CNA in Louisiana 2026: Training, Certification, Salary, and Requirements
Louisiana CNA requirements: 80 hours training, Prometric exam (NNAAP), DHH Nurse Aide Registry. Salary $24K–$30K. Ochsner Health top employer. Rural parish shortage creates paid training. New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Shreveport, Lafayette. Updated 2026.
Louisiana Key Facts and Figures
Louisiana Important Details
Louisiana law requires a minimum of 80 hours of DHH-approved CNA training, including at least 16 hours of classroom/theory instruction and 16 hours of supervised clinical practice at a licensed Louisiana nursing facility. Programs must be approved directly by the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals — not the Board of Nursing. Training is available through Louisiana community and technical colleges (LCTCS system), American Red Cross chapters, and some long-term care facilities that offer employer-based programs. The 80-hour requirement slightly exceeds the federal OBRA minimum of 75 hours.
- Total Hours Required: 80 hours minimum
- Classroom/Theory Hours: 16 hours minimum
- Clinical Hours: 16 hours minimum (at licensed facility)
- Federal Minimum: 75 hours (LA exceeds by 5 hours)
- Program Approval: Louisiana DHH (not Board of Nursing)
- Program Types: Community colleges, LTC facilities, Red Cross
Louisiana uses Prometric to administer the National Nurse Aide Assessment Program (NNAAP) competency exam — both the written knowledge test and the clinical skills evaluation. The written section contains 60 multiple-choice questions with a 90-minute time limit; passing requires a minimum score of 70%. The clinical skills evaluation requires candidates to correctly demonstrate 5 randomly selected skills from a standardized list. Candidates have up to 3 attempts within 24 months of completing their training program. Testing centers are located in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Shreveport, Lafayette, and other major Louisiana cities.
- Written Section: 60 questions, 90 minutes
- Skills Section: 5 randomly selected skills
- Passing Score: 70% written; all skills passed
- Exam Provider: Prometric (NNAAP)
- Attempts: 3 attempts within 24 months of training
- Testing Sites: New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Shreveport, Lafayette
Louisiana requires a criminal background check for CNA candidates seeking to work in any Medicaid/Medicare-certified facility. The background check is conducted through the Louisiana Bureau of Criminal Identification and includes both state and national criminal history. The Louisiana DHH maintains a Nurse Aide Abuse Registry separate from the main certification registry — any individual listed on the abuse registry for findings of abuse, neglect, exploitation, or misappropriation of resident property is permanently barred from working as a CNA in Louisiana. All employers are required to verify DHH registry status before hiring.
- Check Type: State + national fingerprint-based check
- Administered By: Louisiana Bureau of Criminal Identification
- Disqualifying: Abuse, neglect, exploitation, theft convictions
- Registry Block: DHH Nurse Aide Abuse Registry listing = barred from employment
Before beginning clinical rotations at a Louisiana nursing facility, CNA students must provide a negative TB test (Mantoux PPD or QuantiFERON Gold) within the past 12 months, physician clearance for physical fitness, and current CPR/BLS certification from the American Heart Association or American Red Cross. Most DHH-approved programs also require current immunizations including the Hepatitis B series, MMR, Varicella, Tdap, and seasonal influenza vaccine. Individual program requirements may exceed DHH minimums — verify with your specific training provider before enrollment.
- TB Test: Required within 12 months
- Physical Exam: Physician clearance required
- Immunizations: Hep B, MMR, Varicella, Tdap, Flu
- CPR: BLS certification required before clinicals
Louisiana Detailed Breakdown
New Orleans and the surrounding metro area — including Jefferson Parish (Metairie), St. Tammany Parish (Slidell, Covington), and St. Bernard Parish — represent Louisiana's largest and highest-paying CNA market. Ochsner Health, Louisiana's largest private employer and the dominant healthcare system in the state, operates 40+ hospitals and medical centers statewide with its flagship Ochsner Medical Center on Jefferson Highway as the primary hub. Ochsner is by far the single largest CNA employer in Louisiana and regularly offers employer-sponsored training and tuition reimbursement programs. Tulane Medical Center (HCA Healthcare) and University Medical Center New Orleans (UMC, the state's only Level I trauma center and academic medical center) are the other major hospital CNA employers in the city. Training programs are available at Delgado Community College (City Park and West Bank campuses), Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center affiliated programs, and Ochsner Health's own workforce development program. CNA wages in the New Orleans metro average $14–$18/hour, with Ochsner Health and UMC positions reaching $17–$20/hour. The post-Hurricane Katrina healthcare rebuild has permanently expanded the metropolitan healthcare infrastructure, sustaining strong long-term demand for CNAs across acute care, SNF, and home health settings. CNA scholarships may be available through Louisiana Workforce Commission programs for eligible candidates in Orleans, Jefferson, and St. Tammany parishes.
Louisiana Costs and Pricing
Louisiana Step-by-Step Process
Find a Louisiana DHH-Approved CNA Program
Complete Prerequisites and Enrollment
Complete 80-Hour DHH-Approved Training
Register with Prometric
Pass the Louisiana CNA Competency Exam (Prometric)
Get Listed on the Louisiana DHH Nurse Aide Registry
Begin Employment in Louisiana
Louisiana Essential Checklist
Louisiana's Rural Healthcare Shortage: What Every CNA Needs to Know
Louisiana has one of the most severe rural healthcare workforce shortages in the United States. More than 60% of Louisiana's 64 parishes are classified as Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs), and the shortage of certified nursing assistants in rural parishes is particularly acute. This shortage has real consequences — multiple rural Louisiana nursing homes have closed in recent years due to inability to staff certified positions, leaving elderly and medically complex residents without local care options.
Which parishes are most affected? The rural shortages are most severe in northern Louisiana (Winn, Jackson, Sabine, Red River, De Soto, Natchitoches, Grant, LaSalle, and Caldwell parishes), the Acadiana wetlands (St. Mary, Assumption, Terrebonne, and St. James parishes), and the Florida parishes (Washington, St. Helena, East Feliciana, and West Feliciana parishes). Many of these areas have fewer than one CNA per 1,000 residents, far below the national average.
What does this mean for CNA candidates? For candidates willing to work in rural or underserved Louisiana parishes, the employment opportunities are exceptional and the incentives can be significant:
- Paid training programs: Some rural Louisiana SNFs and health systems offer fully paid CNA training in exchange for a 1–2 year employment commitment
- Signing bonuses: Rural Louisiana healthcare employers have offered signing bonuses ranging from $500 to $2,500 for CNA candidates willing to commit to rural employment
- Federal loan forgiveness: CNAs working in HPSA-designated areas may qualify for federal student loan forgiveness programs through HRSA
- State incentive programs: The Louisiana Workforce Commission administers programs that may subsidize training costs for candidates committing to rural healthcare employment
- Advancement opportunities: Rural facilities often promote CNAs into charge aide, medication aide, or supervisory roles faster than urban counterparts due to lower competition and higher need
Important note on rural facilities: While the shortage creates opportunity, candidates should thoroughly research any rural Louisiana nursing facility before accepting employment. Some facilities with extreme staffing shortages have received regulatory citations from the Louisiana DHH for care quality issues directly linked to understaffing. Verify a facility's DHH inspection history and CMS star rating before committing. See our full guide to working as a CNA for how to evaluate employers and facilities before accepting an offer.
Louisiana Advantages and Disadvantages
- +Only 80 hours required — one of the shorter state minimums, making entry fast; full-time programs complete in 3–4 weeks
- +Ochsner Health dominates Louisiana healthcare and actively recruits CNAs with employer-sponsored training and tuition reimbursement
- +Prometric exam (same as most US states) — extensive national NNAAP prep resources directly applicable to Louisiana
- +DHH registry system is straightforward and searchable online; no additional Board of Nursing steps
- +Rural parish shortage creates signing bonuses, paid training, and accelerated advancement opportunities for willing candidates
- +New Orleans and Baton Rouge offer strong long-term care and hospital CNA demand, especially post-pandemic
- +UMC New Orleans (Level I trauma) and Ochsner offer academic medical center experience and career pathway programs
- +LCTCS community colleges offer affordable DHH-approved programs at multiple campuses statewide
- −Salaries ($24K–$30K) are among the lowest in the South — Alabama, Georgia, and Texas all pay significantly more
- −Louisiana DHH (not Board of Nursing) manages registry — candidates must navigate a different agency than most national resources reference
- −Rural parish facilities: severe staffing shortages can mean heavy patient loads and limited supervisory support for new CNAs
- −Louisiana has a higher poverty rate than most states, which limits private pay home health rates and SNF budgets
- −Post-hurricane climate risk: CNAs in coastal parishes (Terrebonne, Lafourche, Plaquemines, Cameron) face periodic disaster-related facility evacuations and disruptions
- −Limited public transportation in most Louisiana cities (except partial transit in New Orleans) — CNAs need a car for most positions
- −DHH registry processing can take 4–6 weeks for reciprocity applications — plan accordingly if relocating from another state
About the Author
Registered Nurse & Healthcare Educator
Johns Hopkins University School of NursingDr. Sarah Mitchell is a board-certified registered nurse with over 15 years of clinical and academic experience. She completed her PhD in Nursing Science at Johns Hopkins University and has taught NCLEX preparation and clinical skills courses for nursing students across the United States. Her research focuses on evidence-based exam preparation strategies for healthcare certification candidates.