Loading...The process of becoming Nurse Aide in the state of Washington includes taking the NNAAP (National Nurse Aide Assistant Assessment Program) Examination. The NNAAP examination evaluates the nurse aide related skills, knowledge and abilities.
The Washington State Aging and Disabilities Services Administration (ADSA) is a regulatory agency that works in association with Pearson VUE to create, score and develop the results of the NNAAP Examination. The Pearson VUE is the official administrator of the NNAAP Examination in Washington. The results of the examination are used for the OBRA Nursing Assistant Registry. Scheduling and administration of the NNAAP Examination is handled by the Nurse Aide Competency Evaluation Services (NACES). NACES works with Pearson VUE.
The NNAAP defines training and assessment standards for nursing aides in health care centres. Thus, it contributes in raising the quality of care in long term health facilities.
Components of the NNAAP Examination
The National Council of State Board of Nursing, Inc. developed the NNAAP examination to check the ability of the entry level nurse assistants to perform their nursing jobs safely.
The NNAAP Examination consists of – a Skills Evaluation and a Written/ Oral Examination. Both exams are administered on the same day. It is vital to qualify both the parts of the examination in order to appear on the OBRA Nursing Assistant Registry and become certified CNA in the state.
Written Examination: This part carries 70 multiple choice questions. All questions are in English. Students are given 2 hours to complete those 70 multiple choice questions.
Oral Examination: Those aspirants, who face complexity reading English, give oral testing in place of written examination. There are 60 multiple choice questions (read twice) and 10 questions of reading comprehension (read thrice) in this section. Candidates must request for Oral Examination while submitting their Examination Applications. Students get 2 hours to complete oral examination.
Skills Evaluation: This section involves performing 5 nursing skills. These randomly chosen 5 skills are needed to be performed within 25 minutes. Nurse Aide Evaluator rates the skills based on candidates’ performance in demonstrating those skills. There is a Critical Element Step for each skill that needs to be demonstrated correctly in order to pass the skills evaluation.
Eligibility Criteria
There are two basic ways to become eligible to give the NNAAP Examination-
- Through an ADSA OBRA Nursing Aide Registry screening process.
- Completion of Washington State- approved training program.
Eligible Candidates: Other eligibility routes to appear for the Nurse Aide Examination of the state are:
- New Nursing Assistant
- Military Nursing Assistant
- Graduate/Student Nurse
- Lapsed Nursing Assistant
- Out-of-state Nursing Assistant or Graduate/Student Nurse
Application and Scheduling
Application: Candidates must fill the NNAAP Examination Application completely and mail it along with appropriate fee, a photocopy of Certificate of Completion in an envelope to:
NACES/Washington State NNAAP
8501 North Mopac Expressway, Suite 400
Austin, TX 78759
Exam Scheduling: NACES schedules candidates for testing after receiving required documents, Examination Application and the appropriate fees. An Authorization to Test Noticeis mailed to students within 2 days after receiving candidates’ required material, at the address they have mentioned in their application. Candidates must contact NACES at: 800-842-4562 if they lose or fail to receive the test notice within 10 business days.
Special Exam Requests: Pearson VUE provides special arrangements for taking the examination to physically disabled candidates. Disabled candidates may request for special arrangements at the time of applying for the examination. All requests for testing must be done in writing.
There is TDD (Telecommunication Devices for the Deaf) machinery that Pearson VUE offers to hearing –impaired and deaf candidates in order to assist them. TDD calling is accessible at toll free number of Pearson VUE- (800) 274-2617.
Testing Locations: A complete schedule of testing at Regional Test Sites is available at the webpage of Washington Nurse Aide: www.pearsonvue.com . For additional information on testing location, NACES can be contacted at (800) 842-4562. Training program director or instructor can also be accessed for more information related to testing.
Examination Fees
| EXAMS | Fees for test before15th Aug. 2011 | Fees for test ON or AFTER 15th Aug. 2011 | |
| Oral Examination & Skills Evaluation | Both | $ 107 | $ 110 |
| Written Examination & Skills Evaluation | Both | $ 107 | $ 110 |
| Skills Evaluation ONLY | Retest | $ 71 | $ 74 |
| Oral Examination ONLY | Retest | $ 36 | $ 36 |
| Written Examination ONLY | Retest | $ 36 | $ 36 |
NOTE: Candidates must pay for both Skills Evaluation and Oral/Written Examination if they test for the first time.
- Examination fee is payable only in the form of company check, certified check and money order. No cash and personal check is acceptable. The money order/ Check are payable to “NACES”.
- Certified or company check must carry candidates’ name even if it is paid by candidates’ employers.
- Fees are non-transferrable and non-refundable once paid to NACES, as the fees involve administrative costs of testing and registration.
Cancellation and Rescheduling
If students are unable to attend the examination due to some reason, then they must contact NACES minimum 5 business days before the scheduled date in order to reschedule the examination. When NACES is informed timely about skipping the exam, then no penalty is charged and the examination fee is transferred to a rescheduled exam date.
Acceptable reasons of examination cancellation and rescheduling:
- Death in the candidates’ family.
- Illness of candidates or their immediate family members.
- Disabling road accident of candidates.
- Military duty.
- Jury duty or court appearance.
- Weather Emergency.
NACES may deny/approve the excused absence from the examination.
What to bring on the Exam Day
Candidates must reach the examination venue 30 minutes prior to the scheduled examination time. Late comers are not allowed to write the examination. The examination fee is non- refundable and non-transferrable if candidates are unable to report at the test site on time. Following are the items that students MUST carry to the test center-
- Social Security Number
- Longman’s Dictionary of American English. No other dictionary is allowed to bring at the test center. It is optional to bring the dictionary.
- Pencil and Eraser.
- 2 forms of current (not expired) original signed identification. Out of the two, one must be photo identification. Name on identification must be similar to the name on the Application. In case of changed name, students must bring its proof (a copy of divorce decree or marriage license) to the test site.
Proper Identification Includes:
- Clinic Card
- Library Card
- Credit Card
- Driver’s License
- State issued identification card
- Alien Registration Card
Score Reporting
- Result of the examination is not declared over the phone. But yes, any query related to the content of the exam and Score Report can be answered by calling Pearson VUE at 800-274-4097.
- The Score Report of Skills Evaluation lists all 5 performed skills, and a score of “Unsatisfactory” for failed skill and “Satisfactory” for passed skill.
- For the Written/Oral Examination and Skills Evaluation, students receive official Score Report that indicates whether candidates have passed the exam or not.
- If score report is delayed by 5-7 business days after giving the examination then students must call Pearson VUE at: 800-274-4097.
Failing Score Result
- Candidates need to submit retake fee and their failing Score Report to NACES in order to re-take both/ either section of the Examination.
- Failing Score Report provides the reason of failure and how the failed sections of the examination can be re-tested.
- Candidates get 3 attempts and 2 years (whichever comes first) after the completion of nursing aide training program to qualify both parts of the NNAAP Examination.
Passing Scored Result
- After successfully qualify Written/Oral Examination and Skills Evaluation, candidates name is passed on to the OBRA Nursing Assistant Registry.
- To obtain Nursing Assistant Certificate, candidates need to contact the Washington State Department of Health.