Oregon Nursing Assistant / Nurse Aide Guide
Is a License or Certification needed: To get certified and work as a nursing assistant or nurse aide in Oregon, you need to complete a nursing assistant program and pass a nursing assistant competency exam. Oregon has two levels of nursing assistant certification, CNA 1 and CNA 2.
Who Grants Certification: The Oregon State Board of Nursing maintains the registry of nurse aides using the OBRA Federal CNA Registry and a CNA 2 Registry. A company called D & S Diversified administers the testing for nursing assistants or nurse aides.
The Qualifications to become Certified: To qualify for Nurse Aide Certification in Oregon, you must do one of the following:
- Complete a nursing assistant Level 1 OSBN approved program sometime within the last 2 years
- Complete an approved nurse aide training program within the past 2 years, while living in another state, that was at least 75 hours long (that also met OBRA 1987 standards)
- Graduated from an approved LPN or RN nursing education program within the past 36 months
- Completed military corpsman or medic training according to OBRA standards and have been employed within the past 2 years, in a nursing-related capacity
Along with any of the above you must also have completed a clean national criminal background check
How to Apply for Certification and to take the Exam: In order to apply for nurse assistant certification in the state of Oregon, you will need to:
- Complete the appropriate application.
- Mail the application and with proof of the above qualifications to:
Oregon State Board of Nursing
17938 SW Upper Boones Ferry Rd.
Portland, Oregon 97224-7012
Test Content: The test has two parts, a Skills Evaluation and a Written section. Both parts must be passed to be listed on the Oregon State Nurse Aide Registry. The written section is 75 questions in length. You will have 90 minutes to complete the exam and must receive a 75% to pass.
The written exam questions are from the OBRA defined categories and are based on the Ohio state-approved test plan.
Content topics include:
- Safety
- Communication
- Infection Control
- Data Collection
- Personal Care
- Basic Nursing Skills
- Mental Health
- Role and Responsibility
- Care Impaired
- Disease Process
- Resident Rights
- Older Adult Growth and Development
You can find all details for the written exam in a candidate handbook.
The skills evaluation will be a 35 minute time period given to complete 5 selected nurse aide skills. The first skill with be either the Bedpan/Measuring Output Skill or the Perineal Care Skill. You must actually wash your hands during this first skill. For the last 4 skills, you may verbalize that you are "washing your hands". If you feel that you have missed a step, verbalize to your instructor that you missed it and perform the step. If you miss one of the CRITICAL steps, you will fail the skills portion automatically. The CRITICAL steps are bolded in the handbook.
Certification Renewal and Continuing Education Requirements: According to Oregon Law, to renew your license, it is required that you have had 400 hours of employment in the paid role of a nurse aide, under a registered nurse, during the past 24 months. This must be paid employment, not volunteer work, and in a nursing environment such as a nursing home, home health setting or a hospital.
You can renew your license with the Oregon Board of Nursing at this link.
See here for further renewal information.
Contact
OR Nurse Aide Registry
OR State Board of Nursing
17938 SW Upper Boones Ferry Rd.
Portland, Oregon97224-7012
Phone: 971-673-0685
Fax: 971-673-0684
