Re: Is this correct?
I also live in New York City, and unless things have changed, it is true. The nursing homes are responsible for recertifying you. They pay the fee for you in order for you to continue working there. I became a CNA about 12-15 years ago, and right afterwards I began working for a nursing home. They recertified me after two years. Since then, I started working in a hospital and although I obtain more skills in phlebotomy and started working as a patient care associate (same as a technician), they did not recertify me and my certification lapsed. I called the school I attended and they told me that I had to re-take the exam. I decided not to bother, although I should have in order to continue working at nursing homes. Since then, I became an LPN, so, it is a mute issue.
Some people have told me that they started working for agencies that hired CNAs, and stated that the nursing homes they worked at the most recertified them. I never tried that route, but it is worth looking into.
I always thought that sucked big time. It limits the CNA that works in the hospital, because she has to work somewhere else for at least 7 hours in order for that place to pay for recertification. If LPNs and RNs are able to pay for our licenses OURSELVES after three years, there is no reason for a CNA to have to depend on scrambling from a hospital which offers more experience to a nursing home just to maintain a living. CNAs should also have the option to pay to be recertified without this testing. It is like the whole industry is making more money off of those that make less. How insulting!!! This really ****** me off. I know some CNAs start working at nursing homes per diem a few months before their certification is up just so that someone can re-issue their papers to them. Insane!!
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