Per federal regulations, direct care staff employed in a Medicaid certified nursing facility must be listed on the state's Nurse Aide Registry as a Certified Nurse Aide (CNA). The primary purpose of the certification program is to ensure that only those nurse aides who have demonstrated competency based upon standardized training and/or testing are employed.
A nurse aide must be certified through the South Carolina Nurse Aide Registry. The nursing facility must contact the South Carolina Registry to confirm each applicant's status. Possession of a card alone is not an indicator of current certification.
A non-certified nurse aide may work up to four months in a Medicaid-certified nursing facility if he or she is enrolled in a state-approved training program or has successfully completed a state-approved training program.
Note: Any nurse aide candidates seeking certification must attend training at a state-approved program prior to testing.