Introduction and Overview

This handbook is designed to provide nurse aide test candidates and nurse aide educators with general information about Kentucky’s Nurse Aide Testing Program (KNAT). Any questions relating to the information in this handbook may be addressed to your local Medicaid Nurse Aide Coordinator.

There are three approved texts for the nurse aide training program. Each of the following textbooks and workbooks must be used in its most recent edition:

  • Mosby’s Textbook for Long-Term Care Nursing Assistants
  • Hartman Publishing: Nursing Assistance Care: The Basics
  • American Health Care Association (AHCA): How to be a Nurse Assistant

The competency evaluation is based on these texts. Each LTC facility-based nurse aide trainee shall acquire an individual copy of an approved text and workbook and shall not be charged for any portion of the costs incurred, including books and the competency exam.

Regardless of which textbook is used, the skills will be evaluated as written in this study guide. It is highly recommended that you refer to the study guide throughout your training to ensure you are performing all steps, but especially critical criteria as notated with an asterisk (*).

This study guide is not intended to be viewed as the only correct way to complete a task. However, it is to be used as a guide for test candidates to demonstrate competency of a skill with an emphasis on safety and infection control. Points will be awarded or deducted based on each step of each skill as outlined in this study guide.

The nurse aide website is located at https://nurseaide.kctcs.edu. This website contains valuable information for nurse aide students, test candidates, instructors, and facilities. This web address may be freely distributed

The website contains, but is not limited to, such information as:

  • Nurse Aide Study Guide
  • Updates from the Publishers to the Textbooks
  • Medicaid Services Manual
  • Contact Information for the KNAT Regional Coordinators

Content is updated on a regular basis. Nurse Aide trainers are mandated to provide each student a copy of the most current version of the study guide at no charge. The study guide becomes the property of the nurse aide student. Test candidates will be tested using skills from the most recent study guide regardless of when training was completed. It is the test candidate’s responsibility to check for updates and changes prior to testing.

Test candidates may schedule their assessment at ANY testing location. Test candidates are not mandated to use any particular testing facility regardless of where they received their training.

Gwen Duncan
West Kentucky Community & Technical College
4810 Alben Barkley Drive
PO Box 7380
Paducah, KY 42002-7408
(270) 534-3888
(270) 238-6148 Secure Fax
wkctcnurseaide@kctcs.edu

Nancy Propes
Madisonville Community College
Health Campus
750 N. Laffoon Street
Madisonville, KY 42431
(270) 824-1804
(270) 824-1872 Secure Fax
mccnurseaide@kctcs.edu

Danielle Staples
Owensboro Community & Technical College
4800 New Hartford Road
Owensboro, KY 42301-3744
(270) 686-3797
(877) 590-7965 Secure Fax
octcnurseaide@kctcs.edu

Jessica Davidson
Southcentral Kentucky Community & Technical College
129 State Avenue
Glasgow, KY 42141

Erika Wood
(270) 901-1202
(270) 592-0001 Secure Fax
skynurseaide@kctcs.edu

Terri Ratliff
Ashland Community & Technical College
1400 College Dr.
Ashland, KY 41101
(606) 326-2465
(606) 722-0200 Secure Fax
actcnurseaide@kctcs.edu

Judy Salyer
Big Sandy Community & Technical College
120 S. Riverfill Drive
Pikeville, KY 41501
(606) 218-1256
(859) 878-2043 Secure Fax
bsctcnurseaide@kctcs.edu

Ludrenia Hagans-Shepherd
Hazard Community & Technical College
101 Vo-Tech Drive
Hazard, KY 41701
(606) 487-3382
(606) 439-0206 Secure Fax
hctcnurseaide@kctcs.edu

Jennifer Nolan
Southeast Kentucky Community & Technical College
Pineville Campus
10350 US Hwy 25E
Pineville, KY 40977
(606) 248-2159
(606) 641-0011 Secure Fax
skctcnurseaide@kctcs.edu 

 

 

Stephanie Bennett
Elizabethtown Community & Technical College
620 College Street Road
Elizabethtown, KY 42701
Admin. Assistant: Carla Allen
(270) 769-2371
(270) 766-5276 Secure Fax
ectcnurseaide@kctcs.edu

Kim McGovern
Henderson Community College
1660 South Green St.
Henderson, KY 42420
(270) 831-9734
(859) 568-8355 Secure Fax
henccnurseaide@kctcs.edu

Sheri Pullin
Hopkinsville Community College
720 North Dr.
Hopkinsville, KY 42240
(270) 707-3860
(270) 707-3989 Fax
hopccnurseaide@kctcs.edu

Dallas McKinley
Jefferson Community & Technical College
100 E. Broadway - HSH Room 450
Louisville, KY 40202

Ashley Clark
(502) 213-2316
(502) 483-0001 Secure Fax
jctcnurseaide@kctcs.edu

Reva Stroud
Gateway Community & Technical College
Edgewood Campus
790 Thomas Moore Parkway
Edgewood, KY 41017
(859) 815-7643
(859) 479-0179 Secure Fax
gctcnurseaide@kctcs.edu

Sally Parker
Maysville Community & Technical College
1755 US Hwy. 68
Maysville, KY 41056
(606) 759-7141
(606) 731-0052 Secure Fax
mctcnurseaide@kctcs.edu

Frances Beaty
Somerset Community College
808 Monticello St. 
Somerset, KY 42501
(606) 451-6947
(606) 981-0047 Secure Fax
sccnurseaide@kctcs.edu

Janie Thompson
Bluegrass Community & Technical College District
164 Opportunity Way
Lexington, KY 40511-2623
(859) 246-4640
or (859) 246-6723
(866) 788-5173 Secure Fax
bctcnurseaide@kctcs.edu

The Bluegrass District covers Lexington, Danville, Lawrenceburg, and Winchester.

The nursing home reform provisions of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (OBRA) (42USC139 6 R) of 1987 established a requirement for a nurse aide training and competency evaluation program for nurse aides who are employed by nursing facilities. Cabinet for Health and Family Services, Department for Medicaid Services is the appointed regulatory authority.

A nurse aide is defined as any individual including a nursing student, medication aide and one employed through a nursing pool, providing nursing or nursing related services to facility residents, who is not a licensed health professional or volunteer. There is a requirement for a registry of all individuals who have satisfactorily completed a nurse aide training and competency evaluation program, or a nurse aide competency evaluation. The registry shall be established and shall be maintained by the Kentucky Board of Nursing.

In addition to the names of individuals having satisfactorily completed the nurse aide training and competency evaluation program, the registry shall include information addressing any State findings concerning any individual resident abuse or neglect or misappropriation of resident’s property, and a brief statement (if any) by the aide disputing the findings.

The Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) has responsibility for the final written or oral examination and the skills demonstration aspect of the competency evaluation. The test questions are developed based on the State-approved curriculum with input from members of the Nurse Aide Training Advisory Committee. The test is validated by KCTCS to ensure its reflection of the material presented in the training. KCTCS also has responsibility to maintain the integrity of the test and the individual examinations.

The oral examination may be substituted for the written examination for persons with a documented limitation of literacy skills.

The skills-demonstration aspect of the examination must consist of a minimum performance of five (5) skills. These five (5) skills are randomly selected from a pool of evaluation items.

If a student has a disability, an alternate form of the test may be administered. The alternate form of the test must be requested by the nurse test candidate. This request must be submitted on the appropriate form obtained from your regional KNAT coordinator at least 2 weeks prior to the test date.

Latex Allergy: If a student has a latex allergy, non-latex gloves may be requested by the nurse aide test candidate. This request must be submitted to the KNAT coordinator at least 2 weeks prior to the test date.

To satisfactorily complete the evaluation, the student must:

  1. Make a score of at least 70% (raw score of 52 or higher) on the 75 multiple-choice written examination; and
  2. Must successfully demonstrate at least five (5) procedures under the observation of an examiner, with 70% accuracy. Some steps on some of the procedures are considered critical. These steps must be performed with 100% accuracy. An asterisk has denoted these steps.

A test candidate, who fails either part of the examination, may reschedule to take the exam at the next available test date. If the test candidate fails the written test but passes the performance test, the candidate must repeat the written test only. If the test candidate fails the performance test but passes the written test, the test candidate is required to repeat the performance test including all five skills. An employed individual has only three (3) opportunities to pass the test within the initial four (4) month employment period. An individual not currently employed in long- term care has three (3) opportunities to successfully complete the competency evaluation and be placed on the registry within one year of completion of training. (This includes nursing students, also.)

To apply for the competency evaluation program (CEP) a candidate must contact the health care facility administrator, who will then contact the Medicaid nurse aide test coordinator at the nearest test site. Nursing students and unemployed individuals with documentation of approved training (i.e. transcript of fundamentals, letter from training program, which includes verification of clinical training component, etc.) may apply for the CEP by contacting a Medicaid nurse aide test coordinator listed on pages 4 – 5 of this study guide. Health Science students may apply for the CEP after successfully completing the Medicaid nurse aide curriculum in an approved training site.

Nurse Aides that meet all the following criteria may be entitled to reimbursement of a portion of your expenses to complete a nurse aide training program:

  • If not employed by a long term care facility or received an offer of employment from a long term care facility on the first day you start a nurse aide training program
  • have incurred out-of-pocket expenses for a nurse aide training program
  • become employed or receives an offer of employment from a long term care facility within twelve (12) months of completing a nurse aide training program

All questions about reimbursements are to be directed to your Long Term Care Facility Administration after you become employed or receive an offer of employment. Your facility would be required to submit a MAP-576 to the Kentucky Department for Medicaid Services if you qualify.

Within thirty (30) days of satisfactory completion of the competency evaluation, KCTCS shall forward to the Kentucky Nurse Aide Registry, the name and social security number, address and test date of students who have successfully completed the competency evaluation.

The student, the nursing facility administrator, the training instructor, and the test coordinator will be advised in writing by KCTCS, of the competency evaluation (test) results.

The Kentucky Board of Nursing shall maintain, on the registry, the name of each student who has successfully completed the competency evaluation.

Registry Toll free - Nurse Aides: 888-530-1919
Online Verification: https://kbn.ky.gov/knar/Pages/verifications.aspx

Registry (toll): 502-429-3347

As a nurse aide test candidate, your feedback is critical to reviewing and improving the testing experience. Please take a few minutes to complete a short and anonymous survey after you complete your testing appointment. The survey is located at http://kctcs.nurseaide.sgizmo.com/s3.

A formal process has been established for test takers to appeal their grades on the competency evaluation.

When an appeal is filed one of two actions must be proven in order for the grade to be changed. You must prove one of the following:

  • Inadequate Consideration – this means there was a proven problem with the evaluation, OR
  • Breech of Procedure – this means the test center did not follow protocol

When filing an appeal, please make sure to explain in detail why you are contesting your grade.

To review the current process and how to proceed, please visit the Student Resources page.