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 Connecticut CNA Requirements as of February 2023.

To see requirements in other states, visit nursinghome411.org/cna-reqs.

Connecticut 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.
    • Nurse’s aide candidates have 24 months from when they complete training to pass the CT nurse’s aide exam. There are no limits as to how many times a candidate can take the exam within the 24 month period.
  • Renewal & In-Service Requirements
    • In-service requirements are same as federal requirements.
    • 8 hours of nursing or nurse related employment in the past 24 months.
  • Hours
    • 100 hours total
  • Curriculum
    • Minimum of 16 hours of training in the following areas, before any direct resident contact:
      • Communication and Interpersonal Skills
      • Residents Rights
      • Residents Independence
      • Safety and Emergency Procedures including the Heimlich Maneuver, and
      • Infection Control
    • Basic Nursing Skills
      • Taking and recording vital signs
      • Measuring and recording height and weight
      • Caring for the residents’ environment
      • Caring for the resident when death is imminent
      • Recognizing abnormal changes in body function and the importance of reporting such changes to a supervisor
    • Personal Care Skills
      • Bathing
      • Grooming
      • Dressing
      • Toileting
      • Assisting with Eating and Hydration
      • Proper Feeding Techniques
      • Skin Care
      • Transfer, Positioning and Turning
    • Mental Health and Social Services
      • Modifying aide’s behavior in response to residents’ behavior
      • Identifying developmental tasks associated with the aging process
      • How to respond to resident behavior
      • Allowing the resident to make personal choices, providing and reinforcing other behavior consistent with the residents’ dignity
      • Using the resident’s family as a source of emotional support
      • Identifying psychiatric disorders
    • Care of Cognitively Impaired Residents
      • Techniques for addressing the unique 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
      • Methods of reducing the effects of cognitive impairments
      • Caregiver issues encountered with dementia residents
    • Basic Restorative Services
      • Training the resident in self-care according to the resident’s abilities
      • Use of assistive devices in transferring, ambulation, eating and dressing
      • Maintaining range of motion
      • Proper turning and position in bed and chair
      • Bowel and bladder training
      • Care and use of prosthetic and orthotic devices
    • Resident’s 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 a participating in resident and family groups and other activities
      • Maintaining care and security of residents’ personal possessions
      • Promoting the residence right to be free from abuse, mistreatment, and neglect, and the need to report any such instance to appropriate facility staff
      • Avoiding the need for restraints in accordance with current professional standards
    • 75 hours shall include, but not be limited to, basic nursing skills, personal care skills, care of cognitively impaired residents, recognition of mental health and social service needs, basic restorative services and residents’ rights.
    • 25 hours shall include, but not be limited to, specialized training in understanding and responding to challenging behaviors related to physical, psychiatric, psychosocial, and cognitive disorders.
    • On and after January 1, 2022, not less than two of such hours shall include (1) screening for post-traumatic stress disorder, risk of suicide, depression and grief, and (2) suicide prevention training offered or approved by the American Nurses Association, Connecticut Hospital Association, Connecticut Nurses Association or Connecticut League for Nursing, a specialty nursing society or equivalent organization in another jurisdiction, a hospital or other health care institution, a regionally accredited academic institution, or a state or local health department.