CNA registry by state
Nursys does not list nurse aides. This is the registry that actually holds yours.
Why isn’t my CNA certification on Nursys?
Because Nursys does not hold it. Nursys carries RN and LPN/VN licenses only, so a nurse aide who searches it gets an empty result that means “wrong system”, not “no record”. Your certification sits in a state nurse aide registry — and in 7 jurisdictions that registry is not run by the state at all.
Texas HHS — List of States' Nurse Aide Registries ↗Last reviewed 2026-09-22
States that outsource their CNA registry (7)
In these jurisdictions the record is held by a contractor, so contacting the state health department will not reach the office that has it.
- Arkansas — Arkansas TMU (Headmaster)Administered from Helena, Montana by Headmaster, the same vendor that runs Michigan’s registry.
- Connecticut — PrometricConnecticut’s registry is operated by Prometric from Nottingham, Maryland — not by a Connecticut agency.
- Georgia — Georgia Medical Care FoundationGeorgia contracts its registry to a non-profit medical care foundation rather than running it in-house.
- Michigan — Headmaster, L.L.P.Michigan’s registry is run by Headmaster from Helena, Montana — the same vendor as Arkansas.
- New Mexico — PrometricNew Mexico’s registry is operated by Prometric from Nottingham, Maryland.
- New York — PrometricNew York’s registry is operated by Prometric from Nottingham, Maryland — not by the state health department.
- Utah — Utah Nurse Aide Registry (contracted administrator)Administered from Kaysville, Utah under a contracted registry operator rather than directly by a state agency.
Every state’s CNA registry
- AlabamaState agencyAlabama Department of Public Health, Division of Health Care Facilities
- AlaskaState agencyAlaska Nurse Aide Registry
- ArizonaBoard of nursingArizona State Board of Nursing
- ArkansasOutsourcedArkansas TMU (Headmaster)
- CaliforniaState agencyCalifornia Department of Public Health, Healthcare Workforce BranchOfficial lookup →
- ColoradoState agencyColorado Department of Regulatory Agencies, Division of Professions & Occupations
- ConnecticutOutsourcedPrometric
- DelawareState agencyDelaware Office of Long-Term Care
- District of ColumbiaState agencyD.C. Nurse Aide Registry
- FloridaBoard of nursingFlorida Department of Health, Board of Nursing
- GeorgiaOutsourcedGeorgia Medical Care Foundation
- HawaiiState agencyHawaii DCCA, Professional & Vocational Licensing
- IdahoState agencyIdaho DHW, Bureau of Facility Standards
- IllinoisState agencyIllinois Department of Public Health
- IndianaState agencyIndiana Department of Health, Nurse Aide Registry
- IowaState agencyIowa Department of Inspections & Appeals
- KansasState agencyKansas Department for Aging and Disability Services
- KentuckyBoard of nursingKentucky Board of Nursing
- LouisianaState agencyLouisiana CNA–DSW Registry
- MaineState agencyMaine Division of Licensing and Certification, CNA Registry
- MarylandState agencyMaryland Nurse Aide Registry
- MassachusettsState agencyMassachusetts Nurse Aide Registry Program
- MichiganOutsourcedHeadmaster, L.L.P.
- MinnesotaState agencyMinnesota Nurse Aide Registry
- MississippiState agencyMississippi Department of Health
- MissouriState agencyMissouri Department of Health, Health Education Unit
- MontanaState agencyMontana Nurse Aide Registry
- NebraskaState agencyNebraska DHHS Licensure Unit
- NevadaBoard of nursingNevada State Board of Nursing
- New HampshireState agencyNew Hampshire OPLC, Nurse Aide Registry
- New JerseyState agencyNew Jersey Department of Health
- New MexicoOutsourcedPrometric
- New YorkOutsourcedPrometric
- North CarolinaState agencyNorth Carolina Aide Regulation & Education
- North DakotaState agencyNorth Dakota Nurse Aide Registry
- OhioState agencyOhio Department of Health, Nurse Aide RegistryOfficial lookup →
- OklahomaState agencyOklahoma State Department of Health, Nurse Aide Registry
- OregonState agencyOregon Nurse Aide Registry
- PennsylvaniaState agencyPennsylvania Nurse Aide Registry
- Rhode IslandState agencyRhode Island Nurse Aide Registry
- South CarolinaState agencySouth Carolina Department of Health and Human Services
- South DakotaBoard of nursingSouth Dakota Board of Nursing
- TennesseeState agencyTennessee Department of Health, Nurse Aide Registry
- TexasState agencyTexas HHSC Nurse Aide RegistryOfficial lookup →
- UtahOutsourcedUtah Nurse Aide Registry (contracted administrator)
- VermontState agencyVermont Secretary of State, Office of Professional Regulation
- VirginiaBoard of nursingVirginia Department of Health Professions, Nurse Aide Registry
- WashingtonState agencyWashington State Department of Health
- West VirginiaState agencyWest Virginia OHFLAC, Nurse Aide Registry
- WisconsinState agencyWisconsin Department of Health Services
- WyomingState agencyWyoming Department of Health
A CNA certification is not a compact license
The Nurse Licensure Compact covers RN and LPN/VN licenses only. A nurse aide certification carries no compact privilege and does not follow you across state lines the way a multistate nursing license does — moving generally means applying to the new state’s registry. If you hold an RN or LPN license as well, that one is covered, and verifies through Nursys.
Frequently asked questions
Because Nursys does not hold it. Nursys carries RN and LPN/VN licenses only, so a nurse aide searching there gets an empty result that means "wrong system", not "no record". CNA records live in a separate state nurse aide registry, and every state runs its own.
Not necessarily. 7 of the 51 jurisdictions in this list contract the registry out — Connecticut, New Mexico and New York to Prometric, Michigan and Arkansas to Headmaster, Georgia to a medical care foundation. In those states, contacting the health department will not reach the office that holds your record. Another 6 run it through the board of nursing rather than a health agency.
No. The Nurse Licensure Compact covers RN and LPN/VN licenses only, so a nurse aide certification does not carry compact privilege and does not transfer across state lines the way a multistate nursing license does. Moving states generally means applying to the new state’s registry, often by reciprocity or endorsement.
The operating organizations come from the inter-state directory Texas HHS publishes for nursing homes verifying aides certified elsewhere, revised 2024-04. Operators change rarely, but the underlying document is dated — so this page publishes who runs each registry rather than republishing phone numbers and addresses that would be presented as current. Direct lookup links appear only where they were confirmed against the operator's own site.