Certified Nurse Aide (CNA) training & certification requirements vary considerably across the U.S. In some states, the requirements go beyond the federal minimum while in other states requirements are nearly identical to the federal standards.
This page displays Minnesota CNA Requirements as of February 2023.
To see requirements in other states, visit nursinghome411.org/cna-reqs.
Minnesota CNA Requirements
- Education & Training Requirement
- Individuals must complete a state approved nurse aide training and competency evaluation program.
- Testing Requirement
- Individuals must pass both a written and skills test.
- Renewal & In-Service Requirements
- In-service requirements are the same as federal.
- Renewal requires 8 hours of nursing or nursing-related duties every 24 months.
- Hours
- 75 hours in length; At least 16 are supervised practical training with a live person in a lab or other setting.
- Curriculum
- Core Curriculum (before any direct resident contact)
- Communication and interpersonal skills
- Infection prevention and control
- Safety and emergency procedures including clearing obstructed airway on conscious person
- Promoting resident independence
- Respecting resident’s rights and facility responsibilities
- Activities that constitute abuse, neglect, and exploitation
- Procedures for reporting abuse, neglect, exploitation, and misappropriation of resident property
- Dementia management and resident abuse prevention
- Basic Nursing Skills
- Hand hygiene
- Personal protective equipment
- Standard precautions
- Transmission based precautions
- Handling, storing, and transporting of linens
- Identification of changes in resident condition and the importance of reporting such changes to a supervisor.
- Must include but not limited to: shortness of breath, rapid respirations, fever, coughs, chills, chest pain, blue color to lips, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, drowsiness, excessive thirst, sweating, pus, blood or sediment in urine, difficulty in urinating, frequent urination in small amounts, pain or burning upon urination and urine has dark color or strong odor Unit number or page
- Caring for resident when death is imminent
- Measure and record routine vital signs
- Pain recognition and management
- Measure and record weight and height
- Caring for the resident environment
- Measuring and recording fluid and food intake and output
- Personal Care Skills
- Bathing
- Grooming, including mouth care
- Dressing
- Toileting
- Assisting with eating and hydration, including proper feeding techniques
- Skin care
- Transfers, positioning, and turning
- Behavioral Health and Social Service Needs
- Person-centered care
- Cultural competency
- Modifying aide’s behavior in response to residents’ behavior
- Awareness of developmental tasks associated with the aging process
- How to respond to resident behavior
- Allowing residents to make personal choices and receive services with reasonable accommodation of needs and preferences
- Utilizing resident’s family as a source of emotional support
- Care of Cognitively Impaired Residents
- Techniques for addressing the needs and behaviors of individuals with dementia (Alzheimer’s and others)
- Communicating with cognitively impaired residents
- Understanding the behavior of cognitively impaired residents
- Appropriate responses to the behavior of cognitively impaired residents, understanding that resident expressions or indications of distress are often attempts to communicate an unmet need, discomfort, or need
- Methods of reducing the effects of cognitive impairments
- Basic Restorative Services
- Training the resident in self-care according to the resident’s abilities
- Use of assistive devices in ambulation, eating and dressing
- Maintenance of range of motion
- Proper turning and positioning both in bed and chair
- Bowel and bladder incontinence, and restorative/management programs
- Care and use of prosthetic and orthotic devices
- Residents’ Rights
- Providing privacy and maintenance of confidentiality
- Promoting the resident’s right to make personal choices to accommodate their needs
- Giving assistance in resolving grievances and disputes
- Providing needed assistance in getting to and participating in resident and family groups and other activities
- Maintaining care and security of the residents’ personal possessions
- Providing care that maintains the resident free from abuse, neglect, exploitation, or misappropriation of resident property, and reporting any instances to appropriate facility staff
- Avoiding the need for restraints in accordance with professional standards
- Core Curriculum (before any direct resident contact)