ILLINOIS NURSE ASSISTANT/

HOME HEALTH AIDE

COMPETENCY EXAM

APPLICATION GUIDELINES

 

FOR

 

ILLINOIS NURSE ASSISTANT/AIDE PROGRAM COORDINATORS/INSTRUCTORS

 

 

 

 

 

 

SIUC Nurse Aide Testing Program

and

Illinois Department of Public Health

 

 

2008

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

                                                               Page

 

COMPLYING WITH BACKGROUND CHECK REQUIREMENTS                

            Community College and Facility Based Program Requirements           3

            High School Based Nurse Aide Training Program and

            IDPH Assigned Code Requirements                                                         3

 

COMPETENCY EXAM APPLICATION GUIDELINES                                    

            Important reminders                                                                          4

 

PROGRAM RESPONSIBILITIES

            Application Materials                                                                                    5

            Determine Eligibility of Students                                                                 6

            Assist Students in Completing Application Form                                     6

            Collect Appropriate Examination Fees                                                      7

            Fee Schedule                                                                                                8

            Submitting the Application                                                               8

            Assemble Application Materials for Mailing                                           10

            Mailing Application Package                                                                   11

            Applying to Retake                                                                                    12

            Applying to Reschedule an Exam                                                            13

            Requesting Special Needs Testing Conditions                                     13

 

GROUP APPLICATION COMPLETION PROCEDURES                               

            Verbal Instructions                                                                                     15

 

PREPARING FOR THE EXAM                                                                            

            Study Information                                                                                       18

            Test Confirmation Letter                                                                           19

            Admission to Exam Center                                                                       19-20

 

EXAMINATION RESULTS                                                                                               

            Distribution of Results                                                                               20           Verifying Results                                                                                        20

            Re-score Test                                                                                             21

 

APPENDICES                                                                                                      

Appendix A - Nurse Aide Exam application letter and roster for

 background checks initiated by SIUC                        24-25

Appendix B - Nurse Aide Exam application letter and roster for

 background checks not initiated by SIUC                  26-27

Appendix C - Competency exam material request                                28          

            Appendix D - Examination fee schedule                                                 29                       Appendix E - Sample letter for special needs testing request             30

            Appendix F - List of test sites codes                                                       31

Appendix G - Sample test questions                                                       32-33

 

COMPLYING WITH CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECK REQUIREMENTS

 

 

 

Community College and Facility Based Nurse Aide Training Programs:

 

The Health Care Worker Background Check Act was amended in February 1998 and stipulated that:

a)  An educational entity, other than a secondary school, conducting a nurse aide training program must initiate a Uniform Conviction Information Act (UCIA) criminal history records check in accordance with the requirements of the Health Care Worker Background Check Act prior to entry of an individual into the training program.

b)  For the purpose of this section, "INITIATE" means the obtaining of the authorization for a record check from a student.  The educational entity shall transmit all necessary information and fees to the Illinois State Police within 10 working days after the receipt of the authorization.  Authorization shall be requested on the first day of class.

SIUC Nurse Aide Testing will report background check results initiated through SIUC Nurse Aide Testing to IDPH with the individual’s test results.  The background check report must be from the Illinois State Police and have the individual's social security number written on the background report next to the individual's name.

 

 

High School Based Nurse Aide Training Programs and IDPH Assigned Codes:

 

Secondary students are not required to have a criminal background check conducted at the time of testing.  However, when an applicant applies to work in a long-term care facility in Illinois with duties that involve direct care for residents, the employer will check the status of the applicant's Uniform Conviction Information Act (UCIA) criminal history record check on the Nurse Assistant Registry.  If a UCIA criminal history record check has not been conducted within the last 12 months, the facility must obtain a UCIA criminal history check for that applicant regardless of age.  It is recommended that high school based programs conduct a criminal background check at the same time they apply to take the Illinois Nurse Aide Competency Exam.  Please review the pink Criminal Background Check Application guidelines for procedures for submitting criminal background checks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


COMPETENCY EXAM APPLICATION GUIDELINES

 

The purpose of this handbook is to assist Nurse Assistant Training Program Coordinators/Instructors with the submission of application materials for the Illinois Nurse Assistant Competency Evaluation.

 

IMPORTANT REMINDERS:

 

1.         All nurse aide competency exam applications MUST be submitted by an IDPH approved training program using a dual-colored blue/maroon competency exam application form with a $60.00 fee.  The application must be accompanied by a typed program completion cover letter on letterhead that has been signed by the instructor or program coordinator (no substitutions), along with a typed alphabetized applicant roster.   The roster must be separate from the cover letter.

 

2.         When multiple test sites or multiple test dates are needed for students a separate test site roster and cover letter MUST be completed for each test site or test date (see appendix A & B).  The roster must be a separate document from the cover letter.    Failure to prepare separate cover letter and roster for each test site or test date will result in the entire test materials packet being returned to sender for correction.

 

3.         Verification of training completion at an approved Illinois Nurse Aide Training Program must be submitted with all competency exam applications (a typed cover letter on program letterhead and a typed alphabetized roster of eligible applicants, see appendix A & B).  Applications may not be mailed prior to the program completion date.

 

4.         Only the approved training program instructor or designated training program coordinator may sign the official letter with roster indicating that students have completed the Nurse Aide Training Program. Administrators or other personnel shall not sign in place of the instructor/coordinator.

 

5.         Training programs must check the SIUC Nurse Aide Testing website at www.nurseaidetesting.com to verify the chosen test site is tentatively scheduled for a NATCEP Competency Exam for that month.  Scheduling your students at a test site that is not scheduled for testing will result in your students being delayed for testing.

 

6.         Applications must be completed using a Number 2 (soft lead) Pencil.

 

7.         The ovals below the written information on the applications must be filled in accurately and completely. Failure to do so will result in the entire test materials packet being returned to sender for correction.

 

8.         Instructors must check the application forms and fee payment for accuracy before mailing.  (Incomplete applications and altered money orders will be returned to the program for correction).

 

9.         Paper clip the payment to application forms.

 

10.       Do not fold applications.

 

11.       Background checks that were NOT initiated through SIUC Nurse Aide Testing must be copied and paper clipped to the applications.  The individual’s social security number MUST be written on each criminal background report next to the individual's name. 

 

12.       Requests and documentation for special needs testing must be submitted at least 30 days prior to the desired testing date (see appendix E).

 

13.       Test application and Criminal Background Check (CBC) application materials must be ordered using the Fax reorder form in appendix C.  All information must be completed on the order form.

 

 

 


NURSE AIDE PROGRAM RESPONSIBILITIES

 

 

The instructor/program coordinator is responsible for ensuring that the application process is made as easy as possible for the student.  If you need telephone assistance in filling out the application, please call 618-453-4368.

 

Maintain Adequate Supply of Application Materials

 

It is the responsibility of the Illinois Certified Nurse Aide Training Programs to provide nurse aide competency exam application forms only to individuals who have completed that training program.  The training program should not provide applications to individuals who did not complete their training program.  Each program coordinator should maintain a supply of application materials that include dual-colored blue/maroon application forms, test schedules and instructor/coordinator guidelines for completing the Nurse Aide Competency Exam.

 

Additional material may be obtained, on request, from the SIUC Nurse Aide Testing center by FAXING your requests to the nurse aide testing office.  The Fax Number is (618) 453-4300.  Requests for additional material MUST be made on the fax re-order forms provided and must include all required information including the training program’s name and assigned program number (See Appendix C for the re-order form).  The maximum number of applications that can be ordered at one time is 200.

 

NOTE:   All first time applicants MUST submit their applications through the nurse aide training program if their training occurred LESS than 24 months ago.  If training occurred MORE than 24 months ago, the test application must be approved by the Illinois Department of Public Health BEFORE being submitted for testing.  The correct fee to accompany the dual-colored blue/maroon application is $60.00 for a first time applicant; this fee does not include a criminal background check.  If an applicant has previously received a fail or no show result from a previous Illinois Nurse Aide Exam he/she may submit the application form.  An applicant who is re-applying or re-scheduling pays a reduced examination fee if the application is resubmitted within one year of the previous examination date.  After one year has elapsed, the applicant must pay a first time application fee of $60.00.

 

 

Determine Eligibility of Students

 

Students are eligible to apply for the written exam only after they have successfully completed an approved Illinois basic nursing assistant training program and have had a non-fingerprint criminal background check initiated.  Training programs are approved by the Illinois Department of Public Health.  Students must be eligible to test (i.e. program completed) at the time the applications are submitted.  Do not submit applications of students who have not completed training.  Instructors must not submit applications for anyone who did not complete their approved nurse assistant training program.  Students may apply for the nurse assistant test individually ONLY if they have previously failed or no-showed the Illinois Nurse Aide Competency Exam or have their test application approved by the Illinois Department of Public Health PRIOR to submitting for testing.  Individual requests that are first time applicants who do not meet the above specified requirements will be returned to the applicant.  It is the nurse assistant training program’s responsibility to assist their students with the completion of the dual-colored blue/maroon nurse aide competency exam application form after successful completion of the training program and submit the application for the student with the proper typed cover letter and typed alphabetized applicant roster.  If the training program completed by the student is no longer active, the student must contact the Illinois Department of Public Health at 217-785-5133 to obtain the required nurse aide competency exam application materials.

 

Assist Students in Completing Application Forms

 

Program instructors/coordinators must familiarize themselves with the nurse aide competency exam/CBC application materials and guidelines.  Program instructors/coordinators must be able to:

 

a.  provide verbal instructions to the students for correctly completing the competency exam/CBC application materials in a group activity.

b.  identify the correct application information required. (i.e. test site number, program number, program completion date, instructor code, etc.).

c.  verify that the program has been successfully completed and all application materials and payment are correct prior to mailing the application.

d.  verify that all required application materials and fees are correct and submit the application for the students along with the appropriate typed cover letter and typed alphabetized applicant roster.

 

The nurse aide competency exam application and CBC application completion should be done as a supervised group activity.  During the assigned time, the program instructor/coordinator should distribute the application to the students and provide verbal instructions and assistance for the completion of the applications (see page 15 for verbal instructions).  The program instructor/coordinator should remain with the students helping them complete the process accurately.  The program instructor/coordinator must verify all coded application information for completeness and accuracy prior to submitting the applications to SIUC Nurse Aide Testing.  Errors in the completion of the application forms will result in the application materials being returned to the program, creating delays in processing the forms and scheduling the test date.  All information must be coded correctly on the application form.  The only time an applicant may submit the applications themselves is if he/she failed or no-showed the Illinois Nurse Aide Competency Exam previously.  A new application form and the information required to complete the application will be included along with the applicant’s test result letter.

 

Special testing conditions must be pre-approved by IDPH prior to being submitted to the SIUC Nurse Aide Testing Office.  Individuals who wish to sit for the Illinois Nurse Aide Competency Exam based on special conditions such as equivalent training, Fundamentals of Nursing (nursing training), foreign LPN or RN diploma or military training must be instructed to contact the Illinois Department of Public Health at

217-785-5133 to obtain testing application instructions and application materials.

 

Collect Appropriate Examination Fees

 

Program instructors/coordinators must ensure that the correct fee is collected from each student.  All fees submitted with the testing applications must be in the form of a Money Order payable to Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (SIUC), a certified check, or a check from the sponsoring agency, with the student’s name shown on the front of the money order or check.  No personal checks will be accepted.  Money orders or checks that have been altered cannot be accepted and will result in all application materials being returned to the sender.

 

It is very important that the program instructor/coordinator ensures that correct unaltered fees accompany all application forms.  Forms that are accompanied by incorrect fees will result in the entire testing application packet being returned to the sender resulting in a delay in the application packet processing.  Students should be reminded that under no condition should fees be made payable to individuals at an examination center.  All fees submitted with application forms must be payable to SIUC and paper clipped to the completed application form.

 

Fee Schedule

 

First Time Applicant:

 

Blue/Maroon application (Does not include background check)           $60.00

 

Re-apply :

           

Failed test previously (within one year of fail result)                                $30.00

 

Re-schedule:

           

 No Show at a test (within one year of missing the exam)                 $20.00

 

Re-test Only:

           

On registry but has not worked in 2 years                                     $60.00

 

Non-Fingerprint CBC:

           

Needs an Illinois Criminal Background Check initiated                          $15.00

 

All fees sent to Nurse Aide Testing must be in the form of a Money Order payable to Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (SIUC), certified check, or check from the sponsoring agency. NO PERSONAL CHECKS will be accepted.

 

 

Submitting the Application

 

After completing the Application Form, check to make sure it is complete and accurate.

 

NOTE:  The Nurse Assistant Competency Exam application form is an optical scan document, if the information on the application is coded incorrectly, the data scanned into the computer will be incorrect, this is especially critical for social security numbers, names, mailing addresses, test site locations, exam dates, etc.  Applicant social security number data submitted to the IDPH with the test results will be based on the information provided on the criminal background check application form if the background check was initiated though SIUC.

 

Proof of successful completion of an approved Illinois Nurse Aide Training program, in the form of a typed cover letter and a typed alphabetized applicant roster must be provided with all application submissions (see Appendix A & B).

 

 

 

 

 

Proof of training program completion submitted by an individual include:

 

The only acceptable proof of training for nurse assistants submitting applications as an individual is a Nurse Assistant Competency Evaluation result letter, or an Illinois Department of Public Health stamped and approved application form.  Applications submitted by individuals that do not meet one of the conditions stated above will be returned to the individual for proper submission.

 

Proof of training program completion submitted as a group include:

 

SUBMITTING COMPETENCY EXAM APPLICATIONS IN WHICH CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECKS WERE INITIATED THROUGH SIUC NURSE AIDE TESTING

 

The amended Health Care Worker Background Check Act requires that the results of the criminal history record be attached to the competency exam application form.  If the check was initiated through Nurse Aide Testing at SIUC, then the background check results are already on file.  What is required is an application verification letter on typed letterhead (Appendix A), a typed roster of the applicants including last name, first name, middle name, social security number, exam fee being paid for each applicant, the date the applicant is applying for testing and the program number of the training program the applicant completed (Appendix A), a money order payable to SIUC, and the dual-colored blue/maroon competency exam application form completed in pencil.

 

If the applicants are applying to different test site locations or for different test dates, a separate cover letter and roster must be completed showing the applicants for each test site or test date.

 

Failure to separate the applications with individual cover letters and rosters for each test site or test date will result in ALL of the test application materials being returned to the sender for correction.

 

 

SUBMITTING COMPETENCY EXAM APPLICATIONS IN WHICH CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECKS WERE INITIATED BY AN AGENCY OTHER THAN BY SIUC NURSE AIDE TESTING.

 

An application verification letter typed on letterhead, along with a typed roster of the applicants applying to test, including last name, first name, middle name, social security number, exam fee being paid for each applicant, the date the applicant is applying for testing, the program number of the training program the applicant completed, the background check result, and the date the result was completed must be provided as indicated in Appendix B.  The amended Health Care Worker Background Check Act requires that the results of the criminal history record be attached to the competency exam application form.  If the check was initiated through an agency other than Nurse Aide Testing at SIUC then background check results must be paper clipped to each application.  In addition to the background check, a money order payable to SIUC, and the dual-colored blue/maroon nurse aide competency exam application form completed in pencil must be clipped together (see assembling the applications for mailing). 

 

Note: If a student has a fingerprint background check, you may accept it. Expiration dates do not apply to fingerprint background checks. This same process applies to fingerprint checks. Include a copy to be attached to the student’s application form.

 

If the applicants are applying to different test site locations or for different test dates, a separate roster must be completed showing the applicants for each test site or test date and each roster must be paper clipped to the application materials for those individuals applying for that test site or test date.

 

Failure to separate the applications with individual cover letters and rosters for each test site or test date will result in ALL test application materials being returned to the sender for correction.

 

 

Assemble Application Materials for Mailing

 

Before mailing, assemble the application materials in the following manner:

 

a.         All applications submitted must have a typed program completion verification cover letter on submitting agency letterhead and a typed alphabetized roster of eligible applicants (see Appendix A if background check was initiated through SIUC or Appendix B if background checks initiated through an agency other than SIUC).  If applicants are going to multiple test sites or testing on different test dates, a cover letter and roster must be completed for each test site or test date and attached to the associated applications. 

 

First time applications submitted by individuals will be returned to the individual if the application is not approved by the Illinois Department of Public Health or does not have the program approval attached.

 

b.         Money order or facility check made payable to SIUC, paper clipped to the each application form or group of applications that the payment is for.

 

NOTE:  If background checks were completed by an agency other than SIUC then a copy of the background check result must also be clipped to each application.

 

c.         First-time applications must be sorted by test site.

 

d.         Applications to retake the written exam.

 

e.         Applications to reschedule the written exam.

 

NOTE:  Please use only paper clips to attach individual fees and background check reports to the corresponding applications.  All applications must be sorted by test site/test date with a separate roster.

 

Each test site schedules the test according to the needs of the majority of students and availability of the rooms.  Not every test site offers the test every month, the days and times may change.  Please contact your testing center to determine the date, time, building and room location scheduled for that month.  Student notification letters will have official date, time and location for that month’s test and will be received by the applicant about one week prior to the scheduled testing date.

 

     ***  DO NOT SEND FEES AND APPLICATIONS SEPARATELY  ***