1.2 Illinois Training Program Requirements (BNATP)

The BNATP Gateway

Before you can register for the INACE you must complete an IDPH-approved Basic Nurse Assistant Training Program (BNATP). Illinois rules are set in Illinois Administrative Code Title 77, Part 395 (Long-Term Care Assistants and Aides Training Programs) and they exceed the federal OBRA (Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987) floor of 75 hours.

Required Hours

The widely quoted '60 classroom + 20 lab + 40 clinical' shorthand is an approximation; the Administrative Code states 80 classroom + 40 clinical, with the classroom block itself split into 62 theory and 18 lab.

These hour minimums are floors, not ceilings - a community-college BNATP that runs over a full semester may log well above 120 hours, but it can never dip below the 120-hour total or shortchange the 40 supervised clinical hours. Clinical time must be supervised by a qualified instructor at an approved facility, not unstructured shadowing, and it cannot begin until the pre-contact instruction is complete.

Timeline Rules

Illinois constrains how fast and how slowly a BNATP can run:

• Minimum span: the program content must be delivered over at least four weeks - it cannot be crammed into a single week.
• Maximum span: it cannot exceed 120 days, unless run by a community college or other institution on a term, semester, or trimester calendar.
• Pre-contact rule: the first 16 hours of basic instruction (communication, infection control, safety, residents' rights, body mechanics) must be finished before a student touches a resident in clinical.
• Post-training exam window: you have 12 months from your program completion date to pass the INACE.
• Attempts: you may take and fail the exam three times before you are required to retrain; all three attempts must fall inside the 12-month window.

Worked Example

Devon completes a 120-hour BNATP that ends April 1. His 12-month window runs to the following April 1. He fails the skills portion twice (attempts 1 and 2) and passes on attempt 3 in November - inside both the window and the three-attempt limit, so no retraining is needed. Had he failed a third time, he would have had to complete a new BNATP before testing again.

Common Traps

• Assuming the federal 75-hour number applies - Illinois is 120.
• Believing clinical hours can start on day one - 16 hours of instruction come first.
• Forgetting the 12-hour dementia requirement, which is heavily reflected in DA5 questions.
• Thinking the 12-month window starts on the exam date - it starts on the program completion date, so a slow first registration eats into your retake time.

Eligibility Basics

Beyond finishing a BNATP, candidates must generally be at least 16 years old, be able to read and write English at a functional level (or use the oral-exam accommodation), and clear the Health Care Worker Background Check. A disqualifying criminal conviction can bar registry placement even after a passing score, so resolve background-check questions with IDPH before investing in training and testing.

What the Curriculum Covers

A compliant BNATP teaches every content area mandated by OBRA and Part 395:

The 21 Mandated Performance Skills

Every BNATP must teach and check off all 21 skills - the same pool the INACE draws from:

1. Handwashing
2. Indirect care (preparing the environment, call light, privacy)
3. Positioning in bed (turning, side-lying)
4. Transfer (bed to wheelchair with gait belt)
5. Ambulation with assistive device and gait belt
6. Passive range of motion
7. Feeding and hydration assistance
8. Oral temperature measurement
9. Blood pressure measurement
10. Radial pulse and respirations
11. Height and weight measurement
12. Intake and output measurement
13. Bed bath or partial bath
14. Perineal care (female)
15. Mouth care (conscious resident)
16. Mouth care (unconscious resident)
17. Denture care
18. Dressing and undressing
19. Hair care
20. Fingernail care
21. Catheter care / emptying a drainage bag

Approved Program Pathways

To confirm a program is approved, check the IDPH site (dph.illinois.gov) or the Health Care Worker Registry, and never enroll in a program that cannot show its IDPH approval number.