Ohio Nurse Aide Glossary

Nurse aide paperwork is full of initials that name three different things: the credential itself, the rules that create it, and the agencies that enforce it. This glossary separates those so you can read an enrollment agreement, a job posting, or a state web page and know which one you are looking at.

Definitions summarize how the terms are used by the agencies listed in the sources note below rather than quoting statutes; where usage varies between programs, the entry says so.

CNA: Certified Nurse Aide

Ohio's current title for the entry-level direct-care credential: complete an approved training program, pass the two-part state competency exam, and be listed on the state's nurse aide registry (per ODH usage).

STNA: State Tested Nurse Aide

Ohio's former name for exactly the same credential, retired in October 2025 when the state renamed it CNA: same training, same exam, new title. Older documents, certificates, and job postings still carry it; see our explainer on STNA vs CNA vs Nurse Aide Trainee.

LNA / GNA: Licensed Nursing Assistant / Geriatric Nursing Assistant

Titles some other states use for roles equivalent to Ohio's CNA. Scope of practice and titles vary by state, so an out-of-state credential does not transfer automatically; see reciprocity below.

NATCEP: Nurse Aide Training and Competency Evaluation Program

The federal–state framework that sets what nurse aide training must include, how much supervised clinical time it must deliver, and what the competency exam must cover. ODH administers Ohio's NATCEP.

OBRA: Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987

The federal law that created today's nurse aide training, testing, and registry requirements for nursing facilities. When a school says its program meets OBRA requirements, this is the standard being referenced.

NAR: Nurse Aide Registry

The state-maintained public list of aides who completed training and passed the competency exam, showing active status and, where applicable, substantiated findings (per ODH usage). Employers consult it before hiring.

MA-C: Medication Aide, Certified

A nurse aide holding additional certification to administer selected medications in permitted settings. Ohio's medication aide rules sit under the Ohio Board of Nursing, not under ODH's NATCEP.

ITA: Individual Training Account

A WIOA-funded tuition account that a local workforce board opens for an eligible student at an approved training provider. The workforce board decides eligibility, not the school.

WIOA: Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act

The principal federal law funding public job training. Through a local workforce center it can pay nurse aide tuition and fees for eligible participants.

OhioMeansJobs

Ohio's public workforce system and job-matching platform. Its local centers screen candidates for WIOA-funded training accounts and list aide openings statewide.

Clock hour

A scheduled sixty-minute unit of instruction counted toward the program total. Completion math runs on clock hours, which is why accurate attendance records matter for exam eligibility.

Clinical

The supervised hands-on portion of training performed with actual patients or residents, distinct from classroom and skills-lab instruction.

Clinical site

The real facility (typically a nursing home) where a program's clinical hours take place, arranged under agreement by the program. Students attend where the program places them.

Preceptor

The qualified licensed nurse who directly supervises students' hands-on care during clinical rotations (common program usage; exact titles vary between programs).

Competency exam

The two-part state examination required for registry listing after training: a knowledge portion plus a skills demonstration. Both parts must be passed before a graduate can be certified.

Registry lapse

Loss of active registry status, generally after the required stretch without documented paid nursing-related work (federally keyed to paid service within the prior 24 months). A lapsed aide follows a reactivation process rather than simply renewing.

Reciprocity

Moving an aide credential earned in another state onto Ohio's registry when the out-of-state training and testing are substantially equivalent. Requested through ODH.

Endorsement

The recognition mechanism by which one licensing authority grants a credential based on another authority's grant. Some states call aide transfers endorsements; in Ohio usage, reciprocity is the usual word for nurse aide transfers.

ODH: Ohio Department of Health

The agency that administers Ohio's NATCEP and maintains the nurse aide registry. It is the primary regulator for questions about training quality and testing.

Ohio Board of Nursing

The board that licenses and regulates nurses and sets the rules for medication aide (MA-C) certification. Separate from ODH, with different jurisdiction.

SBCCS: State Board of Career Colleges and Schools

The board that registers private career colleges and schools and oversees enrollment agreements, refunds, and advertising. It takes student complaints about those practices directly.

eLicense

The shared online portal (elicense.ohio.gov) through which many Ohio boards, SBCCS included, publish license and registration lookups and accept complaints.

Related reading

For what these terms entitle you to in practice, read what every Ohio nurse aide student is entitled to.