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 Louisiana CNA Requirements as of February 2023.
To see requirements in other states, visit nursinghome411.org/cna-reqs.
Louisiana CNA Requirements
- Eligibility/Screening Requirements
- 16 years old.
- A trainee shall not be eligible to participate in a training program if convicted or found guilty by a court of law of:
- abusing, neglecting or mistreating the elderly or infirm;
- misappropriating a resident’s property; or
- has not had a finding of abuse, neglect, mistreatment, or misappropriation of a resident’s property placed on the Nurse Aide Registry or the Direct Service Worker Registry.
- 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
- The curriculum shall be a minimum of 80 hours in length, which includes 40 classroom hours and 40 clinical hours.
- Curriculum
- The goal of the nurse aide training and competency evaluation program is the provision of quality services to residents by nurse aides who are able to:
- communicate and interact competently on a one-to-one basis with residents as part of the team implementing resident care;
- demonstrate sensitivity to the emotional, social and mental health needs of resident’s through skillful, directed interactions;
- assist residents in attaining and maintaining functional independence;
- exhibit behavior to support and promote the rights of residents; and
- demonstrate proficiency in the skills needed to support the assessment of the health, physical condition and well-being of residents.
- Facility and non-facility based training programs shall provide at least 16 hours of instruction prior to a trainee’s direct involvement with a resident.
- basic nursing skills including, but not limited to:
- bed-making;
- taking vital signs;
- measuring height and weight;
- caring for the resident’s environment;
- measuring fluid and nutrient intake and output;
- assisting in the provision of proper nutritional care;
- ambulating and transferring residents;
- using body mechanics;
- maintaining infection control and safety standards;
- understanding the protocols in facility policy for the performance of and attaining/maintaining proficiency in basic cardio-pulmonary resuscitation including one hour of in-service training that shall be provided by the facility annually;
- caring for residents when death is imminent;
- recognizing abnormal signs and symptoms of common diseases and conditions; and
- caring for residents suffering from Alzheimer’s disease or dementia;
- personal care skills including, but not limited to:
- bathing, including mouth care;
- grooming and dressing;
- toileting;
- assisting with feeding and hydration; and
- skin care;
- mental health and social service needs including, but not limited to:
- modifying his/her own behavior in response to a resident’s behavior;
- identifying developmental tasks associated with the aging process and using task analysis to increase independence;
- providing training in and the opportunity for self-care according to a resident’s capabilities;
- demonstrating principles of behavior modification by reinforcing appropriate behavior and causing inappropriate behavior to be reduced or eliminated;
- demonstrating skills which support age-appropriate behavior by allowing the resident to make personal choices;
- providing and reinforcing behavior consistent with maintaining a resident’s dignity; and
- utilizing a resident’s family as a source of emotional support;
- basic restorative services including, but not limited to:
- the use of assistive devices in ambulation, eating and dressing;
- maintenance of range of motion;
- proper turning and positioning in a bed and a chair;
- transferring a resident;
- bowel and bladder training; and
- care and use of prosthetic devices, such as hearing aids, artificial eyes or artificial limbs;
- maintaining a resident’s rights including, but not limited to:
- assisting a resident to vote;
- providing privacy and maintaining confidentiality;
- allowing the resident to make personal choices to accommodate individual needs;
- giving assistance in resolving grievances;
- providing needed assistance in getting to, and participating in, resident and family groups and other activities;
- maintaining reasonable care of a resident’s personal possessions;
- providing care which frees the resident from abuse, mistreatment or neglect and reporting any instances of poor care to appropriate facility staff; and
- maintaining the resident’s environment and care so as to minimize the need for physical and chemical restraints;
- communication and interpersonal skills;
- safety and emergency procedures;
- promoting residents’ independence; and
- the Heimlich maneuver.
- basic nursing skills including, but not limited to:
- Each nurse aide training program shall provide all trainees with an orientation of the clinical training site of at least four hours that is not included in the required 80 hours of core curriculum. The orientation shall include but is not limited to:
- an explanation of the facility’s organizational structure;
- the facility’s policies and procedures;
- discussion of the facility’s philosophy of care;
- description of the resident population;
- employee rules; and
- what constitutes abuse, neglect, and misappropriation, including the consequences imposed if found guilty of such.
- The goal of the nurse aide training and competency evaluation program is the provision of quality services to residents by nurse aides who are able to:
- Louisiana Department of Health
- LA CNA Requirements
- 48 La. Admin. Code Pt I, § 10019
- Stat. Ann. § 40:1201