Nurse Aide Training Program

3/1/2023 – Michigan Nurse Aide Training Program Curriculum

The Bureau of Community and Health Systems is pleased to announce updates to the Michigan Nurse Aide Training Program Curriculum Model. It is now the Michigan Competency-Driven Core Curriculum for Nurse Aides Michigan Competency-Driven Core Curriculum for Nurse Aides (PDF). All programs that currently have an active permit as a nurse aide training program as well as all new programs will be required to follow this updated curriculum beginning on March 1, 2023.

We have also developed a guideline for all training programs Nurse Aide Training Program Overview and Requirements (PDF). The overview and requirements document provides a general overview of state and federal requirements for a nurse aide training program (NATP). This document is for informational purposes only and does not replace or supersede the requirements set for in the Code of Federal Regulations, the Michigan Public Health Code, specifically Article 17, Part 219, or state Administrative Rules.

Each program and trainer are responsible for following the updated Curriculum. How each program achieves the 75-hour minimum requirements listed in the Michigan Competency-Driven Core Curriculum is the responsibility of the program. Each program should develop a document that covers how they plan to meet the total hours required along with the core competencies listed in the Michigan Competency-Driven Core Curriculum.

Thank you for your efforts in training nurse aides in Michigan.

A Nurse Aide Training Program (NATP) must be approved and issued a permit by LARA. To become a NATP, an applicant must:

• Review and follow the Nurse Aide Training Program Overview and Requirements (PDF). 
• Comply with State of Michigan Nurse Aide Training Curriculum Model (PDF).
• Create a MILogin account at MILogin - Login (michigan.gov)
  • Click here for an instructional video on how to create a MILogin account:  How To Create a MILogin Account.
• Request access to MI-NATES:  Michigan Nurse Aide, Training, and Enforcement System, and set up your user profile. 
• Submit a new application and pay an initial permit fee $300 or $100 if the NATP is a secondary education institution (a program that provides education only to students enrolled in 7th through 12th grade) or a nursing home.  LARA is not allowed to issue refunds once an application is submitted.
• We no longer accept paper applications or correspondence for nurse aide training programs or nurse aide trainers.

Click here for a helpful guide to walk you through the account setup instructions:  MILogin/MI-NATES Account Setup Guide.

Click here to view the MI-NATES User Guide for Nurse Aide Training Programs.

NATP is regulated under the Michigan Public Health Code, Part 219, and the Code of Federal Regulations 483.151 and 483.152.  An applicant that has been deemed “locked out” under 42 CFR 483.151 (b) (3) is not eligible (see Facility Nurse Aide Training Program Lock-Out Waiver Requests). 

NATP permits:

• Are valid for two years.
• Renewals processed on even years.
• Permits expire on July 31st of even years.  

Proprietary School Requirement
A NATP may require licensure as a proprietary school from the Workforce Development, Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO). A propriety school is an educational institution that offers training in a particular trade or vocation, such as a certified nurse aide.  Students attending a proprietary school receive a certificate instead of earning a degree. 

If the applicant for an NATP permit is not a nursing home, a high school or intermediate school district (ISD), or community college, a proprietary school license is required. A NATP permit cannot be issued by LARA until a propriety school license is issued by LEO. An applicant should apply for both a LARA permit and LEO license at the same time to help expedite the process. 

LARA will notify LEO that a NATP application has been submitted and when the applicant has passed its LARA pre-permit inspection. LARA cannot issue the NATP permit until a proprietary school license is issued by LEO.

Below are some LEO links and contact information to assist you. 

• LEO Proprietary Schools Licensure
• LEO New Application Questionnaire
  
  LEO Contact: Phone: 517-335-4000; Fax: 517-241-9846; PPS@michigan.gov

Renewals

• Permits are valid for two years
• Renewals are processed on even years and must be submitted electronically via the MI-NATES system.
• Permits expire on July 31st of even years.
• Renewals can be initiated no earlier than 45 days prior to the permit expiration date.
• Unannounced on-site inspections will be conducted between renewals for confirmation of compliance with Federal and State law as well as administrative rule.

Closures

• Please email BCHS-CNA-Training-Program@michigan.gov for closure of a training program no longer offering services. Please include in the email the name of the training program, permit #, address and specific date the program will close.

   

• All changes to a nurse aide training program permit must be made via the MI-NATES system.
• Each Nurse Aide Training Program may have one “authorized representative” assigned to manage the program’s permit and information in the MI-NATES electronic system. To change the authorized representative assigned to a program, the new authorized representative must login to the MI-NATES system, locate and click the button entitled “Find Existing Nurse Aide Training Program” on their dashboard, then enter the permit number and follow the steps to add the training program to their profile. 
• Nurse Aide Trainer(s) assigned to the program can be updated in MI-NATES.  Other staff changes, curriculum changes, or clinical skills contract changes will be reviewed during your onsite renewal inspections.  There is no need to submit these for approval. 
• Any change of location or ownership requires a new program application.

In accordance with federal regulations, any long-term care facility that has a permit for a nurse aide training program that is “locked-out” due to non-compliance with federal requirements can no longer operate their nurse aide training program and the permit status will be PROHIBITED.

Also, in accordance with Michigan Administrative Rules for Nurse Aide Training Programs, each nurse aide training program location is required to have a permit.  As a result, any long-term care facility that has a program that becomes PROHIBITED and wishes to have a training program at their location, must have another training program obtain a permit to train at their location.  There is no longer a process to request a waiver for a locked-out training program due to the Michigan Administrative Rules.

Note:  Any training program that is not offered by or in a facility, and only uses a facility to do their clinicals, is not impacted by a PROHIBITED status.

The bureau is approving an alternative option to in person, face to face classroom requirements for all state approved nurse aide training programs. Virtual classroom sessions may be offered as an alternative to in person classroom education.

• Online classes must provide the opportunity for students to interact and engage with the instructor teaching the lesson. The nurse aide trainer must be present and available during this time. 
• Online classes must be documented, and classroom hours audited to ensure the minimum requirements of 43 classroom hours are met.
• Audits must be available for review by the department.
• All laboratory and clinical requirements must continue to be completed in person.

Please refer to the Michigan Competency-Driven Core Curriculum for Nurse Aides (PDF) and the Nurse Aide Training Program Overview and Requirements (PDF) for more information. 

To obtain a Nurse Aide Trainer permit to teach in a nurse aide training program in the State of Michigan, an individual must:

Nurse Aide Trainer Requirements
Please refer to 42 CFR 483. 152 (a) (5) (i) for Nurse Aide Trainer Requirements as well as the Administrative Rules for Nurse Aide Training Programs.

A nurse aide trainer (NAT) applicant must have:

• An active unrestricted Michigan registered nurse (R.N.) license.
• A minimum of 2 years of nursing experience as a registered nurse within the last 5 years immediately preceding the application, including teaching in a health care related field or a job that requires the use of the nursing competencies.
• At least 1 year (1600 hours) of which must be in the provision of long-term care facility services, i.e., a participating CMS facility.
• Must have completed a course in teaching adults or have experience in teaching adults or supervising nurse aides.

Note: Effective May 7, 2018, the Bureau has expanded the experience to include: “A nurse aide trainer candidate must have at least 1 year of experience in providing skilled nursing care services to individuals that require non-hospital residential medical, nursing, or rehabilitative services. Long term care facilities may include nursing homes, hospital long term care units, county medical care facilities, homes for the aged, assisted living facilities, hospice and other like provider types."

To become a NAT, an applicant must:

• Create a MILogin account at MILogin - Login (michigan.gov)
• Request access to MI-NATES:  Michigan Nurse Aide, Training, and Enforcement System, and set up your user profile.
  • Click here for an instructional video on how to create a MILogin account:  How To Create a MILogin Account.
• Submit a new application and pay an initial permit fee $60.  LARA is not allowed to issue refunds once an application is submitted.

Click here for a helpful guide to walk you through the account setup instructions:  MILogin/MI-NATES Account Setup Guide.

Click here to view the MI-NATES User Guide for Nurse Aide Trainers.

To renew a permit the individual must:

• Hold a valid registered nurse license issued by the Bureau of Professional Licensing
• Submit a renewal application and payment electronically via the MI-NATES application.
• Renewals can be initiated no earlier than 45 days prior to the permit expiration date.

The Bureau of Community and Health Systems maintains an online database of all actively permitted nurse aide training programs as well as some lapsed or inactive programs based upon our records retention schedule.  The online database can be found at the following link: https://nurseaideregistry.apps.lara.state.mi.us/

Any questions regarding the nurse aide training programs can be directed to:
Bureau of Community and Health Systems
Nurse and Medication Aide Section
Phone: 517-896-0511
E-mail: BCHS-CNA-Training-Program@michigan.gov

Launch Map

In collaboration with the Department of Technology, Management, and Budget's (DTMB) Center for Shared Solutions, this MAP of state permitted Nurse Aide Training Programs. We hope you find this resource valuable.

The Department of Licensing & Regulatory Affairs contracts with Headmaster, L.L.P. to provide competency evaluation testing. Testing services are available on Headmaster's website located at: D&S - Michigan Nurse Aide (hdmaster.com).

Nurse Aide Trainers must:
Enroll students with Headmaster’s TMU Michigan System so that the students are eligible for testing.  Contact Headmaster at (888) 401-0462 or michigan@hdmaster.com with questions.

Nurse Aide Candidates:
Upon successful completion of both the written/oral and clinical exam, the applicant must complete the following in order to obtain a certificate of registration:

• Create a MILogin account at MILogin - Login (michigan.gov)
• Request access to MI-NATES:  Michigan Nurse Aide, Training, and Enforcement System, and set up their user profile. 
• Submit a new nurse aide application and pay the $20 registration fee via the MI-NATES System.
  
  Click here for a helpful guide to walk you through the account setup instructions:  MILogin/MI-NATES Account Setup Guide.
  
  Click here to view the MI-NATES user guide for Nurse Aides.

In accordance with the Michigan Administrative Rules for Nurse Aides R 400.315, nurse aides are required to complete 12 hours annually of continuing education (CE) as a condition of renewal.  The subject of care plans is one of the required CE topics.

The Bureau of Community and Health Systems has created a Care Plan Educational Video training module that is accepted for CNA CE in Michigan and is worth 1 nursing contact hour.  This activity is virtual/asynchronous (self-learning) and is available at no cost to participants.  Please CLICK HERE to be directed to the video.

The Care Plan Educational Video is a particularly useful educational course for caregivers working in a long-term care setting, including nurse aides and nurses.  In addition, it can also be useful to RNs serving as permitted nurse aide trainers with nurse aide training programs, and also LPNs serving as supplemental instructors with nurse aide training programs.

To earn nursing contact hours, participants must watch the Care Plan Educational Video in its entirety, must take and pass the quiz, and submit the survey at the end of the video.

This nursing continuing professional development activity was approved by the Wisconsin Nurses Association, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation with an expiration date of May 1, 2027. No one in control of content has any relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Nurse Aide Federal Rules & Regulations Part 483

Nurse Aide Federal Rules & Regulations Part 488

Michigan Public Health Code 333.21901-21925

42 USC 1395i-3

The Administrative Rules can be viewed at the following link: MI Admin Code

Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs

Bureau of Community & Health Systems

Phone: 517-896-0511

E-mail: BCHS-CNA-Training-Program@michigan.gov