Employer Guide to CNA Certification

Build a certification-ready workplace

The CNA Certification Program supports employers in aligning professional development with patient safety and organizational standards and service needs — both within Canada and internationally. We provide a structured way to support RNs, RPNs, LPNs and NPs committed to lifelong learning, professional practice excellence, and patient advocacy.

Employers trust CNA certification because it’s:

• Recognized and respected nationally and internationally as a results-driven specialty nursing practice credential
• Built by nurses and clinical experts, and validated through a national exam
• Renewed every five years through continuous learning or rewriting the exam

93% of nurses surveyed say certification is valued by their employer and/or health sector.
Source: CNA survey

Inside the employer toolkit

The CNA Certification Employer Brief and Resource Kit is designed to help organizations introduce and support nursing certification with minimal work effort. It includes practical, ready-to-use resources you can share internally to support understanding, alignment and uptake.

What’s included:

• Short PowerPoint presentation for councils and committees
• Employer FAQs
• Testimonials
• Internal promotional resources (posters, infographic)

Choose the best next step for your organization

CNA works with employers at different stages — from early exploration to organization-wide certification implementation, including supporting internationally educated nurses pursuing certification.

For many organizations, a short conversation is the fastest way to clarify options and next steps.

For teams planning professional development this year, it is important to build the exam timing into your milestones. Early alignment supports smoother exam preparation and workforce planning. The CNA Certification Program offers exams twice annually, with application windows in January 15 – March 31 and June 15 – September 30.