• Candidates for a nurse aide career in Idaho must take a training course and pass an examination.nurse chris image by John Keith from Fotolia.com
  
  Nurse aides support nursing staff in the care of patients. They work in a variety of establishments, from hospitals to long-term care homes. The nurse aides’ duties include lifting patients and providing basic cleanup services that some patients are unable to perform for themselves. Candidates must satisfy several requirements set by the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare before they can obtain a certificate to practice. The department regulates nurse aide professionals and maintains the Idaho nurse aide registry.
  
  

Training

• Candidates must complete a nurse aid course in a school with a state-approved training program. Many community colleges offer this program, which usually takes about six months to complete. At the end of the program, graduates receive a certificate of completion.
  
  

Evaluation

• Graduates of the nursing program have to take a manual skills evaluation within six months of completing the training program. They must pass this evaluation before they can apply for the qualifying exam.
  
  

Application

• Candidates must apply to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare to take the qualifying examination. They must complete the Idaho Nurse Aide Testing application, available from the department, and submit it with supporting documents. They can pay the application fee with a credit or debit card. According to the Prometric testing service, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare will choose the test location, but the candidate can set the date and time of the exam.
  
  

Examination

• The nurse aide exam is divided into a written section and an oral section. Prometric gives both sections of the exam on a computer and the applicant has two hours to complete them. When the candidate passes the examination, Prometric sends his name to the Idaho Nurse Aide registry. The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare will send the candidate’s certificate via mail.