In Colorado, the nursing profession is regulated by the State Board of Nursing, a division of the Department of Regulatory Agencies. This includes registered and professional nurses, and certified nurse aides (CNAs). Colorado requires CNAs to take an exam administered by Pearson, unless they are already a member of a certified nurse aide registry in another state. Applying to take the exam requires completion of a state-approved training program. In this Fact Sheet, we'll take you through the steps of obtaining your Colorado CNA certification!

Obtaining a Certification

The steps, if you are not already certified in another state, are as follows:

• Successfully complete a program of study at a nursing aide training program. Happily, and unusually, this program need not be approved by Colorado specifically – if you are not a member of another state's CNA registry, but did complete a CNA training program approved by that state, you may still apply to take the examination and receive certification in Colorado. However, any in-state course must be approved by the Board. You can find a very helpful list of programs here.

• Once you complete that program, register for the state exam given by Pearson VUE. The application, along with supporting information and preparatory material, can be found here. The exam is composed of both a written (or oral) portion and a practical skills portion. The fee to take both is 123 dollars. Spanish-speaking applicants may take a test administered in Spanish. If, upon first taking, you do not pass one of the portions, you may retake that specific portion again for a lower fee.

• Once you pass, you're in! Because you already submitted your application and academic records to Pearson, passage of the exam means you automatically become certified.

If you are already on the CNA registry of another state, Colorado offers a much-simplified application process – there is no exam or education requirement, and you need only submit an application. This can only be done online after creating an account, which can be done on this page.

One thing to note is that you have a “grace period” for certification – you may work as a nurse aide for up to four months (and no more) prior to being certified.

Maintaining a Certification

Certifications for nurse aides in Colorado expire if not renewed on January 31^st of every even-numbered year. Renewals must be done online after creating an account - you can begin the online process here. Colorado has no continuing education requirements for CNAs.

Disciplinary actions are nurse aides are handled in the same manner as actions against registered and licensed nurses, directly by the Board of Nursing. You can see some sample disciplinary proceedings at this link. Colorado unfortunately does not publish the Standards of Practice for CNAs, but you should learn this in your CNA education. Read up more here to see how disciplinary actions typically begin, and the actions the Board is legally allowed to take in response to any complaints.

Healthcare Profession Profiles

As a result of a 2013 law, CNAs, as well as all registered and licensed nurses in Colorado, are required to maintain what’s called a Healthcare Profession Profile as a condition of keeping their license in good standing. Here’s how it works. You create a profile here. On the actual profile, you will list quite a bit of information, including your original license date, address, employer, and whether you have ever been the subject of any disciplinary actions. Any member of the public is free to look up this profile at any time.