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 Vermont CNA Requirements as of February 2023.
To see requirements in other states, visit nursinghome411.org/cna-reqs.
Vermont CNA Requirements
- Eligibility/Screening Requirements
- 16 years of age.
- Pass a criminal background check.
- 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.
- Candidates who fail to successfully complete their initial examination may take the examination an additional two times.
- Candidates who fail the examination three times shall, before being accepted for another examination, successfully complete another approved nursing assistant education program.
- Renewal & In-Service Requirements
- In-service requirements are the same as federal.
- To renew a nursing assistant license the nursing assistant shall document a minimum of 50 days (400 hours) in the last two years of paid compensation as a licensed nursing assistant.
- Hours
- A program shall include a minimum of 80 hours of education, 30 hours of which shall be supervised clinical experience in a health care facility.
- Curriculum
- Curriculum must include:
- (1) Basic Nursing Care;
- (2) Personal Care;
- (3) Basic Restorative Care;
- (4) Psychosocial Skills;
- (5) Care of the Cognitively Impaired;
- (6) Communication Skills;
- (7) Ethics and legal responsibilities;
- (8) Teamwork; and
- (9) Patient Safety.
- Prior to any direct contact with a patient, a student shall complete at least 16 hours of classroom/laboratory training in the following areas:
- (1) communication and interpersonal skills;
- (2) infection control;
- (3) safety and emergency procedures, including the Heimlich maneuver;
- (4) promoting residents’ independence; and
- (5) respecting residents’ rights.
- Curriculum must include:
- Vermont CNA Regulations
- Stat. Ann. tit. 26, § 1642