NCDHHS creates pathway for temporary nursing home staff to receive higher credentialing

RALEIGH — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services’ Division of Health Service Regulation today announced it has made a new temporary pathway available for individuals who worked in nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic as temporary nurse aides to be listed on the Nurse Aide I Registry.

Eligible nursing home staff may use their on-the-job training and experience as an equivalency to the traditional classroom training and take the Nurse Aide I competency examination and be listed on the registry after successfully completing it.

In recognition of their on-the-job training and experience during the COVID-19 pandemic, and in an effort to retain a valuable trained workforce, DHSR’s Health Care Personnel Education and Credentialing Section established this temporary pathway.

“The department has worked hard, especially during the pandemic, to support our long-term care facilities and being able to strengthen their workforce is a major part of keeping residents safe and well taken care of,” said NCDHHS Secretary Mandy K. Cohen, M.D.

To make eligible nursing home staff aware of this opportunity, the nurse aide training equivalency application has been distributed to all nursing home administrators in the state. After the application is submitted and reviewed, the applicant may be approved to take the Nurse Aide I competency examination and be listed on the registry after successfully completing it.

This initiative is in addition to NCDHHS adopting rules during the COVID-19 pandemic that provided a pathway for more than 2,000 nurse aides in other states to apply and be granted reciprocity to work as a Nurse Aide I in North Carolina.