Wisconsin Nurse Aide Registry and
Competency Testing Services Update
PDF Version of BQA 03-004 (PDF,
27 KB)
Date: March 12, 2003 -- BQA Memo 03-004
FROM: Susan Larsen, Interim Chief, Caregiver Regulation &
Investigation Section
cc: Susan Schroeder, Director, Bureau of Quality Assurance
The Department of Health and Family Services, Bureau of Quality
Assurance (BQA) is responsible for the approval and oversight of nurse
aide training and testing in Wisconsin. Federal and state regulations
require nurse aide training to include, at a minimum, at least 75 hours of
training, of which at least 16 hours must be supervised practical
training. The nurse aide competency evaluation must include two
components: 1) a written or oral test and 2) a skill demonstration of
randomly selected items drawn from a pool of tasks generally performed by
nurse aides. Nurse aide students must successfully pass both components of
the evaluation in order to be determined competent.
BQA is also responsible for the maintenance of the Wisconsin Nurse Aide
Registry. The Registry is the list of nurse aides who, after completing an
approved training program and successfully passing an approved competency
evaluation test, meet federal and state requirements to work in Wisconsin
health care facilities. Federal regulations require all states to keep
such a Registry.
This memo is the latest in the series issued by BQA to provide an
update on the Wisconsin Nurse Aide Registry and competency testing
services through Promissor and contains important information on the
following topics:
- Wisconsin Nurse Aide Registry Customer Service
- Internet-Based Nurse Aide Registry
- Interactive Voice Response (IVR)
- State-Administered Competency Testing
Wisconsin Nurse Aide Registry Customer Service
The Wisconsin Nurse Aide Registry is available for customer service
at 877-329-8760. Promissor is responding to all Wisconsin Nurse Aide
Registry callers and processing all Nurse Aide Registry forms. Promissor
has generated and mailed over 7,300 Renewal notices for Wisconsin nurse
aides whose Registry listing status would be more than two years old
between October 1, 2002 through March 31, 2003.
Federal regulations require a nurse aide to work at least eight hours
in a 24-month period, in a paid position providing hands-on care under the
supervision of an RN or LPN, to maintain eligibility to work in a
federally certified nursing home, intermediate care facility for persons
with mental retardation, home health agency or hospice. Nurse aides
working in one of these federally certified facilities should complete the
Renewal form and have it signed by their employer, to verify the aides’
most recent employment. To update the aide’s Registry status, send the
form to Promissor, PO Box 13785, Philadelphia, PA 19101-3785. The nurse
aide will receive a new Wisconsin Nurse Aide Registry certificate and
wallet card when the form is processed, indicating the new 24-month
eligibility period.
Nurse aides and/or health care employers are encouraged to keep a copy
of their completed Renewal form and to send the form to Promissor via
certified mail. The federally certified providers noted above may
employ nurse aides if they verify the aides have met the paid, supervised
work eligibility requirement, pending the Registry’s update of the aides’
status.
BQA has received an increase in the number of calls from nurse aides
who state their previous employers have refused to sign the Renewal form.
The Renewal form is only to verify that a nurse aide worked the required
hours under the supervision of an RN or LPN, not to guarantee the quality
of the person’s work. Accordingly, employers should not be reluctant to
provide renewal documentation for any nurse aide, including those who have
been terminated.
Attached, please find the Wisconsin Nurse Aide
Registry Information form (PDF, 12 KB), intended for nurse aides currently listed
on the Registry. Please provide this handout to nurse aides employed at
your facility to relay important information about maintaining their
Wisconsin Nurse Aide Registry status. It is recommended this form be
provided to nurse aides upon initial hire and at the time of their annual
in-service.
Nurse aides or health care providers who employ nurse aides should call
the Wisconsin Nurse Aide Registry, toll-free (877) 329-8760 or check the
website at www.promissor.com (exit
DHFS) for
information regarding:
- Nurse Aide Registry status
- Reporting a nurse aide’s current address
- Nurse Aide Registry renewal process
- Nurse Aide Registry forms
Internet-Based Nurse Aide Registry
The Internet-based Wisconsin Nurse Aide Registry is available for
access via Promissor’s web address at www.promissor.com
(exit DHFS). For access, click on "Registry Services," scroll to
"Wisconsin Nurse Aides," and select "Search the Nurse Aide
Registry." A search can be conducted by the aide’s last name,
Social Security Number or Registration Number. Click on the nurse aide’s
Registration Number and the result can be printed for documentation
purposes. The Internet-based Registry is available 24 hours per day, seven
days per week.
The Internet text displays the aide’s name, date of birth, date of
inclusion, expiration date to verify eligibility for employment at
federally certified facilities, the basis for inclusion on the Registry
and whether a substantiated finding has been entered on the Caregiver
Misconduct Registry. BQA has recently approved the updated text to display
the aide’s eligibility to work in specific facility types, as well as
medication aide information. Promissor's web-based Nurse Aide Registry has
received approximately 61,000 "hits," confirming parties are
querying individual nurse aide records.
The following information and forms are also available at www.promissor.com
(exit DHFS):
Interactive Voice Response (IVR)
The Wisconsin Nurse Aide Registry Interactive Voice Response (IVR)
is available at 877-224-0235. The IVR may also be accessed 24 hours
per day, seven days per week. A search can be conducted by the aide’s
Social Security Number or Registration Number. The current IVR script
provides the aide’s name, date of birth, date of inclusion, expiration
date to verify eligibility for employment at federally certified
facilities, the basis for inclusion on the Registry and whether a
substantiated finding has been entered on the Caregiver Misconduct
Registry. BQA has finalized the updated script to include the aide’s
eligibility to work in specific facility types, as well as medication aide
information. Promissor's IVR has received approximately 6,100 calls to
date.
Nurse Aide Competency Testing
If you are a nurse aide, training program, or health care provider who
employs nurse aides, please call the Wisconsin Nurse Aide Testing
Services (WNATS) toll-free at (877) 290-3499 about:
- Nurse aide testing process
- Scheduling an examination (newly trained nurse aide candidates,
nurse aides on the Registry who have not worked for a health care
provider in the past 24 months, nurse aides on another state’s
Registry who have not worked in the past 24 months, etc.)
- Applying to be a nurse aide evaluator
- Applying to be a regional or in-facility test site
Approximately 100 nurse aide evaluators located throughout Wisconsin
[number updated as of 3/17/03] have been approved to administer Promissor's standardized National Nurse
Aide Assessment ProgramTM Examination. Approved evaluators have
completed orientation for meeting neutral, objective and secure testing
standards.
14 regional test sites are established throughout the state [number
as of 3/17/03].
Regional test site locations and schedules can be found at www.promissor.com
(exit DHFS).
WNATS schedules a candidate for testing at the regional site closest to
the candidate’s home address. If the candidate wishes to test at a site
in another location, that information should be included on the
application.
Approximately 65 in-facility test sites have also been approved [number
updated as of 3/17/03]. An
in-facility test site is generally a facility that sponsors a nurse aide
training program and has been approved for competency test administration.
WNATS contacts the training program after receiving applications from the
facility for candidates who have completed training to arrange a mutually
acceptable date and time for testing.
As provided in section HFS 129.08(2)(b)2, Wis. Admin. Code, the written
or oral test is provided in English, unless the candidate is or will be
employed in a provider setting in which the predominant language is other
than English. The test may then be offered in that predominant language
used in the facility. Candidates who wish the test to be administered
orally, in another language, or who require a special accommodation must
identify those needs when applying. These requests may require more time
for scheduling.
Promissor currently administers nurse aide competency tests in 24
states. Wisconsin nurse aide candidates have passed the competency
tests administered by Promissor at a higher rate than nurse aide
candidates in most other states during the similar start-up period.
Between November 23, 2002 and February 28, 2003, 716 nurse aide
candidates have completed the standardized National Nurse Aide Assessment
ProgramTM Examination. The average pass/fail statistics for
this period indicate 98 percent of the candidates successfully passed the
written exam, 93 percent passed the oral exam and 78 percent passed the
skills exam. The skill exam pass rate has steadily increased from 69
percent in November 2002 to 80 percent in February 2003.
The nurse aide evaluator may not cue, prompt or answer questions once
the evaluation has begun. Candidates are allowed one opportunity during
each skill to self-correct a mistake during the demonstration. Most
candidates who do not successfully pass the skills evaluation are
verbalizing the skill instead of actually performing the skill, or they
are failing to perform the skill as described in the Nurse Aide Candidate
Handbook. The skills with the highest failure rate include:
- Perineal care
- Taking and recording pulse and respiration
- Range of Motion
For more information about nurse aide training, testing and the
Registry, including the recently posted "Nurse
Aide Testing and Registry Frequently Asked Questions," please see
the Department’s web site at www.dhfs.state.wi.us/caregiver/index.htm.
Other Questions or Comments
Please contact the Caregiver Regulation and Investigation Section (CRIS),
if you have questions about:
- Federal or state nurse aide requirements
- Caregiver misconduct reporting requirements
- Substantiated findings on the Caregiver Misconduct Registry
- Caregiver background checks
CRIS recently moved to a new location. Please note the following
address change:
Caregiver Regulation and Investigation Section
Bureau of Quality Assurance
2917 International Lane, Suite 300
Madison, WI 53704
Telephone: (608) 243-2019
e-mail: Caregiver_Intake@dhfs.state.wi.us
FAX: (608) 243-2020
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