CNA Definitions
- Abuse
- For the purposes of the CNA Registry, abuse means the willful infliction of injury, unreasonable confinement, intimidation, or punishment with resulting physical harm, pain or mental anguish. (See 42 C.F.R. §488.301.)
- Annotation
- An annotation is information on the Registry about criminal convictions and substantiated complaints. There are 2 kinds of annotations: non-disqualifying annotations and disqualifying annotations.
- Annotation/disqualifying
- A disqualifying annotation is information about you on the CNA Registry concerning certain criminal convictions or any substantiated complaint. A disqualifying annotation bars you from working as a CNA or as an unlicensed assistive person (UAP) in Maine.
- Annotation/non-disqualifying
- A non-disqualifying annotation is information about you on the CNA Registry concerning certain criminal convictions. You may work as a CNA in Maine with non-disqualifying annotations
- Certificate of Equivalent Training
- A Certificate of Equivlent Training is a document issued by the director of a nursing school that documents satisfactory completion of nursing school classes that are at least equivalent to the hours and course content required by the Maine approved CNA training program. It identifies the course content and the classroom and clinical practice hours completed by the nursing school student. Based on the certificate of equivalent training, the Registry determines whether the nursing student is qualified to be placed on the Registry without further competency testing.
- Certificate of Training
- A Certificate of Training, or its equivalent, is a document issued by the CNA training program to an individual who has satisfactorily completed an approved training program and competency test. The certificate includes the dates of training; the number of classroom and clinical hours; and the date the certificate was issued.
- Certified Residential Medication Aide (CRMA)
- A Certified Residential Medication Aids is a trained person who is certified to provide medication administration in a residential setting.
- Certified Nursing Assistant
- A Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) is a person listed on the CNA Registry who performs selected nursing services under the supervision of a registered professional nurse. A CNA must have successfully completed a Maine training program and hold a Certificate of Training, or have been comparably trained in another jurisdiction or otherwise meets Maine's eligibility requirements for listing on the Registry.
- CNA competency test
- The Maine CNA competency test is a 2-part test including a written or oral examination, and a skills demonstration test.
- CNA federal law
- The federal CNA law was enacted by the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987 (OBRA 87). Federal law requires each state to have a CNA Registry, and establishes the minimum federal requirements for CNA training programs and competency evaluation testing. 42 C.F.R. 483.150-158.
- CNA Registry
- The CNA Registry is a registry maintained by the Division of Licensing and Certification, that contains a list of active CNAs who are qualified to work in Maine, and a list of inactive CNAs who do not qualify for employment as a CNA in Maine at this time. The Registry also contains the following annotations: criminal convictions as required by law, and documented findings by the state survey agency of substantiated complaints of abuse, neglect, or misappropriation of property of a patient, client or resident.
- CNA Skills List
- The Official CNA Skills List is a list of specific tasks that CNAs are allowed to perform under the supervision of a registered professional nurse once the CNA has demonstrated an ability to successfully perform the task. Until the CNA demonstrates this ability, the CNA may not perform the task. If a task is not on the official CNA skills list, the CNA may never perform that task. The official CNA skills list was developed and is updated by the Maine State Board of Nursing and the skills list is Appendix B of the Prescribed Curriculum Of Nursing Assistant Training Programs
- CNA training program/Maine
- Maines approved CNA training program is 130 hours of training including 70 hours of classroom theory, 20 hours of clinical laboratory work, and 40 hours of supervised clinical practice.
- CNA training program/out-of-state
- An out-of-state CNA training program must meet the minimum requirements for CNA training programs and competency testing established by federal CNA law in order to be approved.
- CNA-M
- Medication administration is a complex nursing task performed under the direct on-site supervision of a nurse by experienced CNAs who have completed the CNA-M course. CNA-Ms may work in nursing facilities, state mental health institutions, county jails, state correctional facilities and assistive living settings.
- Crimes: Maine Class D or Class E crimes
- In Maine, a Class D criminal offense is any criminal offense for which the maximum period of incarceration is a definite period of less than one year, a fine up to $2000, or both. A Class E criminal offense is any criminal offense for which the maximum period of incarceration is a definite period not to exceed 6 months, a fine up to $1000, or both. For similar crimes committed in other jurisdictions, the Maine CNA Registry applies 17-A M.R.S. 4-A (3) (D) and (E).
- Criminal background check
- A criminal background check is the examination of an individuals criminal history record, including convictions, that is obtained from the Maine State Bureau of Identification or its equivalent in other jurisdictions. Criminal background checks are done on all names the individual has used. For example, the individuals maiden name and name after marriage, if they are different. CNAs trained in Maine receive a copy of the criminal background check that was secured by the training program as part of the admission process.
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Criminal convictions
- Criminal convictions include:
- (A) any conviction for a crime committed in a health care setting;
- (B) convictions within the last 10 years for a crime for which incarceration of 3 years or more may be imposed; or
- (C) convictions for a crime involving sex assaults, abuse, neglect or exploitation within the last 10 years for which incarceration of less than 3 years may be imposed.
- Criminal convictions include crimes committed in Maine and in other jurisdictions.
- Disqualifying annotation
- A disqualifying annotation is information about you on the CNA Registry concerning certain criminal convictions or any substantiated complaint. A disqualifying annotation bars you from working as a CNA or as an unlicensed assistive person (UAP) in Maine.
- Employment restrictions
- Employment restrictions are certain criminal convictions and all substantiated complaints that prohibit an individual from working as a CNA in Maine. Some restrictions are permanent and some are for a specific time period.
- Employment/qualified
- Qualified employment is employment in a health care setting, under the supervision of a registered professional nurse, that can be applied to meet the minimum work requirement of 8 hours within 24 consecutive months that is needed to stay on the Registry. Failure to work the minimum hours will result in removal from the Registry.
- Exploitation
- Exploitation is the illegal or improper use of patient's, resident's, or client's money or property for another person's profit or advantage.
- Fraudulent Application
- An application is fraudulent when an individual knowingly submits an application form or renewal form that contains misrepresentations concerning qualification for listing on the CNA Registry or in any way attempts to obtain placement on the Registry by deceitful or fraudulent means.
- Health care settings
- Health care settings include hospitals, nursing facilities, home health agencies, and assisted housing programs.
- Medical assistants
- Medical assistants perform tasks under the on-site delegation of a physician. A CNA is not a medical assistant.
- Misappropriation of property
- For the purposes of the CNA Registry, the misappropriation of property of a patient, client, or resident means the deliberate misplacement, exploitation, or wrongful temporary or permanent use, or damage, of belongings or money, or both, without consent.
- Misrepresentation
- Misrepresentation includes, but is not limited to, giving false information; or the nondisclosure of criminal convictions by an applicant or CNA by failing to submit copies of court records or detailed information about each conviction
- Neglect
- For the purposes of the CNA Registry, neglect means a failure by inattentiveness, carelessness, or omission to provide for a patients, clients or residents needs, that threatens a patients, clients or residents health or welfare by physical or mental injury or impairment.
- Non-Disqualifying annotation
- A non-disqualifying annotation is information about you on the CNA Registry concerning certain criminal convictions. You may work as a CNA in Maine with non-disqualifying annotations.
- Nurse
- A nurse is a person who graduated with a diploma, Bachelor of Science Degree, or Associates Degree in nursing or who completed a practical nurse program.
- Nursing school training
- For the purposes of the CNA Registry , "nursing school training" is satisfactory completion of training that is at least equivalent to Maine's approved CNA training program requirements. Qualified nursing school students are issued a Certificate of Equivalent Training by the director of the nursing school. This certificate qualifies the student nurse to be placed on the Registry without further testing, if the Registry finds the individual is competent to function as a CNA.
- Personal support specialist (PSS)
- Personal support specialist is a trained a unlicensed assistive person (UAP) who has successfully completed the Maine PSS training that qualifies the individual to provide direct support to consumers in assisted living programs, residential care facilities, adult day services programs and home care settings. A minimum of 50 classroom hours of training is required.
- Proof of employment
- Proof of employment is a letter sent to the CNA Registry by former employers on their company letterhead that identifies the time period that an individual worked for them as a CNA.
- Qualified employment
- Qualified employment is employment in a health care setting, under the supervision of a registered professional nurse, that can be applied to meet the minimum work requirement of 8 hours within 24 consecutive months that is needed to stay on the Registry. Failure to work the minimum hours will result in removal from the Registry.
- Sex assault
- Sex assault includes a number of crimes that are identified in 17-A M.R.S. Chapter 11, crimes involving sexual exploitation of minors that are identified in 17-A M. R. S. Chapter 12, or a crime in another jurisdiction for substantially similar conduct.
- Standardized Medication Course for Certified Nursing Assistants
- The Standardized Medical Course teaches CNAs to administer selected noninjectable medications to patients who are 4 years of age or older. Experienced CNAs may be eligible to take this course to become CNA-Medication Aides (CNA-M). The medication course is approved by the Maine State Board of Nursing.
- State surveyor
- State surveyor means an employee of the Division of Licensing and Certification who investigates a complaint that has been made against a CNA. Only state surveyors are authorized to investigate complaints of abuse, neglect, or misappropriation of property that have been made against a CNA. When a complaint is verified after an investigation by a state surveyor, it is called a substantiated complaint
- Substantiated complaints
- Substantiated complaints are those complaints that were investigated and substantiated by the state survey agency involving abuse, neglect or misappropriation of property in a health care setting. Substantiated complaint annotations are placed on the Registry and most remain on the Registry permanently. A CNA with a substantiated complaint annotation may not work as a CNA or a UAP in Maine.
- Unlicensed assistive person (UAP)
- means an individual employed to provide hands-on assistance with activities of daily living to individuals in homes, assisted living programs, residential care facilities, hospitals and other health care settings. Unlicensed assistive person" does not include a certified nursing assistant employed in the capacity of a certified nursing assistant. Substantiated complaints of abuse, neglect or misappropriation of property are employment restrictions that prohibit employment as a CNA or as an unlicensed assistive person (UAP). A CNA with employment restrictions is barred from employment as a UAP.