Licensure Process

To become licensed as a nursing home administrator in New York State, you must meet all licensure qualifications and requirements in effect at the time of licensure, as established by the Board of Examiners of Nursing Home Administrators.

Application

The first step in the licensure process is the submission of a Nursing Home Administrator Licensure Application to the Board. Upon receipt, your application will be reviewed to determine your eligibility to sit for the Nursing Home Administrator Licensing Examination (if you hold a nursing home administrator license issued by another state, please refer to the applicable section below). Based on the findings of the review, your application will be determined to be either approved or incomplete. Applications are reviewed in the order they are received. The timeframe for review will vary based on the volume of applications received. Your application will remain active for five years from the date of receipt.

Note: You must keep a copy of your application and all supporting documentation.

Approved Applications

When your application is approved, you will be notified in writing that you are eligible to sit for the examination and provided with related information. You will remain eligible for five years from the date your application is approved. During this period, you may sit for a maximum of three examinations.

Incomplete Applications

If your application is determined to be incomplete, you will be sent an Application Review Summary identifying any deficiencies. Once you have satisfactorily addressed the identified deficiencies, your application will be approved.

If you are unable to address the identified deficiencies by the application expiration date, your application will not be approved. In order to be considered for licensure in New York State in the future, you will be required to reapply and requalify under the (then) current laws, rules and regulations.

Examination

The Nursing Home Administrator Licensing Examination developed by the National Association of Long Term Care Administrator Boards is the only examination approved by the Board for licensure as a nursing home administrator in New York State.

The examination includes two components -- a 110-item Core of Knowledge Examination for Long Term Care Administrators (CORE) and a 55-item Nursing Home Administrators Line of Service Examination (NHA LOS). All items on the examination are objective, multiple choice questions covering the following five content areas or domains: Customer Care, Supports, and Services; Human Resources; Finance; Environment; and Management and Leadership, as outlined in the Candidate Handbook. Candidates must pass both components of the examination. CORE and NHA LOS examinations must be scheduled concurrently. Admission to each examination will require submission of a separate examination fee. A scale score of 113 is the passing grade accepted by the Board for both the CORE and NHA LOS examinations.

The examination is computer-based, which allows you to register, schedule and sit for the examination at a time and location of your choosing. All applications to sit for the examination must be submitted online.

You will receive your score report from the Board. If you receive a passing score on both components of the examination, you will be provided with information on how to register with the Department of Health as a licensed nursing home administrator. Upon receipt and review of your registration information, your license and Certificate of Registration will be issued. If you do not receive a passing score on both components of the examination by your third attempt, and you wish to retake the examination after the five-year period of eligibility, you will be required to reapply and requalify under the (then) current laws, rules and regulations.

Out-of-State Nursing Home Administrator License Holders

If you hold a nursing home administrator license issued by another state, the examination requirement in New York State may be waived. In order to be granted a waiver, the issuing state must verify that you took and passed the Nursing Home Administrator Licensing Examination developed by the National Association of Long Term Care Administrator Boards (Professional Examination Service examination prior to October 1982). The verification must be in the form of a letter on official letterhead (affixed with a state seal), including the following: your name, license number, date license issued, examination taken, examination date, examination score (raw score and scale score), registration status, expiration date and disciplinary action (if any).