The demand for health care professionals in the United States continues to rise. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nursing assistant jobs should grow about 18 percent by 2018. Federal and state regulations in Ohio require nursing assistants working in Medicare/Medicaid-certified long-term care facilities to gain certification by completing training and testing. After initial certification, you must find a paid nursing assistant position within two years. You must have worked as a nursing assistant within the past two years to keep active certification status. If necessary, you can achieve re-certification by repeating the training and testing.

Enroll in a nursing assistant training program. Courses typically cover topics such as basic nursing, safety, communication and mental health. Find a training center near you by calling the nursing assistant program at the Ohio Department of Health or visiting their website (see Resources). To re-certify, you must repeat your initial training.

Complete the State Tested Nursing Assistant (STNA) application in preparation for your testing. D&S Diversified Technologies provides applications (see Resources). The application requires employment verification and proof that you are currently enrolled in a qualified training course. If you have completed your training within the past two years, you only need to provide a copy of your program certification and do not need to have your employer or course instructor sign the test application.

Pass the nurse assistant exam. Ohio's testing vendor, D&S Diversified Technologies, administers the test. D&S Diversified Technologies maintains testing locations scattered throughout the state, so check the D&S website for scheduled tests and their locations.

Check with the nursing care facility where you work for your listing on the Ohio Nurse Aide Registry. Each facility provides the state with a list of all nursing assistants they currently employ. You can also check the registry yourself at the Ohio Department of Health's website. It is not your responsibility to place yourself on the registry, so If you are not listed, speak to the human resources department or your supervisor at your place of employment.