Nurse Aide Program: FAQs about the Nurse Aide Registry
Nurse aides perform important work. We want to make sure you remain eligible to work as a nurse aide. Our goal is to provide all the information you need about our registry services and working as a nurse aide.
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FAQs (frequently asked questions)
Yes, you're allowed to work if you're currently enrolled in an approved nurse aide training program. You can provide direct nursing-related duties for up to four months from the start of your employment in a nursing home. You're allowed to work if you:
- Are a full-time employee.
- Have been trained and found proficient by the instructor on the skill being performed.
- Are under the general supervision of a RN (registered nurse) or LPN (licensed practical nurse).
You must pass a nurse aide competency exam within 120 days of the start of your full-time employment as a nurse aide.
To learn about nurse aide registry services in Wisconsin, refer to Nurse Aide Training and Registry. View the Wisconsin Nurse Aide Registry on the
Phone: 888-401-0462
Fax: 419-422-7395
Phone: 888-401-0462
Hours of operation: 9:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m. CST
Check the Wisconsin Nurse Aide Registry on
- Name
- Inclusion date
- Expiration date for verifying eligibility to work in federally certified facilities
- Basis for inclusion
- Facilities where the aide is eligible to work
- Substantiated finding information (abuse or neglect of a client, or misappropriation of a client's property) if any
Log in to your account on
To change or correct your name or Social Security number, contact Headmaster through
Call Headmaster toll-free at 888-401-0465 with any questions.
Wisconsin no longer issues nurse aide cards. To verify your status on the Wisconsin Nurse Aide Registry, log in to your account on
The date you pass the competency test begins your 24-month work eligibility period. A new eligibility period begins every 24 months. To remain eligible for work as a nurse aide, federal regulations require that you:
- Work at least eight hours in a 24-month period.
- Provide hands-on care in a paid position.
- Be under the supervision of an RN or LPN.
Your registry status shows the 24-month period you are eligible to work. The work must occur in one of these settings:
- Federally certified (Medicare and/or Medicaid certified) nursing home
- Hospice
- Home health agency
- Intermediate care facility for individuals with intellectual disabilities
- State-licensed hospital
- Facility for people with developmental disabilities
- Rural medical center that provides one or more of these services
About 60 days before your eligibility period ends, Headmaster will send you a reminder to renew. Headmaster will send a reminder to your email address on record and/or a text to your cell phone. Your phone must be able to receive SMS (short message services) to get text reminders. It is important to keep your contact information up to date in your TMU profile.
Your renewal will allow you to continue working in federally certified:
- Nursing homes.
- Intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities.
- Home health agencies.
- Hospices.
To begin the renewal process, log in to your account on
Headmaster will send your employer(s) an email with a link to verify your work. Once verified, your federal eligibility will extend 24 more months on the Wisconsin Nurse Aide Registry.
Keep your email address and phone number up to date on your
In the past, employers submitted renewal forms in a mass mailing with other nurse aides. However, you now submit renewals for yourself by following the steps outlined above.
Call
Yes, but not in a federally certified facility. Nurse aids listed on the Wisconsin Nurse Aide Registry have two eligibilities: federal and state.
You must maintain your federal eligibility to work in any Medicare and/or Medicaid certified nursing home, home health agency, or hospice. If you don't maintain your federal eligibility, you can retain your status as a nurse aide. This allows you to work in:
- Hospitals, including critical access hospitals.
- Facilities that aren't certified as Medicaid providers.
If an employer is not in the menu of eligible verifying employers on
Yes. If you've worked as a nurse aide for 24 months or more, log in to your
The TMU system sends an email to the employer(s) you listed. The email will include a link to verify your work. When the employer verifies your work, your federal eligibility will be updated on the Wisconsin Nurse Aide Registry for an additional 24 months.
If you haven't worked for pay as a nurse aide in a federally certified facility under the supervision of a RN or LPN for more than 24 months, you aren't eligible to work in federally certified:
- Nursing homes.
- Intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities.
- Home health agencies.
- Hospices.
To become eligible again to work in these federally certified facilities, you must retake and successfully pass a competency test. In the meantime, you may continue to work in:
- Hospitals, including critical access hospitals.
- Facilities that aren't certified as Medicaid providers.
TMU updates your registry status as soon as the employer approves your work status. They must verify that you've worked at least eight hours in that 24-month period as a nurse aide, for pay, under the supervision of an RN or LPN.
To verify your work eligibility:
- Check the Wisconsin Nurse Aide Registry on
TMU (opens external link) . - Call
Headmaster (opens external link) toll-free at 888-401-0465.
Yes. A federally certified health care facility may continue to employ you as a nurse aide. This applies if they have verified you worked at least eight hours in the past 24 months. You must have worked for pay, providing hands-on care under the supervision of an RN or LPN.
If you have questions, call Headmaster toll-free at 888-401-0465.
To transfer your listing on the Wisconsin Nurse Aide Registry to another state's nurse aide registry, complete these steps:
- Make sure your eligibility status to work in federally certified facilities is current on the Wisconsin Nurse Aide Registry on
TMU (opens external link) . - Contact the new state's registry to learn that state's requirements.
- Complete that state's application, following directions from the state where you wish to transfer.
We stopped manually processing reciprocity/endorsement forms on June 1, 2020.
Your record on
- Initial date of placement on the registry.
- Federal eligibility expiration date.
- Substantiated finding information (abuse or neglect of a client, or misappropriation of a client's property) if any.
If you have specific questions about your work eligibility status, email us at
No. On January 1, 2000, we stopped placing individuals on the Wisconsin Nurse Aide Registry under the "Grandparent" program. The program allowed past work experience to replace training and testing.
To be placed on the Wisconsin Nurse Aide Registry, you must complete nurse aide training and/or pass a competency test.