Nursing Home Administrator (NHA) – Licensure by Examination

To become licensed as a nursing home administrator through the examination method, submit an application in LicensE, pay all required fees, and complete the required education, experience, and exam requirements.

Review the sections below for specific method requirements.

Applicants must satisfy the education requirement by completing one of the following:

• A regular course of study

• A program of study

• Specialized courses

• Health Services Executive certification from NAB

See the Approved Education Courses section for a list of current board-approved courses and providers.

Applicants with education that's not pre-approved may submit an application for review.

A prescribed program of courses offered by an accredited college or university that leads to an associate, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree, and includes a program of study and a supervised clinical practicum.

One year of experience in the field of institutional administration is required for applicants who did not complete a supervised clinical practicum as part of their degree program. Review the Experience section for more information.

A prescribed sequence of courses at an accredited college or university that consists of at least one 3-credit course in each of the following:

• Laws governing the operation of licensed nursing homes

• Elements of proper and effective administration of licensed nursing homes

• Protection of the interests, safety, and well-being of residents

• Psychological, physical, medical, and social needs of residents

One year of experience in the field of institutional administration is required. Review the Experience section for more information.

Applicants who haven’t completed a full program of study can fulfill education requirements by also completing specialized courses. These are individual courses offered by an educational institution or course providers that provide preparation in each of the following areas: 

Courses must cover the equivalent objectives of the program of study.

• Administration of a nursing home

• Long-term patient care

• Organizations of health care systems

One year of experience in the field of institutional administration is required. Review the Experience section for more information.

Applicants who hold an active certification as a Health Services Executive (HSE) from NAB meet the education requirement.

No additional experience is required. The HSE certification also satisfies both the CORE and NHA exam requirements.

Applicants must satisfy the experience requirement by completing at least one year of experience in the field of institutional administration and Form 71.

Experience in the field of institutional administration means work experience in a skilled nursing facility under the supervision of a licensed nursing home administrator. Your experience must be acquired in any 36-consecutive-month period within 5 years of submitting the application for licensure.

There is no minimum hour requirement for experience. Review the Pre-Credential Education section to determine if experience is required. 

Review the statute and code for more information.

Applicants must pass the following exams for licensure:

• Core of Knowledge (CORE)

• Line of Service (LOS)

• Wisconsin State Law (WI)

To be eligible to test, applicants must submit a licensure application to the department and apply for all exams through NAB. Applicants may take the exams before completing the education and experience requirements.

The department authorizes applicants to test through NAB. After authorization, applicants must schedule their exams with Pearson. The department is only responsible for test authorization and score release. 

Allow up to 10 days for exam authorization and score release.

Below are some general instructions for applying for a credential on LicensE. 

1. Create or log into your LicensE account. Please visit LicensE account Information page for detailed guidance on selecting your account type.

2. Select "Apply for a License."

3. Select your Category.

4. Select your License Type.

5. Select your Application Method, then "Next."

6. Review your Personal Information.

7. Enter the requested Information on each page of the application. Information may include Examination, Education, or License History, depending on your profession.

8. If applicable, request a Veterans Fee Waiver or Initial Credential Fee Reduction.

9. Submit the requested Documents you may already have. You do not need to have all documents ready to submit.

   Note: Forms are now hosted on AccessGov. Visit AccessGov Forms Directory to choose your form.

10. Respond to the Attestation questions.

11. Provide Payment Information. Fees may be found Credential Fees.

12. Submit your application.  

Profession specific application requirements can be found in the "Application Information" section.

Create or log into your LicensE account

Select Apply for a License

Category: Business

License Type: Nursing Home Administrator

Application Method: Licensure by Examination

Applicants must select both examination boxes (Part I and Part II) in the Personal Information section of the application. Part I is the national exam (NHA and CORE). Part II is for the Wisconsin State Law exam. Applicants must pay all fees.

Note: Failure to check both boxes may delay testing eligibility.

The following documents are required. Applicants may upload documents to the Supporting Documents page:

• Form 71 - Verification of Experience in the Field of Institutional Administration

• Transcripts of an Approved Education Pathway

Next steps may be found below, in the "What Happens Next?" section.

After you upload all required documents, submit your application, and pay the required fee(s):

1. Preliminary Application Reference Number (PAR)

   1. Your application will be assigned a Preliminary Application Reference number or PAR number. This number allows you and trusted parties to look up the status of your application without logging in. You can also reference this number in any support tickets you submit in regard to your application.

      • A trusted 3^rd party can look up your credential status by visiting LicensE, clicking “Application Status Lookup” and entering the PAR number you have provided to them.

2. Review Timeline

   1. Your materials will be reviewed within approximately 10 days by a member of the credentialing team.

      • Note: Some licenses do take longer to process due to complexity. You can see the performance data on our LicensE Dashboard to see what date we are reviewing for certain application types under "Application Review Times by Profession."

3. Pending Applicant Input Status

   1. After this review, if anything is missing or the credentialing team has any questions on your application, your application will go back into a status called “Pending Applicant Input.”  You will receive an email letting you know your application was moved into this status. You should then log into LicensE and check your application “Due Diligence.”

4. To check your "Due Diligence" 

   1. Your Due Diligence is a checklist of items required for your credential.

   2. The Due Diligence section is how DSPS staff will communicate with you regarding your credential requirements.

   3. Log in to your LicensE account

   4. Click on "Check Application Status" 

   5. Your credential application should be shown on this page. Under “Action” select the button that looks like an upside-down triangle. If you are on mobile, you will need to turn your phone into landscape view. Note: LicensE is best viewed on a desktop or laptop.

   6. After clicking the upside-down triangle, select “View Due Diligences.”

   7. The Due Diligence column lets you know what the requirement is.

   8. The “STATUS” column will you know if the item is “Met”, “Not Met”, or “Not Applicable.”

      • Items listed as “Not Met” are items that are needed by the Department.  

   9. The “NOTES” column of your Due Diligence will provide further written details or instructions about what is still needed.

5. To upload documents

   1. Some applications require additional document uploads.

   2. Log into your LicensE account

   3. Click on "Check Application Status"

   4. Your credential application should be shown on this page. Under "Action" select the button that looks like an upside-down triangle. If you are on mobile, you will need to turn your phone into landscape view. Note: LicensE is best viewed on a desktop or laptop. 

   5. After clicking the upside-down triangle, select "Upload Document."

   6. The document must be an allowable document type. 

   7. After uploading the document, click "submit." If you do not, it will not be sent to a reviewer. 

6. If you have any questions, you can submit a support ticket on LicensE by logging in and clicking "request support" at the top of the page.

LicensE statuses that require action from applicant:

LicensE statuses that indicate the application is with Department staff:

Support Ticket
Submit a support ticket on LicensE and click "request support." Please provide as much detail as possible regarding your concern so we can work to answer your question with a one touch resolution. 

Call
608-266-2112

Email
dsps@wisconsin.gov

Office Hours
7:45am-4:30pm
Department of Safety and Professional Services
4822 Madison Yards Way
Madison, WI, 53705

Note: The in-person office does not process same day.