Can I transfer my CNA license to another state?

In 50 of 51 (the 50 states and DC), yes. You apply to the new state's registry. The table shows each state's fee and form, and each state page has its steps.

Who writes the care plan that tells you what care each resident needs?

The nurse, working with the care team

The CNA who knows the resident best

What is the single most important way to stop germs from spreading in a nursing home?

Cleaning your hands before and after every resident contact

Wearing a mask for the whole shift

Asking the nurse to give antibiotics

A resident has diarrhea from C. diff. After giving care, how should you clean your hands?

Wipe them with a dry paper towel

Standard precautions tell you to treat which of these as if it could spread infection?

Blood, body fluids, broken skin and mucous membranes of every resident

Only blood from residents with a known infection

Only body fluids you can see on the skin

Only residents who are on isolation

You find a small fire in a resident's room. Using the RACE steps, what do you do first?

Rescue anyone in immediate danger

Contain the fire by closing the door

A resident you are walking with starts to fall. What should you do?

Ease her down to the floor and protect her head

Grab her arm and pull her back up

Let go and run to get the nurse

Hold her up in the air until she steadies

A visitor says she is a resident's neighbor and asks what his diagnosis is. What should you do?

Do not share the information, and refer her to the nurse

Tell her what you know, since she cares about him

Tell her the diagnosis but not the medicines

A resident tries to give you $20 for being kind to her. What should you do?

Thank her and politely decline, following facility policy

Take it and split it with your coworkers

A resident says she does not want her shower today. What should you do?

Respect her choice, ask if later would work, and tell the nurse

Give the shower anyway, since it is on the schedule

Tell her she will lose a privilege if she refuses

Skip it and write that it was done

Which action best protects a resident's privacy during perineal care?

Close the door, pull the curtain, and keep the resident covered except the area you are washing

Leave the door open in case you need help

Talk about the care with a coworker in the hallway

Uncover the resident fully so you can see well

You see a coworker slap a resident. What should you do?

Make sure the resident is safe and report it to the nurse or supervisor right away

Talk to the coworker about it at the end of the shift

Wait to see if it happens again

Ask the resident whether she wants it reported

A resident is hard of hearing. What helps the most when you talk with her?

Face her and speak clearly in a normal or slightly lower tone

Stand behind her so you do not startle her

Stop talking and only write notes

A resident who is blind feeds himself. How can you help him find the food on his plate?

Describe where each food is using the numbers on a clock face

Move the food to new spots at each meal

Tell him to touch each item to find it

Which of these is an open-ended question?

How are you feeling this morning?

Where do you usually check the pulse when taking routine vital signs?

The radial artery, on the thumb side of the wrist

The femoral artery in the groin

When should you write down the care you gave?

Right after you give it, recording only what you did and saw

Before you give it, to save time later

A resident is in Fowler's position. How is she placed?

Sitting up with the head of the bed raised about 45 to 60 degrees

On her left side with the top knee bent

You are about to move a resident from the bed to a wheelchair. Where should the wheelchair go?

On the resident's stronger side, with the brakes locked

On the resident's weaker side, with the brakes off

At the foot of the bed, facing away

Across the room, so the resident can walk to it

You are helping a resident with weakness on one side walk with a gait belt. Where do you stand?

On her weaker side, slightly behind her

In front of her, walking backward

During a bed bath, how should you wash the resident's eyes?

From the inner corner to the outer corner, using a clean part of the washcloth for each eye

From the outer corner to the inner corner, using the same part of the cloth

During perineal care for a female resident, which direction do you wash?

Any direction, as long as it gets clean

How should a resident be positioned before you help her eat?

Sitting upright, as close to 90 degrees as she can

With the head of the bed raised a little

While you help a resident eat, she coughs often and her voice sounds wet. What should you do?

Stop feeding her and tell the nurse

Give her more water to wash the food down

Feed her faster so she finishes before she tires

Where should the drainage bag of a urinary catheter be kept?

Below the level of the bladder, hung on the bed frame

On the bed next to the resident

Higher than the bladder, so it drains faster

What is the right way to clean around a urinary catheter?

Start where the tube enters the body and wipe away from it, down the tube

Start a few inches down the tube and wipe toward the body

Pull the tube gently to check that it is in place

Disconnect the tube from the bag so you can clean it

A resident with dementia is upset and says she has to go home to cook dinner for her kids. What is the best response?

Stay calm, listen to her feelings, and gently steer her to an activity

Tell her firmly that her kids are grown and she lives here now

Ignore her until she calms down

Tell her she is confused and should rest

A resident tells you she feels hopeless and has stopped eating. What should you do?

Tell the nurse what she said right away

Tell her to look on the bright side

Keep it to yourself, since she told you in private

Wait and bring it up at the next care plan meeting

Which of these is objective data, something you can see or measure?

The skin over the resident's tailbone is red

The resident says she feels dizzy

The resident says her stomach hurts

The resident says she feels nervous

Which of these should you report to the nurse right away?

The resident says she has chest pain

The resident ate 75 percent of her lunch

The resident watched TV after lunch

The resident asked for an extra blanket

CNA Reciprocity by State 2026: Transfer a CNA License

Transferring a CNA license, state by state

Open a state for its steps and the form. Each row comes from that state's nurse aide registry or board.

Moving to	Accepts out-of-state CNAs	Fee	Form
Alabama	Yes	-	-
Alaska	Yes	-	Certified Nurse Aide by Endorsement Application
Arizona	Yes	$50	Registry CNA Endorsement application
Arkansas	Yes	$25	Out-of-State Reciprocity Form 9110AR
California	Yes	-	Certified Nurse Assistant Equivalency/Reciprocity Application
Colorado	Yes	-	Certified Nurse Aide - Initial License by Endorsement
Connecticut	Yes	$55	Connecticut Nurse Aide Registry Application
Delaware	Yes	$30	Delaware CNA Reciprocity Application
District of Columbia	Yes	$100	CNA by Endorsement (Reciprocity) Checklist
Florida	Yes	-	CNA Initial License by Mobile Endorsement
Georgia	Yes	-	Reciprocity Form
Hawaii	Yes	$27	Hawaii Nurse Aide Examination Application
Idaho	Yes	No fee	Idaho Reciprocity Form, Out of State Credential Verification
Illinois	Yes	$25	Out-of-State CNA Application
Indiana	Yes	$50	Affidavit for CNA Application
Iowa	Yes	-	Online transfer application on the Iowa Direct Care Worker Registry website
Kansas	Test only	$20	Interstate Application
Kentucky	Yes	-	State Registered Nurse Aide (SRNA) Reciprocity Application
Louisiana	Yes	$35	Louisiana Certified Nurse Aide Examination Application
Maine	Yes	No fee	Application for Listing on the CNA Registry
Maryland	Yes	$20	-
Massachusetts	Yes	-	MA Reciprocity Form 9110
Michigan	Yes	$40	-
Minnesota	Yes	No fee	Nurse Aide Interstate Endorsement Application
Mississippi	Yes	$25	CNA Reciprocity Form
Missouri	Yes	-	Missouri CNA Reciprocity Application
Montana	Yes	-	Montana Nurse Aide Registry Interstate Endorsement Application
Nebraska	Yes	No fee	Application for Nebraska Nurse Aide Registry by Interstate Endorsement
Nevada	Yes	$50	Endorsement Form for Certified Nursing Assistant
New Hampshire	Yes	$66	Checklist: LNA License by Endorsement
New Jersey	Yes	$36	-
New Mexico	Yes	No fee	Reciprocity Form
New York	Yes	$50	New York Certified Nurse Aide Examination Application
North Carolina	Yes	No fee	Nurse Aide I Registry Reciprocity Application
North Dakota	Yes	No fee	Certified Nurse Aide Endorsement Application
Ohio	Yes	-	Nurse Aide Registry Request for Reciprocity
Oklahoma	Yes	No fee	Long Term Care Reciprocity
Oregon	Yes	$60	Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) by Endorsement Application Steps
Pennsylvania	Yes	-	Nurse aide reciprocity request
Rhode Island	Yes	$35	Instructions and Application For License As A Nursing Assistant By Endorsement
South Carolina	Yes	-	Reciprocity Application
South Dakota	Yes	-	South Dakota Certified Nurse Aide (CNA) Registry by Interstate Endorsement Application
Tennessee	Yes	-	-
Texas	Yes	-	Form 5506
Utah	Yes	$50	Reciprocity Application
Vermont	Yes	$25	Licensed Nursing Assistant Application Instructions
Virginia	Yes	No fee	Checklist Instructions: Endorsement of Nurse Aide Certification
Washington	Yes	$85	Nursing Assistant Credential Verification Form
West Virginia	Yes	-	Nurse Aide Application by Reciprocity
Wisconsin	Yes	-	Out-of-State Reciprocity Application
Wyoming	Yes	$120	CNA Verification of Certification form

From each state's nurse aide registry or board, checked 2026-10-20. "Test only" means the state takes no direct transfer but lets you take its test. A dash means the state lists no fee or form on the pages we checked.

CNA practice test

Question 1 of 10 · Role and responsibility

A nurse who is busy asks you to give a resident her morning pills. You are a CNA and do not hold a medication aide certificate. What should you do?

After you move

Once you are on the new state's registry, look at the CNA openings near you and get your resume written for each one.

All 40 questions with answers

A nurse who is busy asks you to give a resident her morning pills. You are a CNA and do not hold a medication aide certificate. What should you do?
Answer: Politely tell the nurse that giving medicine is outside your duties. Giving medicine is outside a CNA's duties unless you hold a separate medication aide certificate. Tell the nurse politely and offer to help with a task you are trained to do.
Who writes the care plan that tells you what care each resident needs?
Answer: The nurse, working with the care team. The licensed nurse builds the care plan with the rest of the care team. You follow it and report changes that might mean it needs an update.
What is the single most important way to stop germs from spreading in a nursing home?
Answer: Cleaning your hands before and after every resident contact. Hands carry most germs from one person to the next. Hand hygiene before and after every contact is the first rule of infection control.
A resident has diarrhea from C. diff. After giving care, how should you clean your hands?
Answer: Wash with soap and water. Alcohol rub does not kill C. diff spores well. Washing with soap and water and rubbing your hands together removes them.
You are wearing a gown, a mask, goggles and gloves. Which do you take off first when you leave the room?
Answer: Gloves. Gloves are the most soiled item, so they come off first. The mask comes off last, after you are away from the resident.
Standard precautions tell you to treat which of these as if it could spread infection?
Answer: Blood, body fluids, broken skin and mucous membranes of every resident. You cannot tell who carries a germ by looking. Standard precautions apply to every resident, every time.
You find a small fire in a resident's room. Using the RACE steps, what do you do first?
Answer: Rescue anyone in immediate danger. RACE stands for Rescue, Alarm, Contain, Extinguish. Moving people out of danger comes first.
A resident you are walking with starts to fall. What should you do?
Answer: Ease her down to the floor and protect her head. Trying to stop a fall can hurt both of you. Guide her gently to the floor, protect her head, stay with her, and call for the nurse.
A visitor says she is a resident's neighbor and asks what his diagnosis is. What should you do?
Answer: Do not share the information, and refer her to the nurse. A resident's health information is private under HIPAA. Only people with a right to know may get it, and the nurse handles those requests.
A resident tries to give you $20 for being kind to her. What should you do?
Answer: Thank her and politely decline, following facility policy. Taking money or gifts from residents can look like taking advantage of them. Decline kindly and follow your facility's policy.
A resident says she does not want her shower today. What should you do?
Answer: Respect her choice, ask if later would work, and tell the nurse. Residents have the right to refuse care. Respect the choice, offer another time, and report the refusal so the nurse knows.
Which action best protects a resident's privacy during perineal care?
Answer: Close the door, pull the curtain, and keep the resident covered except the area you are washing. Privacy is a resident right. Closing the door and curtain and keeping the body covered protects dignity during personal care.
You see a coworker slap a resident. What should you do?
Answer: Make sure the resident is safe and report it to the nurse or supervisor right away. Abuse must be reported right away. You are a mandated reporter, and waiting puts the resident at risk.
A resident is hard of hearing. What helps the most when you talk with her?
Answer: Face her and speak clearly in a normal or slightly lower tone. Facing her lets her see your lips and face. Shouting distorts words, and a lower pitch is often easier to hear.
A resident who is blind feeds himself. How can you help him find the food on his plate?
Answer: Describe where each food is using the numbers on a clock face. The clock method, such as "chicken at 6 o'clock," lets him find each food and keep eating on his own.
Which of these is an open-ended question?
Answer: How are you feeling this morning? An open-ended question cannot be answered with yes or no. It invites the resident to tell you more.
Which resting adult pulse should you report to the nurse right away?
Answer: 112 beats per minute. A normal adult resting pulse is 60 to 100 beats per minute. 112 is too fast and needs to be reported.
Which adult breathing rate is outside the normal range and should be reported?
Answer: 8 breaths per minute. Normal adult breathing at rest is about 12 to 20 breaths per minute. A rate of 8 is too slow.
Which blood pressure reading is in the normal range for an adult?
Answer: 116/76. Normal adult blood pressure is under 120 on top and under 80 on the bottom. The other readings are high.
Where do you usually check the pulse when taking routine vital signs?
Answer: The radial artery, on the thumb side of the wrist. The radial pulse is easy to reach and comfortable for the resident. Use your first two fingers, never your thumb, because your thumb has its own pulse.
When should you write down the care you gave?
Answer: Right after you give it, recording only what you did and saw. Charting is a legal record. Write it after the care is done, and only write what you did and observed yourself.
A resident is in Fowler's position. How is she placed?
Answer: Sitting up with the head of the bed raised about 45 to 60 degrees. Fowler's position is a sitting-up position with the head of the bed raised about 45 to 60 degrees. It helps with breathing and eating.
A resident cannot change position on her own. Unless the care plan says otherwise, how often should she be repositioned?
Answer: At least every 2 hours. Pressure on the same spot for long periods causes pressure injuries. Turning at least every 2 hours is the usual rule unless the care plan sets a different schedule.
You are about to move a resident from the bed to a wheelchair. Where should the wheelchair go?
Answer: On the resident's stronger side, with the brakes locked. The resident pivots and leads with the stronger side. Locked brakes keep the chair from rolling away during the move.
You are helping a resident with weakness on one side walk with a gait belt. Where do you stand?
Answer: On her weaker side, slightly behind her. She is most likely to lose balance toward her weak side. Standing there, slightly behind with a hand on the gait belt, lets you support her.
A resident has a weak right arm. When you help her put on a shirt, which arm goes in first?
Answer: The weak right arm. Dress the weak side first and undress it last. That way the weak arm moves the least.
During a bed bath, how should you wash the resident's eyes?
Answer: From the inner corner to the outer corner, using a clean part of the washcloth for each eye. Wiping inner to outer moves germs away from the tear duct. A clean part of the cloth for each eye keeps germs from passing between them.
During perineal care for a female resident, which direction do you wash?
Answer: Front to back. Washing front to back keeps germs from the rectal area away from the urinary opening, which helps prevent infection.
How should a resident be positioned before you help her eat?
Answer: Sitting upright, as close to 90 degrees as she can. Sitting upright helps food go down the right way and lowers the risk of choking.
While you help a resident eat, she coughs often and her voice sounds wet. What should you do?
Answer: Stop feeding her and tell the nurse. Coughing and a wet voice while eating can mean food or drink is going into the airway. Stop and report it so the nurse can check her swallowing.
A resident drank one full 8-ounce cup of milk. How many milliliters do you record on the intake sheet?
Answer: 240 mL. One ounce is 30 mL. Eight ounces times 30 is 240 mL.
Where should the drainage bag of a urinary catheter be kept?
Answer: Below the level of the bladder, hung on the bed frame. Urine drains down. Keeping the bag below the bladder stops urine from flowing back in, and off the floor keeps it clean.
What is the right way to clean around a urinary catheter?
Answer: Start where the tube enters the body and wipe away from it, down the tube. Wiping away from the opening moves germs away from the body. Never pull the tube or open the closed drainage system.
A resident with dementia is upset and says she has to go home to cook dinner for her kids. What is the best response?
Answer: Stay calm, listen to her feelings, and gently steer her to an activity. Arguing with a person who has dementia raises stress. Respond to the feeling behind the words and redirect her calmly.
A resident with Alzheimer's disease gets more confused and restless in the late afternoon and evening. What is this called?
Answer: Sundowning. Sundowning is confusion and restlessness that gets worse late in the day. A calm room, good lighting and a set routine can help.
A resident tells you she feels hopeless and has stopped eating. What should you do?
Answer: Tell the nurse what she said right away. Hopelessness and not eating can be signs of depression. Report them to the nurse right away so the resident gets help.
A dying resident no longer responds to you. Which sense is thought to be the last one lost?
Answer: Hearing. Hearing is believed to last the longest. Keep speaking to the resident kindly and explain what you are doing.
A dying resident says, "If I can just see my grandson graduate, then I will be ready." Which stage of grief does this show?
Answer: Bargaining. Bargaining is trying to make a deal for more time. It is one of the five stages of grief described by Dr. Kubler-Ross.
Which of these is objective data, something you can see or measure?
Answer: The skin over the resident's tailbone is red. Objective data is what you observe with your senses, like red skin. What the resident tells you is subjective data, and you report it in her words.
Which of these should you report to the nurse right away?
Answer: The resident says she has chest pain. Chest pain can be a sign of a heart attack. Stay with the resident and get the nurse at once.

CNA Reciprocity by State (2026): How to Transfer Your CNA License to Another State

Transferring a CNA license, state by state

After you move

All 40 questions with answers

Sources

Frequently asked questions

Can I transfer my CNA license to another state?

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