1.2 WSBN Training Requirements, 75-Hour Minimum, and Testing Eligibility
Key Takeaways
- The Wyoming Department of Health, Healthcare Licensing and Surveys, approves Wyoming nurse aide training and competency evaluation programs (NATCEPs); the Wyoming State Board of Nursing issues the CNA certificate.
- The governing curriculum standard is the federal rule at 42 CFR 483.152: no less than 75 clock hours of training, at least 16 hours of supervised practical training, and at least 16 hours of specified instruction before any direct resident contact.
- Wyoming does not publish a fixed classroom-versus-clinical hour split; each program states its own course length, classroom hours, and supervised practical hours on the Department of Health application (HLS/CNA-101).
- WSBN Chapter 2 requires completion of a state-approved training and competency evaluation program, an application and fees, CBC fingerprint cards and fees, and a passing result on the NATCEP or similar national exam.
- A candidate may sit for the exam no more than five (5) times within the two (2) year period following graduation; after that, or after two years elapse, a new approved training program is required.
WSBN Training Requirements, the 75-Hour Federal Minimum, and Testing Eligibility
Becoming a Certified Nursing Assistant in Wyoming involves two different state agencies, and candidates routinely confuse them:
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| WYOMING DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH |
| Healthcare Licensing and Surveys (HLS), Aging Division |
| - Approves nurse aide training and competency evaluation programs |
| (NATCEPs) using application form HLS/CNA-101 |
| - Maintains the CNA registry list of aides working in certified |
| nursing homes and swing beds |
| - "Headmaster is the only approved facilitator in Wyoming" for the |
| competency evaluation program |
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|
v
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| WYOMING STATE BOARD OF NURSING (WSBN) |
| - Sets certification requirements in Chapter 2 of the Board Rules |
| - Issues and renews the CNA certificate |
| - Defines the CNA role and scope through Chapter 3 and its |
| Advisory Opinions |
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The Wyoming State Board of Nursing's own education page states plainly that the Wyoming Department of Health oversees CNA education programs. WSBN's Chapter 2 rules do not prescribe a curriculum hour breakdown; they prescribe what an applicant must submit to be certified.
The 75-Hour Standard Comes from Federal Law
The curriculum standard Wyoming applies is the federal nurse aide training rule at 42 CFR 483.152, which the Department of Health links to directly from its CNA page. A NATCEP must, at a minimum:
| Federal requirement (42 CFR 483.152) | Value |
|---|---|
| Total training | No less than 75 clock hours |
| Supervised practical training | At least 16 hours |
| Instruction before any direct resident contact | At least 16 hours in five named subjects |
Federal NATCEP Minimum Structure (42 CFR 483.152)
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| TOTAL PROGRAM: >= 75 CLOCK HOURS |
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| >= 16 hours BEFORE any direct resident contact, covering: |
| - Communication and interpersonal skills |
| - Infection control |
| - Safety / emergency procedures, including the Heimlich maneuver |
| - Promoting residents' independence |
| - Respecting residents' rights |
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| >= 16 hours of SUPERVISED PRACTICAL TRAINING |
| (laboratory or other setting; trainee performs tasks on an |
| individual under the direct supervision of an RN or LPN) |
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| Remaining hours distributed across the required curriculum subjects |
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[!IMPORTANT] There is no published Wyoming rule splitting the 75 hours into a fixed number of classroom hours and a fixed number of clinical hours. The Department of Health's training program application (HLS/CNA-101) asks each program to report its own "length of the course in hours," "number of hours of classroom instruction," and "number of hours of supervised practical training." Programs routinely exceed the federal floor. Ask your specific program for its numbers rather than assuming a statewide split.
Required Curriculum Subjects
Federal law fixes the content areas a Wyoming NATCEP must teach, and they map almost one-to-one onto the chapters of this guide:
- Basic nursing skills — taking and recording vital signs; measuring and recording height and weight; caring for the resident's environment; recognizing and reporting abnormal changes in body functioning; caring for residents when death is imminent.
- Personal care skills — bathing; grooming, including mouth care; dressing; toileting; assisting with eating and hydration; proper feeding techniques; skin care; transfers, positioning and turning.
- Mental health and social service needs — modifying the aide's behavior in response to resident behavior; developmental tasks of aging; responding to resident behavior; supporting personal choice and dignity; using the resident's family as a source of emotional support.
- Care of cognitively impaired residents — techniques for dementia (Alzheimer's and others); communicating with and understanding the behavior of cognitively impaired residents; reducing the effects of cognitive impairment.
- Basic restorative services — self-care training; assistive devices for transferring, ambulation, eating and dressing; maintenance of range of motion; proper turning and positioning; bowel and bladder training; care and use of prosthetic and orthotic devices.
- Residents' rights — privacy and confidentiality; personal choice; grievance resolution; participation in resident and family groups; security of personal possessions; freedom from abuse, mistreatment and neglect with a duty to report; avoiding restraints.
Instructor Qualifications
Both the federal rule and the Wyoming Department of Health application require that training be performed by, or under the general supervision of, a registered nurse who has:
- A minimum of two (2) years of nursing experience, at least one (1) year of which is in the provision of long-term care facility services; and
- Completion of a course in teaching adults, or experience in teaching adults or supervising nurse aides.
Supplemental instructors from other health professions (LPNs, pharmacists, dietitians, social workers, fire safety experts, therapists, resident-rights experts and others) must have at least one year of experience in their field. In a facility-based program the director of nursing may provide general supervision but is prohibited from performing the actual training.
The Cost-Protection Rule
Federal law prohibits charging a nurse aide who is employed by — or who has an offer of employment from — a facility on the date the aide begins the program for any portion of that program, including textbooks and required course materials. If an unemployed student is hired within 12 months of completing a program, the state must provide pro-rata reimbursement of program costs during their employment. The Department of Health application asks every Wyoming program to explain how it complies with this prohibition.
The 120-Day Employment Window
Federal and state regulations allow healthcare facilities to employ students for up to 120 days from the day employment and training are offered in an approved facility-based nurse aide training and competency evaluation program. This is the window in which a new hire can work while completing training and testing.
[!CAUTION] If you fail five (5) attempts on either the knowledge or the skill test, the facility is no longer allowed to employ you to perform nurse aide duties, regardless of how much of the 120 days remains.
WSBN Certification Requirements (Chapter 2)
Certification by Examination
Under Chapter 2 of the WSBN Rules, an applicant for CNA certification by examination shall:
- Successfully complete a state-approved CNA training and competency evaluation program.
- Submit a completed application and fees.
- Submit CBC (criminal background check) fingerprint cards and fees.
- Successfully pass the NATCEP or similar national exam. The Board notifies the applicant of official test results.
Certification by Endorsement
An aide certified in another jurisdiction applies by endorsement rather than retesting. Chapter 2 requires the applicant to submit:
- Evidence of successful completion of a state-approved CNA training and competency evaluation program;
- Verification of an active certificate from another jurisdiction;
- A completed application and fees;
- CBC fingerprint cards and fees;
- Verification of initial certification by examination; and
- Evidence of meeting the continuing-competency standard in Chapter 2, Section 14.
An applicant who cannot provide satisfactory verification of education, training, or competency must instead meet the requirements for certification by examination.
The "Five Attempts in Two Years" Rule
This is the single most commonly misstated rule about Wyoming CNA testing. Both WSBN Chapter 2 and the D&SDT-Headmaster candidate handbook state it the same way:
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| WYOMING TESTING ELIGIBILITY AND ATTEMPT LIMITS |
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| Maximum attempts | FIVE (5) attempts on the knowledge and |
| | skill test portions |
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| Eligibility window | Within the TWO (2) YEAR period |
| | following graduation |
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| Component scope | Pass one component and fail the other |
| | and you repay and retake only the |
| | failed component |
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| After 5 failures on either | Complete a NEW WSBN-approved training |
| component, or after 2 years | program to become eligible to test |
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| Employment consequence | After 5 failures on either component, |
| | a facility may no longer employ you to |
| | perform nurse aide duties |
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Note that the attempt count and the two-year clock both run from your graduation date, not from your first test date. A candidate who graduates in March and does not test until the following spring has spent half the window without gaining an attempt.
Criminal Background Screening
Every applicant for placement on the Wyoming Nurse Aide Registry must submit CBC fingerprint cards and fees with their application. Wyoming defines its criminal background check through the state agency responsible for retaining criminal records — the Division of Criminal Investigation — working with the federal repository. A substantiated finding of abuse, neglect, misappropriation of resident property, or exploitation recorded against a nurse aide at a WSBN-regulated facility is entered on the registry, and aides with misconduct restrictions on the registry are not eligible for renewal.
Test-Day Identification and Attire
Candidates who violate identification or dress rules are turned away, recorded as no-shows, and forfeit all fees paid. The published requirements are narrower and more specific than most candidates expect.
Identification: One ID, Exactly Matched
[!IMPORTANT] Wyoming requires one United States government-issued, signed, non-expired, photo-bearing form of identification. Photocopies and electronic or digital identification are not accepted. There is no requirement to bring a Social Security card or a second form of ID.
Acceptable forms include:
- A state or other U.S. government-issued driver's license (non-expired, from any state). The original DMV letter with photo, expiration date and signature issued while you wait for a new license is also accepted.
- A state-issued identification card (non-expired, from any state).
- A signed U.S. passport. Foreign passports and passport cards are not accepted, except that a signed foreign passport with a U.S. visa attached is acceptable.
- A Permanent Resident Card (Green Card) or Employment Authorization Card issued by USCIS.
- A Tribal identification card issued by a federally recognized Tribal Nation, signed, with a photo and an unexpired date.
- A U.S. military identification card.
The first and last names on the ID must exactly match the first and last names in your TMU© account. If they do not, call D&SDT-Headmaster before test day rather than arriving and being turned away.
Attire
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Scrubs | You must be in full clinical attire. Scrubs and shoes may be any color or design. |
| Footwear | No open-toed shoes. |
| Watch | You may bring a standard watch with a second hand — genuinely useful for the pulse and respiration task. |
| Prohibited | Smartwatches, Bluetooth-connected devices, and fitness monitors. |
You will not be admitted for testing if you are not wearing scrubs and appropriate shoes, and you will be considered a no-show.
Beyond these published testing rules, ordinary clinical practice standards still apply on the floor and are worth carrying into the exam room: hair secured back, short natural nails without artificial enhancements (a documented pathogen reservoir), and minimal jewelry.
Which statement accurately describes the minimum training requirement that applies to a Wyoming nurse aide training and competency evaluation program (NATCEP)?
A Wyoming candidate graduates from an approved CNA program, passes the skill test on the first try, but fails the knowledge exam. What do WSBN Chapter 2 and the candidate handbook allow?
Which candidate will be turned away at check-in for a Wyoming skill test, recorded as a no-show, and forfeit their testing fees?