HI CNA cert. lapsed, moved to CA

[Bebi]

Hi everyone,

I tried to search if something similar has been asked before, but I haven't found anything.

I was certified few years ago as CNA in Hawaii. I became pregnant shortly after and my family PCSed (husband military). I never got to work in the field but really would love to get into it now. I now live in CA and was wonder if anyone knew if I could re-certify here or if I would have to start the process all over again.

[murphybrown]

Hi everyone,

I tried to search if something similar has been asked before, but I haven't found anything.

I was certified few years ago as CNA in Hawaii. I became pregnant shortly after and my family PCSed (husband military). I never got to work in the field but really would love to get into it now. I now live in CA and was wonder if anyone knew if I could re-certify here or if I would have to start the process all over again.

In California, you will need to enroll in a CNA program again. There is a small window of time if your certificate lapsed to recertify, but you have no valid CNA certificate and recertification does not apply. There are other reasons a recertification would not suffice, such as the CEU requirements and the need to have worked at least 1 day being supervised by licensed nurse or physician.

Regardless, a skill refresher would be highly recommended since you "never got to work in the field" -- there are just things that become second nature to a CNA that is actually working vs. one that has not yet worked in a hospital or other facility.

I wish you well in your endeavor to get certified again and hope you find a good place to work once you are a CNA. Besides, if you ever decide to go to LVN or RN school -- many colleges are now requiring applicants to be CNAs, so once you get that certification -- make sure to keep it active.

--best wishes