CNA Classes & Programs in Oklahoma

Before starting your training, it's important to understand exactly what Oklahoma requires to become a Certified Nurse Aide (CNA). For CNAs working in long-term care, Oklahoma uses the certification designation Long Term Care Aide (LTCA). Meeting the state's requirements allows you to obtain LTCA certification, be placed on the Oklahoma Nurse Aide Registry, and work as a certified nurse aide in Oklahoma long-term care facilities.

Eligibility

• Program enrollment: The standard pathway requires completion of an Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH)-approved Nurse Aide Training and Competency Evaluation Program. OSDH approves and monitors both education-based and employer-based nurse aide training programs.
• Training exceptions: Certain applicants who have completed equivalent healthcare training may receive an OSDH training exception and take the competency examination without completing the standard Oklahoma nurse aide course. This includes qualifying students or graduates of approved RN or LPN programs and certain graduates of nursing programs outside the United States. Applicants must submit the required documentation to OSDH and receive approval before testing.
• Employment eligibility: Oklahoma law identifies certain criminal offenses that can disqualify an individual from nurse aide certification or employment. Employers must also verify that nurse aides are in good standing on the Oklahoma Nurse Aide Registry and do not have disqualifying findings such as abuse, neglect, mistreatment, or misappropriation of resident property.

Training Hours & Clinicals

Oklahoma's approved Long Term Care Aide training program must include at least 75 total hours of training. Within those 75 hours, the program must include at least 16 hours of supervised practical training.

Before having any direct contact with a resident, trainees must complete at least 16 hours of instruction covering communication and interpersonal skills, infection control, safety and emergency procedures, promoting residents' independence, and respecting residents' rights. The completion of this instruction must be documented.

The remainder of the curriculum covers subjects including basic nursing skills, personal care skills, mental health and social-service needs, care of cognitively impaired residents, basic restorative services, and residents' rights. Trainees may not perform services for which they have not been trained and found proficient by their instructor.

An individual employed as a nurse aide while enrolled in an approved training and competency evaluation program must successfully complete the required training and competency evaluation within four months of entering the training program. Oklahoma also requires that the individual obtain certification and be placed on the Nurse Aide Registry within 30 days after demonstrating competency.

Competency Exam (Written/Oral & Skills)

After completing an approved training program or receiving an approved training exception from OSDH, candidates must pass Oklahoma's nurse aide competency examination. The examination consists of a written or oral knowledge examination and a clinical skills examination. Oklahoma's nurse aide certification examinations are administered through the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education's Health Certification Project.

• Written examination: The Long Term Care Aide (7C) examination contains 70 questions, and candidates have 120 minutes to complete it. A score of at least 70% is required to pass. Oklahoma rules allow candidates to choose a written or oral version of the knowledge examination.
• Clinical skills examination: Candidates must demonstrate randomly selected nurse aide tasks in a setting where a nurse aide would work or in a similar laboratory setting. The examination is administered and evaluated by a qualified clinical skills observer. Candidates must correctly perform all required critical tasks and achieve at least 80% accuracy on the skills examination.

Candidates must pass both the knowledge and clinical skills portions to successfully complete the competency examination. A candidate who fails an examination component may retake it up to a total of three attempts without additional training. If the candidate does not pass after three attempts, retraining is required before beginning the testing process again.

Placement on the Registry & Working as a CNA

After successfully completing the competency examination, the Oklahoma State Department of Health places the nurse aide on the Oklahoma Nurse Aide Registry. Oklahoma rules require a record of successful completion of the competency examination to be included on the Registry within 30 days after the individual is found competent.

Oklahoma requires nurse aides working in nursing facilities and certain other long-term care settings to hold current nurse aide certification and be in good standing on the Registry. The Registry records certification status as well as findings of abuse, neglect, mistreatment, or misappropriation of resident property.

Oklahoma has several nurse aide certification categories for different care settings, including Long Term Care Aide, Home Health Aide, ICF/IID Care Aide, Residential Care Aide, and Adult Day Care Aide. An LTCA may qualify to work under certain other nurse aide categories after completing the population-specific training or other requirements established by OSDH.

Certification Renewal

Oklahoma Long Term Care Aide certification must be renewed every two years. To renew, you must document at least 8 hours of paid nursing or health-related services during the preceding 24 months. Acceptable documentation can include employer verification, a pay stub, Form W-2, or other documentation permitted by OSDH.

Qualifying work may be performed in settings recognized by OSDH, including licensed nursing facilities, specialized facilities, residential care homes, home health or home care agencies, adult day care centers, assisted living centers, continuum-of-care facilities, Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs nursing facilities, and Oklahoma correctional facilities. Oklahoma also permits documentation signed by a physician or nurse under whose supervision qualifying services were performed. Private-duty work without an overseeing physician or nurse does not qualify for renewal.

There is no OSDH renewal fee for Long Term Care Aide certification. Other Oklahoma nurse aide certification categories may carry a renewal fee.

Reciprocity

A CNA certified in another state may apply for placement on the Oklahoma Nurse Aide Registry through reciprocity. For Long Term Care Aide certification, Oklahoma may approve an applicant who is listed on another state's nurse aide registry as a certified long-term care aide and does not have a notation of abuse, neglect, mistreatment, or misappropriation of property.

Applications for Long Term Care Aide reciprocity are submitted to the Oklahoma State Department of Health through its Nurse Aide Registry application process. Once approved, the applicant is placed on the Oklahoma Registry without completing Oklahoma's standard training and competency examination pathway.

Costs & Reimbursement

The cost of Oklahoma CNA training varies by approved training provider. Nurse aide competency testing fees also vary by testing site; Oklahoma CareerTech directs candidates to contact an approved Health Certification Project testing site for current fees rather than publishing a single statewide examination fee.

Under federal law, an individual who is employed by—or has received an offer of employment from—a Medicare- or Medicaid-certified nursing facility when beginning an approved nurse aide training and competency evaluation program may not be charged for the required training, textbooks, course materials, or competency evaluation.

Oklahoma also provides a reimbursement process for eligible nurse aides who paid for approved training themselves and subsequently work for a SoonerCare-contracted nursing facility. To qualify, the training program must have been approved when the training occurred, the aide must have paid for the training, passed the competency evaluation, and be employed as a nurse aide at a qualifying nursing facility during all or part of the year following completion of training and testing. Reimbursement requests must be made within 12 months of completing training. Under the current Oklahoma Health Care Authority rule, reimbursement for private training expenses is limited to a maximum of $800 and is paid according to the state's reimbursement formula.

Sources: Oklahoma State Department of Health – Nurse Aide Registry, Oklahoma Administrative Code Chapter 677 – Nurse Aide Training and Certification, Oklahoma CareerTech – Nurse Aide Certification Testing, Oklahoma CareerTech – Health Certification Project Testing Manual, Oklahoma State Department of Health – CNA Training Verification Form, Oklahoma State Department of Health – Nurse Aide Renewal Application, Oklahoma Health Care Authority – Nurse Aide Training Reimbursement, 42 CFR 483.152 – Federal Nurse Aide Training and Reimbursement Requirements