Removing Roadblocks for Nursing Assistant Applicants

Posted on July 28, 2020 by Julie Apold

There have been reports of students who have completed Nursing Assistant training but have not yet been able to complete testing, running into roadblocks to being hired. Some of these roadblocks include applications designed to ask students for their nursing assistant registry number before being allowed to move forward in the application process, recruiters expecting applicants to be on the Nursing Assistant Registry and students being asked multiple times for copies of their certification. 

In an effort to reduce these roadblocks for prospective hires, it is important to remind human resources recruiters and partners of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) temporary blanket waiver of federal requirements at 42 CFR §483.35(d) and corresponding Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) April 21 guidance and clarification related to hiring and training practices for caregivers in skilled nursing facilities during the COVID-19 emergency.

These waivers described by MDH provide the following flexibility during this temporary COVID-19 emergency period:  

• §483.35(d)(1-4) Staff competency training does not need to be in the form of a state-approved Nursing Assistant Training Curriculum and staff do not need to sit for the nursing assistant training state exam
• §483.35(d)(4) Registry verification. Staff do not need to be on the Minnesota State Nursing Assistant Registry
• §483.35(d)(5) Multi-State registry verification. Staff from out of state do not need to be on the Minnesota State Nursing Assistant Registry
• §483.35(d)(6) Required retraining. Staff with an expired Registry status can work once trained and competency tested, without re-gaining Registry status

Broad awareness of this temporary waiver is important in providing organizations the ability to expedite training and hiring and focus on providing quality care to older adults. Please remember that, after the emergency orders have lifted, organizations will need to resume the standard nursing assistant hiring and training processes.