must meet one of the following three conditions:

• Provide a copy of the active CNA certificate earned in the other state; or
• Provide documentation of working full-time for pay as a Certified Nursing Assistant (or Certified Nurse Aide) while under the supervision of a Registered Nurse or licensed physician for hours adding up to three months of employment (420 hours); or
• Provide documentation of having completed a CNA training program that meets the minimum training hours requirement (150 Hours) of the State of Delaware and of passing a competency evaluation exam

Route 7: RN or LPN Who Graduated in Prior 24 Months

At the time of application for CNA certification, the individuals who graduated from an RN or LPN program in the previous 24 months are deemed to have met CNA training and testing requirements. They are eligible for nurse aide certification by providing proof of graduation. This is called ‘Deemed Certification.’

Step 2: Review the School Choices and Select a Training Program

Those who need to complete a CNA training program should only consider one of the state-approved programs. There are a variety of CNA classes in Delaware that are offered at community colleges, technical schools, high schools and workforce training centers. Nurse aide students can also train at long-term care facilities while working for pay.

State-Approved CNA Programs in Delaware by City

The Delaware CNA school list is updated in February 2018. The pass rates are first time test results between April 2017 and December 2017.

Program Length and Costs

Each CNA school and program establishes its own schedule and course fees. All CNA classes in Delaware are required by state law to be a minimum of 150 hours which consists of 75 hours of hands-on clinical training and 75 hours of classroom and laboratory training.

Some CNA training programs require more than 150 hours. For example, Delaware Technical Community College offers a 180-hour Certified Nursing Assistant course that takes approximately two to three months to complete, depending on the schedule selected. The tuition and fees are $2,395 (subject to change by the school at any time) and include tuition, textbooks, CPR certification, uniform, criminal background check, drug screening and certification exam. Workforce Innovation & Opportunity Act (WIOA) financial aid is available to students meeting certain qualifications.

For comparison purposes, the CAMTECH Certified Nursing Assistant Program is a 6-week program. Program fees are $2,995 (subject to change) and includes tuition, textbooks, drug test, TB test, uniforms and nurse aide certification registration fee. Since students from nearby states attend this CNA program, they are encouraged to check for workforce training funds at the appropriate Department of Labor in Delaware, New Jersey or Pennsylvania.

Step 3: Assess and Meet Prerequisites

Prerequisites are established by the CNA school or program, and federal and state laws. They typically include the following:

• Be 18 years old or older
• Have a high school degree or GED
• Pass a health screening
• Pass a TB test (two-step PPD or chest x-ray)
• Show proof of immunizations
• Pass a drug screening
• Pass a criminal background check

Step 4: Complete a State-Approved Training Program

Each CNA training program that is approved by the State of Delaware has been determined to meet or exceed minimum course content requirements as defined by federal and state laws and regulations. The program consists of classroom, laboratory and clinical training. Students learn the basic skills and gain the knowledge they need to provide important support services to residents and patients and to assist healthcare team members. The topics and CNA skills taught in courses include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Role of the nurse aide
• Safety in the healthcare environment
• Infection prevention and control
• Promotion of the health and function of residents, including nutrition, personal care, mobility and use of assistive devices
• Handling acute emergency situations
• Providing specialized care for residents with physical and/or psychological problems, and for residents who are dying
• Ambulating residents
• Measuring and documenting vital signs and changes in the resident’s condition
• Transferring residents from bed into wheelchair and back to bed
• Assist residents with achieving the highest quality of life

Within each of these major topics are a variety of skills. For example, the nurse aide will learn how to measure and document blood pressure, temperature and pulse.

Step 5: Take and Pass the Two-Part State CNA Certification Examination

The Delaware Nurse Aide Competency Exam is a two-part test. Testing individuals can take the CNA exam at the school or long-term care facility where they completed training, or at a Prometric regional test site.

Written Test

The Written Test has 60 questions in a multiple-choice format. Test results will only show if the individual passed or failed this part of the CNA test.

Clinical Skills Test

The Clinical Skills Test requires individuals to perform five CNA skills. While completing the five skills, each person is also rated on Handwashing plus skills called Indirect Care. Indirect Care are skills like communication with residents and infection control. Passing this part of the CNA exam requires passing all five skills.

Step 6: Get Certified as a CNA in Delaware

Prometric will add the names of people who pass the Competency Examination to the Delaware Nurse Aide Registry (here). The DLTCRP will add the names of approved applicants for Deemed Certification, and any others the agency reviews and approves, to the Registry.

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Renew CNA Certification in Delaware

CNA certification in Delaware is renewed every 24 months. There are two requirements that must be met during the 24-month certification period in order to renew certification:

• Work a minimum of 64 paid hours while performing nursing-related services as a Certified Nursing Assistant, AND
• Complete 24 hours of continuing education which must include six hours for dementia training and two hours on the topic of preventing patient abuse

An employer provides verification of work hours. A state approved education provider enters the continuing education hours on a Continuing Education (CE) Site. If the CE hours are not completed before the certification expires, the person will have to retake the competency exam.

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Job Outlook and Salary for CNAs in Delaware

Certified Nursing Assistants in Delaware can work in assisted living facilities, hospitals, long-term care facilities, hospices and licensed home health care agencies with a nurse supervisor in order to claim the required paid hours for CNA recertification. They can work in other health care settings and as private duty nurse aides, but the hours do not meet recertification requirements if the nurse aide duties are not delivered under the supervision of a licensed nurse or physician. | See Job Openings

The number of jobs for Certified Nurse Aides in Delaware are projected to increase by 13.4 percent. The average yearly CNA salary in Delaware is $29,000 which is an hourly rate of $13.94. Entry level CNAs in Delaware earn an average of $22,250, but experience increases wages. The top 10 percent earn an average salary of $36,870. | See Job Openings

Certified Nursing Assistant Salaries in Delaware

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Becoming a CNA in Bordering States

• Maryland
• New Jersey
• Pennsylvania