How to Check a CNA or Nurse License
CNAs and nurses are checked in different places. A CNA is on the state nurse aide registry. An RN or LPN is licensed by the state board of nursing, and you can look most of them up on Nursys. Both lookups are free. This guide shows each step, how to get free alerts when a nurse's license changes, and what to keep in the file.
Updated October 21, 2026 · Checked against the official sources listed at the end
Which lookup to use
- CNA or nurse aide: the state nurse aide registry, in every state likely to list the aide.
- RN or LPN/VN: Nursys QuickConfirm, or the state board of nursing's own site.
- APRN: Nursys, if the state's board sends advanced practice data. If not, the state board's site.
- Either way, save a dated copy of the result in the staff member's file.
Check a CNA on the state nurse aide registry
Each state runs its own nurse aide registry, usually through the state health department and in some states through the board of nursing. Nursys covers nurses, not CNAs, so use the state's registry. Find it on the state's own website, not a third-party lookup site.
Federal rules for nursing homes set the timing. The home must get registry verification before someone works as a nurse aide, and must check every state registry it believes has information on the person (42 CFR 483.35(d)(4)-(5)). A home may not employ anyone with a registry finding of abuse, neglect, exploitation, mistreatment or misappropriation of resident property (42 CFR 483.12(a)(3)).
- Search the registry by the aide's name or certificate number.
- Check that the status is active and that there are no findings.
- Ask which states the aide has lived, worked or trained in, and check each of those registries too.
- Ask whether the aide has done paid nursing work in the last 24 months. If not, they must retrain or retest (42 CFR 483.35(d)(6)).
- Do all of this before the first shift.
- Save a printout or screenshot that shows the name, certificate number, status and the date you looked it up.
Check a nurse on Nursys QuickConfirm
Nursys is run by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN). Boards of nursing send their license and discipline data to it directly. Participating boards have named Nursys, by written agreement, as a primary source equivalent database. QuickConfirm is free.
Before you search, Nursys asks you to accept its terms. Employers certify that they follow the Fair Credit Reporting Act and look up only their own nurses and applicants.
- Go to nursys.com and choose Look up License (QuickConfirm).
- Search for the nurse in the state that issued the license.
- Download the report. It shows the license status and any discipline.
- Check that the license is active, note the expiration date, and look for discipline.
- Check the date the board last updated its data. Nursys shows it for each board.
- If the board or license type isn't in Nursys, such as some APRN licenses, check the state board's own site.
Get free license alerts with Nursys e-Notify
e-Notify sends free alerts about the nurses your facility enrolls: RNs, LPN/VNs and advanced practice nurses, from participating boards of nursing. You hear when a license's status or expiration changes, or when discipline is posted, without looking each nurse up again. It doesn't cover CNAs.
Your facility creates a free institution account and enrolls its own nurses. To enroll a license, Nursys asks for the license number, type and state, the last 4 digits of the nurse's Social Security number, the birth year and a work address. Nursys says it uses the SSN digits and birth year only to match the license and does not store them.
Pact never asks for Social Security numbers, so enrolling stays with your facility. Upload the QuickConfirm report or your e-Notify record to each nurse's file.
What to keep in the file
- Full name, and any former names.
- License or certificate type, number and state.
- Status and expiration date.
- Any finding, discipline or restriction, and how you reviewed it.
- When it was checked, where (which registry, board or Nursys) and who checked.
- The saved report or screenshot, and the date to check again.
Where Pact fits
Pact's staff do the lookup for you, by hand, on the registry, Nursys or the board's site. It isn't automatic. Pact keeps the dated result in each person's file, records when, where and the result, and reminds you 30, 14 and 7 days before a license or card expires.
Pact also checks every active staff member against OIG's exclusion list and the Medicaid lists of 25 states every month (the rest by a monthly hand-check task in your portal, with the proof saved), and saves each check as proof. $10 per active staff member a month, $250 minimum, first month free.
Common questions
Is Nursys QuickConfirm free?
Yes. Nursys says you can look up a nurse's license and discipline status for free. e-Notify is free too.
Are CNAs in Nursys?
No. Nursys covers RNs, LPN/VNs and advanced practice nurses. Check a CNA on the state nurse aide registry, in each state likely to list them.
Do we have to check other states' aide registries?
A nursing home must check every state registry it believes has information on the aide (42 CFR 483.35(d)(5)). In practice, check each state where the aide has lived, worked or trained.
Why does e-Notify ask for part of a Social Security number?
To match the right license and confirm the nurse works for you. Nursys says it does not store the SSN digits or birth year. Pact never asks for Social Security numbers, so your facility enrolls its own nurses.
Does Pact check licenses with the board for us?
Yes. Pact's staff look up each license and aide registry listing by hand on the free public sites: the registry, Nursys or the board. Pact keeps the dated result, records when, where and the result, and reminds you before anything expires.
How often should we check?
At hire, before the first shift, and again when the license or certificate renews. e-Notify alerts fill the gap between checks for nurses.
Sources
- NCSBN: Nursys (QuickConfirm and e-Notify)
- NCSBN: QuickConfirm License Verification terms and conditions
- NCSBN: QuickConfirm participating boards of nursing
- NCSBN: Nursys e-Notify
- NCSBN: e-Notify participating boards of nursing
- NCSBN: Nursys FAQs (e-Notify cost and enrollment)
- NCSBN: Contact a U.S. board of nursing
- eCFR: 42 CFR 483.35, Nursing services (nurse aide registry verification)
- eCFR: 42 CFR 483.12, Freedom from abuse, neglect, and exploitation
- eCFR: 42 CFR 483.156, Registry of nurse aides