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 Indiana CNA Requirements as of February 2023.

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

Indiana CNA Requirements

  • Eligibility/Screening Requirements
    • Must be competent to provide nursing and nursing-related services.
  • 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
    • The facility must complete a performance review of every nurse aide at least once every twelve (12) months and must provide regular inservice education based on the outcome of these reviews. The inservice training must be as follows:
      • (1) Sufficient to ensure the continuing competence of nurse aides but must be no less than twelve (12) hours per year.
      • (2) Address areas of weakness as determined in nurse aides’ performance reviews and may address the special needs of residents as determined by the facility staff.
      • (3) For nurse aides providing services to individuals with cognitive impairments, also address the care of the cognitively impaired.
    • There shall be an organized ongoing inservice education and training program planned in advance for all personnel. This training shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
      • (1) Residents’ rights.
      • (2) Prevention and control of infection.
      • (3) Fire prevention.
      • (4) Safety and accident prevention.
      • (5) Needs of specialized populations served.
      • (6) Care of cognitively impaired residents.
    • The frequency and content of inservice education and training programs shall be in accordance with the skills and knowledge of the facility personnel as follows.
      • For nursing personnel, this shall include at least twelve (12) hours of inservice per calendar year and six (6) hours of inservice per calendar year for nonnursing personnel.
    • To renew an aide must work in nursing or nursing related activities for at least 8 hours during each 2 year renewal cycle.
  • Hours
    • 105 hours.
    • Seventy-five (75) hours of supervised clinical experience, at least sixteen (16) hours of which must be in directly supervised practical training.
    • Thirty (30) hours of classroom instruction within one hundred twenty (120) days of employment.
  • Curriculum
    • At least sixteen (16) hours shall be in the following areas prior to any direct contact with a resident:
      • (A) Communication and interpersonal skills.
      • (B) Infection control.
      • (C) Safety/emergency procedures, including the Heimlich maneuver.
      • (D) Promoting residents’ independence.
      • (E) Respecting residents’ rights.
    • The remainder of the thirty (30) hours of instruction shall include the following:
      • (A) Basic nursing skills as follows:
        • (i) Taking and recording vital signs.
        • (ii) Measuring and recording height and weight.
        • (iii) Caring for residents’ environment.
        • (iv) Recognizing abnormal changes in body functioning and the importance of reporting such changes to a supervisor.
        • (v) Caring for residents when death is imminent.
      • (B) Personal care skills, including, but not limited to, the following:
        • (i) Bathing.
        • (ii) Grooming, including mouth care.
        • (iii) Dressing.
        • (iv) Toileting.
        • (v) Assisting with eating and hydration.
        • (vi) Proper feeding techniques.
        • (vii) Skin care.
        • (viii) Transfers, positioning, and turning.
      • (C) Mental health and social service needs as follows:
        • (i) Modifying aides’ behavior in response to residents’ behavior.
        • (ii) Awareness of developmental tasks associated with the aging process.
        • (iii) How to respond to residents’ behavior.
        • (iv) Allowing the resident to make personal choices, providing and reinforcing other behavior consistent with the resident’s dignity.
        • (v) Using the resident’s family as a source of emotional support.
      • (D) Care of cognitively impaired residents as follows:
        • (i) Techniques for addressing the unique needs and behaviors of individuals with dementia (Alzheimer’s and others).
        • (ii) Communicating with cognitively impaired residents.
        • (iii) Understanding the behavior of cognitively impaired residents.
        • (iv) Appropriate responses to the behavior of cognitively impaired residents.
        • (v) Methods of reducing the effects of cognitive impairments.
      • (E) Basic restorative services as follows:
        • (i) Training the resident in self-care according to the resident’s abilities.
        • (ii) Use of assistive devices in transferring, ambulation, eating, and dressing.
        • (iii) Maintenance of range of motion.
        • (iv) Proper turning and positioning in bed and chair.
        • (v) Bowel and bladder training.
        • (vi) Care and use of prosthetic and orthotic devices.
      • (F) Residents’ rights as follows:
        • (i) Providing privacy and maintenance of confidentiality.
        • (ii) Promoting residents’ right to make personal choices to accommodate their needs.
        • (iii) Giving assistance in resolving grievances and disputes.
        • (iv) Providing needed assistance in getting to and participating in resident and family groups and other activities.
        • (v) Maintaining care and security of residents’ personal possessions.
        • (vi) Promoting residents’ right to be free from abuse, mistreatment, and neglect, and the need to report any instances of such treatment to appropriate facility staff.
        • (vii) Avoiding the need for restraints in accordance with current professional standards.
      • Initial orientation of all staff must be conducted and documented and shall include the following:
        • Instructions on the needs of the specialized population or populations served in the facility.
        • A review of residents’ rights and other pertinent portions of the facility’s policy manual.
        • Instruction in first aid, emergency procedures, and fire and disaster preparedness, including evacuation procedures and universal precautions.
        • A detailed review of the appropriate job description, including a demonstration of equipment and procedures required of the specific position to which the employee will be assigned.
        • Review of ethical considerations and confidentiality in resident care and records.
        • For direct care staff, instruction in the particular needs of each resident to whom the employee will be providing care.
      • In addition to the required inservice hours, staff who have regular contact with residents shall have a minimum of six (6) hours of dementia-specific training within six (6) months of initial employment, or within thirty (30) days for personnel assigned to the Alzheimer’s and dementia special care unit, and three (3) hours annually thereafter to meet the needs or preferences, or both, of cognitively impaired residents and to gain understanding of the current standards of care for residents with dementia.