Nurse aides in Kentucky are listed on the Kentucky Nurse Aide Registry as State Registered Nurse Aides (SRNA). A state registered nurse aide is an individual who provides nursing or nursing-related services to facility residents. All SRNAs must complete a nurse aide training and competency evaluation program. An individual who is not employed as a nurse aide will have one year from the completion of a nurse aide training or fundamentals of nursing course to successfully complete the competency evaluation exam. Therefore, if your training completion date is over one year, you will be required to repeat the training to become eligible to take the exam. The Kentucky Board of Nursing manages the Nurse Aide Registry, which keeps a record of the names of individuals who satisfactorily completed state training and testing and any findings of resident abuse or neglect or misappropriation of resident’s property. A nurse aide registration is valid for approximately two years and must be renewed to continue practicing.
SRNA (CNA) Classes in KY:
- SRNA Classes Georgetown, KY
- SRNA Classes Lexington, KY
- SRNA Classes Louisville, KY
- SRNA Classes Bowling Green, KY
How to Apply for the Kentucky SRNA Exam
The Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) is responsible for the administration of the final written or oral exam and skills demonstration for SRNAs. KCTCS also validates the test to ensure it adequately reflects the SRNA curriculum and maintains the integrity of the test and individual examinations. There are two primary eligibility routes for taking the competency exam.
New Nurse Aide Course Graduate
A new nurse aide graduate must take and pass the competency exam within one year (three attempts) of completing the training program. The training provider will fax a roster of graduates to the KCTCS College of choice. Your name, number, and email must be included on the roster for an administrator to contact you for testing. If you fail the test three times, you must take another nursing assistant course before reapplying for the test.
Nursing Student
Nursing students are also eligible to take the test with the submission of an official transcript. Submit your telephone number and test fee with the transcript to be scheduled for the written or oral and skill components of the nurse aide competency exam.
You are not permitted to schedule your online test if you are taking it for the first time. There are two entities that can schedule an online test.
- An approved Kentucky Nurse Aide Training Provider
- An individual who is already in the new system that needs to schedule their own retake exam
You must be eligible to work in the United States to be scheduled for the competency exam.
If you have a disability, you can apply for an alternate administration of the test based on your disability. You must request the alternate form of the test on the appropriate form and submit to the test coordinator at least two weeks prior to your test date. For latex allergies, submit a request for non-latex gloves at least two weeks before the test date.
Exam Costs
The established testing fees in Kentucky are as follows:
- Knowledge (written) and clinical skills tests – $115.00
- Written only – $40.00
- Skills only – $75.00
SRNA Exam Overview Kentucky
To successfully complete the Kentucky Nurse Aide Competency Exam, you must score 70% or above (a raw score of 52 or higher) and on the written or oral exam and demonstrate the 5 selected tasks on the skills test with 70% accuracy. The critical steps must be completed with 100% accuracy. You must pass the both components of the test within one year (three attempts) of completing the nursing assistant program. If you’re employed, you must pass the test within three attempts in the initial 4-month employment period. If you fail the written test and pass the skills test, you must retake the written test. If you pass the written test and fail the skills test, you must retake the skills test including all five skills.
The Written Exam
The written test comprises of 75 multiple-choice questions. You must score 70% or more to pass the test. Test questions are in accordance with the nurse aide curriculum covered during training. Following are some tips for success on the exam:
- Get a good night’s rest the night before.
- Make sure you understand the test directions. If anything is unclear, get answers from the administrator before the test begins.
- Read the questions carefully and consider all the answer choices. Give careful consideration to all choices and choose the best answer. Use a process of elimination if the correct answer is not obvious.
- Do not spend too much time on one question as you will not complete the test in the allotted time.
- You should guess an answer if you cannot eliminate the possible responses. There is no penalty for incorrect answers. Guessing, on those difficult questions, may improve your final score.
- Review your responses and make sure that your answers are recorded next to the number on the answer sheet that corresponds to the question number.
Questions for the written exam are extracted from the task list for Medicaid Nurse Aides and includes maintaining confidentiality, good personal hygiene, working cooperatively, reporting observations, assisting with recreational activities, adjusting bed and side rails, clearing an obstructed airway, making an occupied bed, assisting with partial bath, serving meals and collecting trays, providing catheter care, and much more. The entire list of 76 tasks is available in the Study Guide.
The Skills Exam
The skills demonstration consists of a minimum of 5 skills selected at random. You must perform at least 70% of the steps correctly and obtain 100% accuracy on the critical steps. The critical step is an important step in the task that relates to the physical safety of the resident or nurse aide or medical asepsis. Your sequencing of steps will not be considered critical if it does not violate physical safety of medical asepsis. The evaluating nurses will not be allowed to assist as the test your competency. You must complete all five skills within the assigned time. However, the evaluator may assign an extra five minutes, at his or her discretion, so you can complete the current skill.
The procedure checklist is available in Study Guide and course textbook.
Critical steps are identified with an asterisk (*).
What To Bring To The Exam
Arrive at the test site before the starting time. If you arrive late, you may be considered a no-show. Your name must be on the official roster to be eligible to take the written and performance tests. Take a valid state or federal issued photo identification, a United States social security card, and an Employment Authorization Document if your social security card states “Not Valid for Employment.” Your name, including middle initials, on your identifying documents must match the name on the official roster.
Reference materials, books, and related documents are not allowed in the test room. All testing materials will be supplied. Cell phones must be turned off and put away during the test. The test monitor will conduct a short group orientation before the test begins.
Receiving Your Scores
KCTCS will forward to the Kentucky Nurse Aide Registry your name and social security number, address and test date within 30 days if you successfully completed the competency evaluation.
The test results will be sent in writing to you, the nursing facility administrator, and the training instructor. Your name will be added to the Registry if you pass the exam.
Contact the Registry
Kentucky Nurse Aide Registry
312 Whittington Pky
Suite 300-A
Louisville, KY 40222-5172
Phone: 1-888-530-1919
Fax: 502-429-1247
Kentucky Community and Technical College System
300 North Main Street, Versailles, KY 40383
Phone: (859) 256-3100
Toll-Free: (877) 528-2748