If you have not worked a minimum of 8 hours in the past 24 consecutive months since your last recertification date, you will have to re-take the Written/Oral and Skills Certification Competency Examinations. You need to contact the Nurse Aide Program via the telephone Interactive Voice Response System to obtain a testing application and a list of State Approved Regional Test Sites (RTS). These RTS are located throughout the state. The cost for testing is printed on the testing application. Once you successfully pass the written/oral and skills examinations, you name will again be placed on the Nurse Aide Registry. You must renew your certification every two years thereafter.

As a student nurse aide you can only perform those tasks for which you have been trained and found proficient by the instructor. When you become certified you may perform those tasks that are identified in the State guidelines and Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987 (OBRA) legislation Nurse Aide Training Curriculum such as:

At least a total of 16 hours of training in the following six areas prior to any direct contact with a resident:

• Communication and interpersonal skills (to include stress management)
• Infection control
• Safety/emergency/FBAO/Body Mechanics
• Promoting residents’ independence
• Respecting residents’ rights
• Legal/ethical behavior and scope of practice

Basic Nursing Skills as follows:

• Taking/recording vital signs and vital signs parameters
• Measuring and recording height and weight
• Caring for the residents’ environment
• Recognizing abnormal changes in body function and the importance of reporting such changes to a supervisor.

Some examples of abnormal changes are:

• Shortness of breath
• Rapid respiration
• Fever
• Coughs
• Chills
• Pains in chest
• Blue color to lips
• Pain in abdomen
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Drowsiness
• Excessive thirst
• Sweating
• Pus
• Blood or sediment in urine
• Difficulty urinating
• Frequent urination in small amounts
• Pain or burning on urination
• Urine has dark color or strong odor
• Behavioral change
• Talks or communicates less
• Physical appearance/mental health changes
• Participated less in activities or refused to attend
• Eating less
• Drinking less
• Weight change
• Appears tired, weak, confused or drowsy
• Change in skin color or condition
• Requires more assistance with dressing, toileting, transfers
• Recognizing and reporting paint to supervisor and
• Caring for a resident when death is imminent and post mortem care

Personal Care Skills, including but not limited to, the following:

• Bathing (to include observation for pressure ulcers)
• Grooming, including mouth care
• Dressing
• Toileting
• Assisting with eating and hydration
• Proper feeding techniques
• Skin-care including observation for pressure ulcers and skin tears
• Transfers, positioning and turning (to include observation for pressure ulcers)

Mental Health and Social Service Needs as follows:

• Modifying aide’s behavior in response to resident’s behavior including depression
• Awareness of development tasks associated with the aging process
• How to respond to resident behavior including depression
• Allowing residents to make personal choices, providing and reinforcing other behavior consistent with the resident’s dignity
• Utilizing resident’s family as a source of emotional support
• Emotional and mental health needs of the residents
• Spiritual and cultural needs of the residents

Care of Cognitively Impaired Residents as follows:

• Techniques for addressing the unique needs and behaviors of individuals with dementia (Alzheimer’s and others)
• Communicating with cognitively impaired residents
• Understanding the behavior of cognitively impaired residents
• Appropriate responses to the behavior of cognitively impaired residents
• Methods of reducing the effects of cognitive impairments
• Spiritual and cultural health

Basic Restorative Services – The nurse aide should be able to demonstrate skills which incorporate principles of restorative nursing, including but not limited to:

• Training the resident in self-care according to the resident’s abilities
• Ambulation with/without a gait belt
• The use of assistive devices in transferring, ambulation, eating and dressing
• Maintenance of range of motion
• Proper turning and positioning in bed and chair
• Bowel and bladder training
• Care and use of prosthetic/orthotic devices and eyeglasses

Residents Rights – The nurse aide should be able to demonstrate behavior which maintains residents’ right, including but not limited to:

• Providing privacy and maintenance of confidentiality
• Promoting the residents’ right to make personal choices to accommodate their needs
• Giving assistance in resolving grievances and disputes (to include the role of the ombudsman)
• Providing needed assistance in getting to and participating in resident and family groupsand other activities
• Maintaining care and security of resident’s personal possessions
• Providing care which maintains the resident free from abuse, mistreatment and neglect and reporting any instances of such treatment to appropriate facility staff
• Avoiding the need for restraints in accordance with current professional standard

Reference: Federal Register/Vol.56, No. 187, Subpart D, Sec. 483.152, (b), (1-7). State of Georgia Nurse Aide Training Manual

You can request a replacement certification card by printing a Certification Card Request Form to mail to the registry via the Georgia Web portal (www.mmis.georgia.gov), click on the Nurse Aide Tab or calling the telephone Interactive Voice Response System at 678-527-3010 (local) or 800-414-1044.

Yes, if you are currently listed as active and in good standing on another state’s Nurse Aide Registry in accordance with the federal requirements and you wish to be certified in Georgia, you may obtain a Reciprocity Application via the Georgia Web portal or via request by calling the NAP.

Not all licensed facilities are required to conduct background checks as a condition of employment. Only personal care homes and nursing homes are required by law to conduct criminal background checks. A certified nurse aide may work for an employer that is not required by law to obtain a criminal background check.

All nursing homes have four (4) months from the date of hire to get an individual trained and tested through a State approved program. During the four-month grace period students cannot perform any duty that they have not been trained and checked off as proficient by the instructor. Aides employed by a nursing home must show competency by successful completion of a stateapproved competency test prior to any unsupervised client contact.

Certified nursing aides must renew their certification every two years. You can renew during this period by submitting a completed renewal application which verifies that you provide eight (8) hours of nursing related services for pay under the supervision of a nurse during the two-year span in which your certification was active.

If lapsed under three years without work verification, then you must retake and pass the State written/oral and skills competency examination to update your certification. If lapsed over three years, then you must complete another State approved nurse aide training program and pass the State written/oral and skills competency examination.

No, the state does not charge a renewal fee to remain a Certified Nurse Aide on the Registry.

Certification renewal forms are mailed out approximately sixty (60) days before your certification expires. If you have changed your address in the last 2 years and forgot to notify the Registry, you may not get your renewal application. Please contact the Registry with your new address at 678-527-3010 or 800-414-4358.

No nurse aide who is employed by, or who has received an offer of employment from, a facility on the date on which the aide begins a nurse aide training and competency evaluation program may be charged for any portion of the program (including any fees for textbooks or other required course materials).

If an individual who is not employed, or does not have an offer to be employed, as a nurse aide becomes employed by, or receives an offer of employment from, a facility not later than 12 months after completing a nurse aide training and competency evaluation program, the state must provide for the reimbursement of costs incurred in completing the program on a pro rata basis during the period in which the individual is employed as a nurse aide. Only Nursing Home Facilities are eligible for reimbursement. Private programs, high schools, technical colleges and individual students are not eligible for this reimbursement.

The Registry does not perform or maintain records of criminal background checks.

No

No, all candidates must complete a state approved nurse aide training program and then successfully pass the Written/oral and Skills State Competency Examination within one year of completing the program.

Only a Licensed Practical Nurse and Registered Nurse can teach Certified Nurse Aides. The registration form and schedule is located at www.mmis.georgia.gov, click on the Nurse Aide tab, and then click on Train-the-Trainer Application under the Nurse Aide Training Section.

No, PMC does not accept financial aid at this time. However, we do offer payment plans for our students and have partnerships with several organizations who can help with paying for your education.

The Military Spouse Career Advancement Accounts (MyCAA) program provides up to $4,000 (over 2 years) of Financial Assistance for military spouses who are continuing their education by pursuing a license, certification, or Associates degree in a portable career field and occupation.

Yes, PMC does offer weekend classes. Our weekend classes are Fridays and Sundays. Please refer to our calendar for scheduled classes and their hours.

We do not offer LPN classes at this time, but we do offer the Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) course, which is a requirement for some nursing schools because it offers the basic foundation to patient care.

You will have to fill out an online application for the class date you are interested in, provide your driver’s license/government ID, and social security card, along with the required deposit or payment of the tuition in full.

No, we do not offer refresher courses. However, with all the changes in healthcare, it might be beneficial for you to go through the CNA program again and get recertified.

No, PMC is an In-Facility testing site, which only allows us to only test the students we train.

Yes, we do accept WIOA funding.

We offer the Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), Electrocardiogram (EKG) Technician, Phlebotomy Technician, Patient Care (PCT) Technician (which includes EKG & Phlebotomy), Certified Medical Assistant (CMA), and Pharmacy Technician.

Currently, PMC does not offer medical billing and coding, but we do offer other courses such as the certified nursing assistant course to get you started in the medical field.

You must wear closed toed shoes at all times. Sneakers or nursing shoes are appropriate.

No, you have to purchase uniforms from the school.

PMC does have a scholarship for our PCT program. The scholarship is offered quarterly to two CNA students. It is offered as a half scholarship for one student and as a full scholarship for another student. Scholarship details are provided to everyone who registers for the CNA course.

No, we do not accept FAFSA. However, we have partnerships with companies who have grant programs such as Workforce Investment & Opportunity Act (WIOA), Partnership for Community Action (PCAction), and Ceek to Fulfill, to name a few.

Yes, the CNA is a requirement for the Patient Care Technician, EKG Technician, and Phlebotomy Technician courses. The information from the CNA course is typically incorporated in other programs, which accounts for the additional time in the programs. With the changes in healthcare and the need to be more marketable, PMC allows our students to maximize on the amount of certifications they receive. This provides more employment opportunities for our students.

Our CNA program provides students with the necessary foundational skills that will be utilized in our advanced programs. It gives students the introductory knowledge that will prepare them to begin our Patient Care Technician, Phlebotomy, EKG, or Medical Assistant programs.

PMC’s passing rate statewide and nationally is above 90%. (Verify stats for both State Exam and NHA Exams) Over 90% pass rate. ***

• The minimum age for a student is 16 years with parental consent.
• There is no maximum age for our students. Each student must meet the admission requirements and be able to perform the skills as outlined for the program they have registered.

Yes we do and we also accept benefit for spouses also!!!

The Military Spouse Career Advancement Accounts (MyCAA) program provides up to $4,000 (over 2 years) of Financial Assistance for military spouses who are continuing their education by pursuing a license, certification, or Associates degree in a portable career field and occupation.