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 Kentucky CNA Requirements as of February 2023.

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

Kentucky CNA Requirements

  • Eligibility/Screening Requirements
    • Is 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
    • In-service requirements are the same as federal.
    • Renewal requires 8 hours of nursing or nursing-related duties every 24 months.
  • Hours
    • Consist of a minimum of seventy-five (75) clock hours of nurse aide instructional training;
    • Including at least sixteen (16) hours of supervised practical training.
  • Curriculum
    • Sixteen (16) hours of training in the following areas are required prior to any direct contact with the resident:
      • Communication and interpersonal skills
      • Infection control
      • Safety/emergency procedures, including clearing the obstructed airway – conscious adult
      • Promoting resident’s independence
      • Respecting 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 and participating in resident and family groups and other activities
        • maintaining care and security of resident’s personal possessions
        • promoting the resident’s right to be free from abuse, mistreatment, and neglect, and the need to report any instances of such treatment to appropriate facility staff
        • avoiding the need for restraints in accordance with current professional standards
      • The remaining theory/lab hours include the following:
        • Personal care skills
          • transfers, positioning, and turning
          • caring for the resident’s environment
          • bathing
          • grooming, including mouth care
          • dressing
          • skin care
          • bedmaking
          • assisting with eating and hydration
          • proper feeding techniques
          • toileting, including specimen collection
        • Basic nursing skills
          • taking and recording vital signs
          • measuring and recording height and weight
          • recognizing abnormal changes in body functioning and the importance of reporting such changes to a supervisor
        • Mental health and social service needs
          • modifying aide’s behavior in response to resident’s behavior
          • awareness of 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 resident’s dignity
          • using the resident’s family as a source of emotional support
        • Care of cognitively impaired residents
          • techniques for addressing the unique needs and behaviors of individuals with dementia
          • 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
        • 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
          • maintenance of range of motion
          • proper turning and positioning in bed and chair
          • bowel and bladder training
          • care and use of prosthetic and orthotic devices
          • Caring for residents when death is imminent