1.2 Approved Training, Eligibility, and Application Pathways

The 90-Hour Approved Course

The standard route to the Kansas state test is completing a KDADS-approved 90-hour nurse aide course, sometimes called a NATCEP (Nurse Aide Training and Competency Evaluation Program). The 90 clock hours break down into roughly 45 hours of instructional learning and 45 hours of hands-on lab and clinical time, organized into two parts:

A core rule is that at least half of the program must be supervised lab or clinical training in a licensed facility or an approved school lab — Kansas will not let a program be all lecture. The clinical hours in Part II must take place in a licensed adult care home so trainees practice on real residents under supervision.

The Part I Task Checklist and RN Sign-Off

Kansas builds a structured skills gate into Part I. Before a trainee moves on, an instructor must evaluate 20 specific nurse aide skills using the Part I – NATCEP Task Checklist, and a registered nurse (RN) must sign that checklist to confirm the trainee performed each task safely.

This checklist matters for two reasons:

1. It unlocks Trainee II employment. Once Part I and the checklist are complete, a trainee may work as a Nurse Aide Trainee II for up to four months while finishing the rest of the program and testing.
2. It mirrors the state test. The same kinds of tasks an RN signs off in Part I — handwashing, transfers, vital signs, perineal care — are the tasks the skills evaluator may assign on the official exam. Treating the checklist seriously is direct test prep.

Who is eligible to enroll

Kansas-approved programs generally require students to be physically able to perform care tasks and to meet program health and background-screening rules. A criminal-history check is part of being placed on the registry, because certain abuse, neglect, or misappropriation findings bar certification. Programs also commonly verify immunizations and a negative tuberculosis screen before clinical placement, since trainees work directly with vulnerable residents.

There is no universal minimum-age statute for the certificate itself, but individual facilities and programs frequently set their own age and health prerequisites, so confirm requirements with your chosen provider rather than assuming a single statewide rule applies.

Alternate Application Pathways

Not everyone reaches the test through a fresh 90-hour course. KDADS recognizes several alternate pathways, each with its own application form:

• Out-of-state aides (reciprocity/interstate): An aide certified and in good standing in another U.S. state, territory, or the District of Columbia may submit the Interstate Application with supporting documentation and the fee, then test in Kansas.
• Nursing and health-program students: Some students who have completed equivalent coursework (for example, a portion of an RN or LPN program) may challenge the exam without repeating the full course, subject to KDADS review.
• Reactivation candidates: Aides whose Kansas certification lapsed may re-establish active status via a refresher course or an RN-completed task checklist rather than the entire program.

Attempt counts differ by pathway. Course graduates ordinarily get three attempts within 12 months of the course start date. Alternate-pathway and challenge candidates typically receive only one attempt, so they must be fully prepared before they schedule. Always confirm your exact attempt allowance on your KDADS authorization rather than assuming you have three tries.

From Enrollment to Authorization: The Step-by-Step Path

It helps to see the standard pathway as an ordered sequence, because each step gates the next:

1. Enroll in a KDADS-approved 90-hour program at a community college, technical school, or employer-sponsored site.
2. Complete Part I (40 hours) and have the RN sign the 20-skill task checklist — this also unlocks Trainee II employment.
3. Complete Part II (50 hours), including the 25 clinical hours in a licensed adult care home.
4. Receive authorization to sit the state test, which fixes your 12-month testing window from the course start date.
5. Pass the written and skills components (75% each).
6. Be added to the Kansas Nurse Aide Registry in active status.

Missing or delaying any step ripples forward. For instance, a trainee who lets Part II drag on can burn through Trainee II's four-month employment clock and a chunk of the 12-month testing window before ever scheduling the test.

Background screening and disqualifying findings

Kansas conducts a criminal-history and abuse-registry check as part of placing an aide on the registry. Certain convictions and any substantiated finding of abuse, neglect, or misappropriation of property can bar certification. Programs typically screen applicants up front so a student does not invest in 90 hours of training only to be blocked at the registry stage. If you have any history that might disqualify you, raise it with KDADS or your program before enrolling — it is far better to resolve eligibility questions early than after you have paid for and completed the course.