STNA FAQ

STNA stands for State Tested Nurse Aide, which is a required certification for anyone who wants to work as a nursing assistant in Ohio. An STNA works alongside nurses, doctors, and other healthcare providers to serve patients through personal care. This includes bathing, feeding, dressing, monitoring vital signs, and other similar tasks. To become an STNA you must complete state-approved training classes and then pass the STNA exam. In most other states this license is called Certified Nursing Assistant, or CNA.

To become an STNA, you must first complete a state-approved STNA course and then demonstrate your skills on the certification exam. Our website provides a directory of STNA classes across Ohio as well as a full-length practice multiple choice examination.

STNA classes are designed to prepare you with the skillset and knowledge you need to find success in your career as an STNA. Many classes conform to students’ needs, including holding classes at night or during the weekend. State-approved courses include both a classroom component and a clinical training component to cover all content in multiple educational environments.

STNA classes are a minimum of 75 hours: 59 hours of classroom work and 16 hours of clinical training. Some programs may take as little as two weeks, but others hold classes in the evenings or on weekends to accommodate the needs of students and can take anywhere from four to eight weeks.

A Nursing Assistant’s main job is to provide personal care to patients. This may include bathing, feeding, dressing, skin and hair care, monitoring vital signs, providing emotional support, or assisting with movement or bathroom processes.

In a word, yes! STNA stands for State Tested Nurse Aide, while CNA stands for Certified Nurse Aide. STNA is just the term the state of Ohio uses for Nurse Aides instead of CNA, which is used across the rest of the United States.

You can find a directory of STNA classes on our website. Click on your city or a city near you and select a program you think is a great fit for your needs.

The exam consists of two parts: a 79-question written examination and a 5-part skills demonstration examination.

The written examination lasts 90 minutes and is comprised of multiple-choice questions covering the following topics:

-Basic nursing skills
-Roles and responsibilities
-Safety
-Resident rights
-Personal care
-Communication
-Data collection
-Mental health
-Caring for the impaired
-Older adult growth
-Infection control
-Disease process

The multiple-choice test may be presented digitally or on paper. Test takers may request an oral format when applying for the exam, but the oral test is slightly different; it includes reading comprehension questions to ensure all test takers have the necessary reading competence to perform their job. Candidates must pass this portion of the examination with an 80% or above.

The skills demonstration examination asks test-takers to perform five manual skill tasks out of a possible twenty-five. The five tasks drawn must be completed in 35 minutes. One of the five tasks will always be proper hand washing. To pass, test takers must score an 80% or above on each individual task.

The written examination costs $24 and the skills examination costs $76. Candidates that opt for an oral examination will pay $34 rather than $24.

Test results can be found online on the Headmaster website of D&S Diversified Technologies. Digital tests can typically be scored within 24 hours, while written tests may take a few days. Holidays and weekends will impact the posting of your results.

Candidates get three opportunities to pass the exam. If a test taker failed one part of the examination and passed another, they only need to retake the component they failed (i.e. the written or the skills demonstration exam).

Those who failed the skills examination will have to perform at least one task that was failed during their last attempt.

Anyone who completes a state-approved STNA training program can take the examination. Further, CNAs from other states can fill out a Request for Reciprocity and submit it to the Ohio Department of Health to become an STNA (as long as they have completed federally compliant training and testing and are in good standing with their state). In certain instances, individuals with professional or educational experience—such as nursing students, foreign-trained nurses and aides, hospital aides or military medical personnel—may be eligible to take the competency exam without attending an STNA-specific training program.

All important forms, including application forms, can be downloaded from the Headmaster website. Be sure to submit any supplementary documentation necessary for your specific application; this may include training certificates, transcripts, letters on company letterhead, and others.

Candidates should arrive at the testing location wearing clinical attire and have their social security cards and state-issued IDs on hand.

NOTE: Testing procedures have changed due to the COVID-19 crisis. Be sure to research how your local testing center is handling the pandemic and how those changes impact your test-taking experience.

Aside from paying close attention and working diligently in your STNA coursework, it’s a good idea to dedicate time to studying the exam material. You can find a list of study guide books and practice your skills in a practice exam all on our website.

To pass the skills test, you needs to score at least an 80% on each skill and not miss any of the “key steps” in the skill. The best way to prepare for both parts of the exam is to work hard in your STNA course and study hard before you take the exam. During the skills test, it is important to not only demonstrate your professional skills, but also your communication skills; STNAs should have a positive attitude and demonstrate that kindness and care are important parts of providing comfort to a patient. It is important to study all twenty-five possible skills for this portion of the exam so that you are prepared for any tasks the evaluator may draw.

In most cases, the path to becoming an STNA consists of completing a state-approved STNA course and then taking the STNA exam. Training courses have a minimum of 59 hours of classroom work and 16 hours of clinical training, for a total of 75 hours in the course. Programs can be completed in anywhere from two weeks to eight weeks. After taking and passing the STNA exam, you are officially a State Tested Nursing Assistant!

An STNA can typically find work at any medical facility, as they all want and need to provide the best care for patients. Clinics, doctor’s offices, hospitals, urgent care facilities, assisted living centers, nursing homes, hospice care facilities, and in-home health care companies may all hire STNAs.

Yes! Hospitals often have a high demand for STNAs.

The average salary of STNAs in 2019 was $28,690, or $13.61 an hour. you can find more extensive salary information on our "STNA salary" page.

An STNA license does not expire as long as you continue working. STNA recertification is only necessary if you have gone two years without any active work.

You must complete a training course and pass the STNA examination again to have an active certification status after not working as an STNA for a period of two years or more.