1.2 Eligibility, Application, and Scheduling
Key Takeaways
Confirm eligibility and the 24-month testing window before paying for the STNA exam.
Bring the required original government photo ID and original Social Security card; first and last names must match the registered names under the current handbook.
Three entry routes exist: the standard 75-hour NATCEP, exam challenge, and out-of-state reciprocity/endorsement.
Active registry status requires at least 7.5 consecutive hours (or 8 hours within 48 hours) of paid nursing-related work every 24 months.
Eligibility, application and scheduling
For the ordinary training route, complete an ODH-approved program with 75 total hours: the first 16 classroom hours, then 59 hours including 16–25 hours of supervised clinical experience. Ohio's current handbook gives three attempts per component within the 24-month training window. Record the actual training date, each attempt and each component result before selecting appointments through Ohio TMU.
Ask the program to confirm that eligibility and completion are recorded. Use the exact name on your accepted identification, choose the required knowledge and skills appointments, pay the applicable fees, and save the confirmation. Check the current handbook for identification, clothing, accommodation and scheduling instructions.
Other routes require their own approval
Nursing-education and out-of-state routes are governed by the applicable Ohio eligibility or registry-transfer requirements. Do not assume that another state's credential automatically places you on the Ohio registry. Request the required verification or approval from ODH and the test vendor before paying or starting work based on that credential.
Background screening and employment
The ODH May 2025 nurse aide FAQ distinguishes enrollment/testing from employment: a criminal background check is not required to enroll in a NATCEP or take the examination. Employment screening and applicable disqualifying-offense rules are separate. Do not label an employment background-check requirement as an exam prerequisite.
Maintaining registry status
Ohio's paid-work rule is at least 7.5 consecutive hours, or 8 hours within a 48-hour period, of qualifying paid nursing-related services during the applicable 24-month period. Keep evidence of the work and follow the registry's documentation process. Missing documentation is different from actually performing no qualifying work.
Rule 3701-17-07.3 permits verification of qualifying work where it was actually performed, or the applicable additional training and competency evaluation route under rule 3701-17-07.1. ODH's FAQ says that an aide with no qualifying paid work must retrain and retest; do not describe that situation as automatically resolved by a retest alone. Federal in-service training of at least 12 hours annually for employed nurse aides is separate from registry work verification.
Check the current Ohio Headmaster instructions, ODH nurse aide FAQ, and rule 3701-17-07.3. Preserve training, employment and registry records so the correct route can be confirmed for your circumstances.
A nurse aide works regularly in an Ohio long-term care facility. To meet the federal in-service education requirement, the facility must ensure the aide receives at least how many hours of in-service education?
12 hours every year
8 hours every 2 years
24 hours every year
No in-service education is required once certified
A nurse aide certified in another state and listed there in good standing wants to work in Ohio. The most appropriate route is to:
Repeat an entire Ohio 75-hour NATCEP and re-test on both parts
Challenge the Ohio knowledge test but skip any registry verification
Begin working immediately because nurse-aide credentials are automatically valid nationwide
Request a registry-to-registry transfer (reciprocity/endorsement) onto the Ohio Nurse Aide Registry
Sections you finish are checked off in the contents.