Oklahoma CNA Registry: Verify a Certification
Verify an Oklahoma CNA through the Nurse Aide Registry maintained by the Oklahoma State Department of Health; the official lookup is linked on this page. The registry is the state's record of who is certified to work as a nurse aide and whether that certification is current. Federal law requires nursing facilities and home health agencies to check the registry before hiring anyone as a nurse aide, and many other employers use it too, even though only those two employer types are bound by the federal requirement. For questions the online lookup doesn't answer, call the registry directly at (405) 426-8150.
Look up a Oklahoma nurse aide
The official lookup shows whether a person is listed as an active nurse aide in Oklahoma, and any finding of abuse, neglect, or misappropriation on record. It is free and public.
Official link checked 2026-09-01
How to verify a Oklahoma CNA
Open the official lookup
Use the Oklahoma lookup above. It is free and public.
Search by full legal name
A certification number narrows the result fastest. Try former or hyphenated last names if nothing comes up.
Read the status and findings
Active means the listing is current. A substantiated finding of abuse, neglect, or misappropriation bars work as a nurse aide.
What the lookup shows
A search typically needs the aide's first and last name, or their certification number if you have it. Results show whether the person is listed as an active, certified nurse aide and the status of that certification. The registry also records substantiated findings of abuse, neglect, or misappropriation of property; a person with such a finding on file cannot be employed as a nurse aide. This is not a full employment or criminal background check.
Oklahoma registry at a glance
- Run by: Oklahoma State Department of Health
- Phone: (405) 426-8150
- Training: 75 hours, 16 of them clinical
- Federal floor: 75 hours, 16 supervised practical
- Lapse rule: a listing lapses after 24 consecutive months without paid nursing work
- Not included: a registry check is not a criminal background check
What CNAs earn in Oklahoma
Typical annual CNA pay in Oklahoma · BLS OES May estimates, 2015 to 2025 · hover a bar for the year-over-year change
BLS OES May 2025 · CNA salary in Oklahoma by city →
Renewal, lapses, and moving to Oklahoma
Under federal rules, a CNA certification is generally valid for 24 months. To keep it active, an aide typically needs to have worked for pay using their nurse aide skills during that period; without qualifying paid work, the certification can lapse, and a lapsed certification usually means retesting to get certified again. Aides moving to Oklahoma from another state go through the registry as well, which handles verifying an out-of-state certification for reciprocity or endorsement. Because exact renewal and transfer procedures can vary, confirm the current process directly with the Oklahoma registry at (405) 426-8150 or through the registry site linked above.
Keep your certification active
CNA work in Oklahoma, by the numbers
Oklahoma employed about 19,410 nursing assistants as of BLS May 2025 figures, earning a median wage of $35,930 a year, or $17.27 an hour. That's about $6,330 below the national median CNA wage of $42,260. Ten years earlier, in 2015, the median was $22,490, so pay has grown roughly 59.8 percent over the decade. Oklahoma's training requirement matches the federal floor of 75 hours, including at least 16 hours of supervised clinical practice, but the state builds a specific 10-hour Alzheimer's and dementia care component into those 75 hours. Nationally, the CNA field is projected to add about 196,200 annual openings through 2035.
Registries in nearby states
Each state runs its own registry. An aide who worked in another state may be listed there too, and employers must check every state where they believe the aide has worked.
| State | Training hours | Phone | Official lookup |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma | 75 | (405) 426-8150 | Lookup |
| Arkansas | 90 | (888) 401-0465 | Lookup |
| Colorado | 75 | (303) 894-2430 | Lookup |
| Kansas | 90 | (785) 296-6877 | Lookup |
| Missouri | 175 | (573) 526-5686 | Lookup |
| New Mexico | 75 | Lookup | |
| Texas | 100 | (512) 438-2050 | Lookup |
State nurse aide registries and training rules, curated 2026-09-01
Questions about the Oklahoma registry
- How do I look up a CNA license in Oklahoma?
- Use the official Nurse Aide Registry lookup maintained by the Oklahoma State Department of Health, linked on this page. Search by the aide's name or certification number to see their current certification status. If you need help interpreting a result or can't complete a search online, call the registry at (405) 426-8150.
- I passed my CNA exam. How long until I appear on the registry?
- You're added to the registry after your exam results and required paperwork have been processed by the state. Exactly how long that takes varies and isn't published as a fixed timeline. If a reasonable amount of time has passed and you still don't appear on the registry, call the Oklahoma registry directly at (405) 426-8150 to check on your status.
- What if I search and can't find someone?
- Try searching name variants first, such as a maiden name, hyphenated last name, or different middle initial, since a mismatch is a common reason a search comes up empty. A non-result on the online lookup is not proof that someone isn't certified. To confirm for certain, call the Oklahoma registry at (405) 426-8150.
- How often does an Oklahoma CNA certification need to be renewed?
- Under the federal baseline, certification is generally valid for 24 months before it needs to be renewed. The exact renewal process and any state-specific details are handled by the Oklahoma registry, so confirm current requirements by calling (405) 426-8150 or checking the registry site linked on this page.
- How many hours of training does a CNA need in Oklahoma?
- Oklahoma requires 75 hours of training, matching the federal minimum, including at least 16 hours of supervised clinical practice. Within those 75 hours, the state also requires specific instruction in Alzheimer's and dementia care. This training must be completed before an aide can test for certification and appear on the registry.
- How do I update my name or address on the registry?
- Contact the Oklahoma registry directly at (405) 426-8150 to update your name or address on file. Updates like these are routine, but the registry sets the exact process and any documentation it requires, such as proof of a legal name change, so check with them directly rather than assuming a standard form applies.