CNA Classes & Programs in Utah

Before starting your training, it's important to understand exactly what Utah requires to become a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA). Meeting these requirements ensures you're eligible to complete the state competency examinations, receive certification through the Utah Nursing Assistant Registry (UNAR), and work as a CNA in nursing facilities and other healthcare settings throughout the state.

Eligibility

• Age requirement: You must be at least 16 years old to become a Certified Nursing Assistant in Utah.
• Program enrollment: The standard pathway requires completion of a Utah Nursing Assistant Registry (UNAR)-approved Nurse Aide Training and Competency Evaluation Program (NATCEP). Approved programs are offered through technical colleges, healthcare facilities, and other training providers authorized by UNAR.
• Alternative pathways: Nursing students who successfully completed a Fundamentals of Nursing course within the previous two years may apply to take the state competency examinations without completing a separate CNA training program. Applicants must submit the Nursing Student Application to Test and arrange for their nursing school to send an official transcript directly to UNAR. Registered nurses with expired licenses may also qualify to challenge the competency examinations after submitting the required documentation and receiving approval from UNAR.
• Background checks: Training programs and healthcare facilities may require criminal background screening before students can participate in clinical training or begin employment. Certain criminal convictions or substantiated findings of resident abuse, neglect, or misappropriation of property may affect eligibility for certification or employment.

Training Hours & Clinicals

Utah-approved CNA training programs must provide at least 100 total hours of training, including at least 24 hours of supervised practical training in a long-term care facility. The remaining training hours cover classroom instruction, laboratory practice, and other required learning activities. Students must complete the required skills instruction and demonstrate competency before beginning clinical training in a healthcare facility.

Before providing direct care to residents, trainees must complete at least 16 hours of instruction in the federally required introductory subjects, including communication and interpersonal skills, infection control, safety and emergency procedures, promoting residents' independence, and respecting residents' rights.

The curriculum also covers basic nursing skills, personal care, mental health and social-service needs, care of residents with cognitive impairments, restorative services, and residents' rights. Clinical training provides supervised experience in skills such as taking vital signs, assisting with bathing and dressing, feeding residents, transferring and positioning patients, and maintaining a safe care environment.

Under federal rules, a Medicare- or Medicaid-certified nursing facility may employ an individual who has never been certified as a nurse aide for up to 120 days (four months) while the individual completes the required training and competency evaluation. If certification is not obtained within that period, the individual may no longer work as a nurse aide in the certified nursing facility. This allowance does not apply to individuals whose Utah CNA certification has expired.

Competency Exam (Knowledge & Skills)

After completing a UNAR-approved training program or qualifying through an approved alternative pathway, candidates must pass Utah's state competency evaluation, administered by D&SDT-Headmaster through the TestMaster Universe (TMU) system at UNAR-approved testing sites. The examination consists of a written knowledge examination and a manual skills examination.

• Written knowledge examination: A 75-question multiple-choice examination covering the knowledge required of an entry-level CNA, including infection control, safety, residents' rights, basic nursing skills, and personal care. Utah requires a passing score of at least 75%.
• Manual skills examination: Candidates must demonstrate five assigned nursing assistant skills under the observation of an approved evaluator. Each skill requires a score of at least 80%, including correct performance of all mandatory key steps. The examination assesses practical competencies such as infection prevention, personal care, mobility assistance, and other essential nursing assistant duties.

Candidates have up to three attempts to pass the written knowledge examination and three attempts to pass the manual skills examination. If one portion is failed, only that portion must be retaken. Candidates who do not pass either examination within the permitted attempts must complete another UNAR-approved nurse aide training program before testing again.

All testing, including any retakes, must be completed within one year of finishing the training program. UNAR recommends completing the examinations within 90 days of training completion, but the full one-year period is allowed. Extensions are not granted.

Placement on the Registry & Working as a CNA

After successfully passing both competency examinations and meeting the applicable eligibility requirements, candidates receive certification through the Utah Nursing Assistant Registry (UNAR). UNAR maintains the official state registry of certified nursing assistants and records information about certification status and substantiated findings of abuse, neglect, or misappropriation of resident property.

Once certified, your information becomes available through Utah's online nurse aide registry, and an official CNA certificate with a wallet card is mailed to the address listed in your TMU account. Employers can verify certification status through the online registry.

To work or identify yourself as a Certified Nursing Assistant in Utah, you must hold current Utah CNA certification. An active CNA certificate from another state does not independently authorize you to work as a CNA in Utah; you must first obtain Utah certification through reciprocity or another approved pathway.

Certification Renewal

Utah CNA certification must be renewed every two years. To qualify for renewal, you must complete at least 200 hours of paid nursing or nursing-related services during the preceding 24 months, performed under the direction of a licensed nurse. Unlike states that require only eight hours of qualifying employment, Utah requires documentation of the full 200 hours.

Qualifying hours must involve paid nursing or nursing-related services. Volunteer work, nursing school clinical hours, and unpaid service do not count toward the requirement. CNAs may combine qualifying employment from multiple employers to reach the required 200 hours. Work performed in another state may also qualify if the CNA maintains active certification in good standing in that state.

Renewal forms become available through the TMU system 90 days before certification expires. The CNA must have the required employment hours verified and signed by a licensed practical nurse (LPN), registered nurse (RN), or nurse practitioner (NP), and submit the completed documentation to UNAR before the expiration date.

If your certification expires, you may still renew within six months after expiration by meeting all renewal requirements and paying the applicable late fee. This grace period does not extend the time available to complete the required 200 paid hours.

If your certification has been expired for more than six months but no more than 24 months, you may apply to regain certification by passing both the state knowledge and manual skills examinations. If your certification has been expired for more than 24 months, you must complete another UNAR-approved CNA training program and pass both competency examinations.

Reciprocity

CNAs who hold a current and active certification in another U.S. state may apply for Utah certification through reciprocity. Applicants must be listed in good standing on the other state's nurse aide registry and submit the required application and documentation to the Utah Nursing Assistant Registry.

UNAR verifies the applicant's out-of-state certification and eligibility before granting Utah certification. Approved applicants may become certified in Utah without repeating the standard 100-hour training program or taking Utah's competency examinations.

The current reciprocity application fee is $50. Once approved, the CNA is listed on the Utah Nursing Assistant Registry and may work as a CNA in Utah. Receiving Utah certification does not cancel an existing certification in another state, and each state's renewal requirements must be met separately.

Individuals whose out-of-state CNA certification has expired generally cannot obtain Utah certification through the standard reciprocity pathway. CNAs, nurses, and other healthcare professionals whose credentials were issued outside the United States must complete Utah's approved 100-hour CNA training program and pass the state competency examinations.

Costs & Reimbursement

The cost of Utah CNA training varies by approved training provider. Each program establishes its own tuition and fees, and some providers offer financial assistance, grants, or scholarships.

Under UNAR's current fee schedule, the written knowledge examination costs $55 and the manual skills examination costs $55, for a combined initial testing cost of $110. Each examination retake also costs $55. There is no standard fee for submitting an on-time CNA renewal, but a $40 late fee applies to eligible renewals submitted after the certification expiration date.

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.

If an individual pays for an approved training and competency evaluation program and becomes employed by or receives an offer of employment from a Medicare- or Medicaid-certified nursing facility within 12 months after completing the program, the facility must provide reimbursement for eligible training and testing expenses on the applicable prorated basis. These federal reimbursement requirements do not apply to every healthcare employer or training provider.

Sources: Utah Nursing Assistant Registry – Official Website, Certification, Fees, and Forms, Utah Nursing Assistant Registry – Training, Testing, Renewal, and Reciprocity Requirements, Utah Nursing Assistant Registry – State Certification Exam Handbook, Utah Nursing Assistant Registry – Nurse Aide Training and Competency Evaluation Programs, Utah Office of Administrative Rules – Rule R432-45, Nurse Aide Training and Competency Evaluation Program (2025 Amendments), 42 CFR 483.152 – Federal Nurse Aide Training and Reimbursement Requirements, 42 CFR 483.154 – Nurse Aide Competency Evaluation, 42 CFR 483.156 – Nurse Aide Registry Requirements