A career as a certified nursing assistant is one in which you will assist patients with activities of daily living. Nursing assistants work under the direction of nurses and provide basic care (primarily non-medical) to patients in a variety of settings.
CNA Training Requirements in Arizona
You will need to complete at least 120 hours of training for nursing assistant certification in Arizona. The training will include classroom time as well as clinical experience. It is necessary to complete a course that is fully accredited for CNAs in the state of Arizona. Otherwise, you will not be able to sit for the necessary certification exam.
CNA Certification Through Reciprocity in Arizona
It is sometimes possible to become a certified nursing assistant in Arizona through reciprocity. If you are a certified nursing assistant in another state and are moving to Arizona, you can apply for reciprocity through the Nursing Aide Registry in Arizona. You will need to provide verification that you have an active nursing assistant certification in your prior state.
You must have worked as a nursing assistant for at least 160 hours within the past two years or have completed a state approved certification program and passed the certification test within the past two years.
If your credentials are accepted from the other state, you will be able to work as a nursing assistant in Arizona. It will not be necessary to complete a training program in Arizona or to retake the certification exam if your application for reciprocity is accepted.
The process to transfer your CNA license to Arizona is as follows:
- Complete an application for CNA by endorsement form.
- Complete a “Proof of Nurse Aide Registration” and send it to your CURRENT state nursing board/CNA Registry.
- Complete a fingerprint card, which will be mailed to you after you send the application to the Arizona State Board of Nursing.
- Attach $50 as non refundable payment for your application for endorsement.
- Attach proof of completing a 120 hour CNA training program in your state (attach your certificate). If the training program that you did was for less than 120 hours then you will need to also attach proof of working as a CNA for at least 160 hours in the last 2 years.
- Once you’ve completed the form, send it to the following address:
ARIZONA STATE BOARD OF NURSING
Nurse Aide Registration Program – 1651 E. Morten Ave., Suite 210, Phoenix, AZ 85020
CNA Certification Renewal in Arizona
You will notice that your nursing assistant certification has an expiration date. In the year when your certification is set to expire, you will receive a recertification form from the Nurse Aide Registry about 2 or 3 months before it will expire. If for any reason you do not receive your recertification form, you can obtain one through the Nursing Aide Registry website.
Complete the recertification form and send it to the address listed on the form. You will also need to submit documentation of citizenship with your recertification forms. It will be necessary to have worked 160 hours in a two year period for pay as a nursing assistant if you want to be eligible to renew your certification. You also cannot have had any felony convictions.
When you work as a certified nursing assistant, you will need to complete some continuing education credits each year. If you ever have any questions about your certification, you can contact the Nursing Aide Registry in Arizona.
The Arizona Board of Nursing is encouraging that all prospective CNAs complete the required forms and submit them online at the following web address: https://www.azbn.gov/MyServices/Login.asp. Paper applications are only being accepted for CNA’s who are:
- On probation
- Suspension
- Inactive or Retired
- Submitting volunteer/private duty hours for 960 hour requirement
- Expired license
- Nurses without social security number
- Nurses who must answer yes to the disciplinary questions
- Nurses who request a paper application
You must submit a written request for a paper application and submit a self addressed stamped business size envelope to:
Arizona State Board of Nursing
4747 N. 7th St., Ste. 200
Phoenix, AZ 85014-3655
You will find these useful: Free CNA classes in Arizona and CNA training in Arizona
Hello,
My name is Lisa Robles and on January 08 i took the CNA exam in Phoenix Arizona and i checked on line to see if i had passes the exam and i did. A couple weeks later i got a letter saying that i needed to provide my birth certificate and i failed to do it before the time they gave me. Now i was wondering what i had to do in order to get my certificate or if i can still get it. I would greatly appreciate it if you would help me out.Thank you for your time,i hope to hear from you soon. you can email me back.
Lisa Robles
I’m not sure about this since its something I’ve never encountered. Your best bet is to email the Arizona Board of Nursing and see what they make of it. The email from the nursing board website is arizona@azbn.gov or you can visit http://www.azbn.gov/Contact.aspx to get their address and phone number.
So i completed my CNA class on July 2, 2009 and took my written and skills test on july 21, 2010. I passed my written test but failed the skills. is it to late to retake my skills test now and if so does that mean i have to retake the CNA class?
Yes, you will need to retake the training again to be eligible for the test.
My certification expires the end of this month. Therefore, I have been trying to find out how to go about renewal. I see a main requirement is 160 hours of work and unfortunately, i never was able to put in any work with my license. I had my baby shortly after certification and choose to stay home with him until he was older. However, now I would like to possibly continue my cna career but I’m confused on how to go about doing so. Do I have to retake the entire course again since I have no work hours? Or retake the exam? Or what exactly do I do in my situation?
Hi. I was licensed and worked in AZ, then transferred my license to Colorado about 4 months ago. Now I am coming back to AZ and want to know what I need to do to transfer my license back and will I have a grace period in which I can work while my license is being transferred?
hi,
i have a question regarding expired cna. I just came back from a long visit from the islands, when i came back to the AZ State i found that my cna certificate is expired and too late to renew it, for it as been more then 2 yrs since last i worked as a cna… Is there any way i could renew it? Do i have to retake classes and clinicals??? Your help would be really appreciated. thank you
I am trying to reciprocate my CNA license from Florida to Arizona, but I do not know how to transfer my license. The link on this page that says to download is no longer available.
Please help
Thanks you
Hi
I got my CNA cerificate in Feb of 2009 from Advanced Nursing in South Carolina. From July 2009 to Dec 2010 I worked in a long term care facility and got my licensed renewed. Jan 2011 I went into the military and have been on active orders up until now and have just returned from deployment therefore my license has expired and I have not been able to work as a CNA. My goal is to move to Arizona and work as a CNA while going back to school is there any way of renewing my license without retaking the entire course over.
Hi, I am moving to AZ in October, I am certified in North Carolina, I was wondering while I am transferring my certification to Arizona am I able to work while my application is being processed in Arizona.
I’m living in indinapolis Indiana and im trying to move to Phoenix I want to know where do I get the transfer form
I completed a cna program in Illinois in December of 2005, but I never got licensed. Just recently moved to arizona and would like to work as a cna. I really don’t want to take the class over. Even though I never worked as a cna I still have the knowledge because I go over the books now and then over the years. Is there a way not to take the class over like for instance just a skills test or similar?
I completed my c.n.a classes in 2012 am I too late to take the stae board exam and skills, I was told I have to complete the exam before the two yr date from when I completed..
Hi,
I just got my Utah CNA license
I’m moving to AZ, I don’t know how to transfer it over