How to Become a Caregiver in Florida: Training, Exam, and Screening

To become a caregiver in Florida, you pick the role you want to work in, complete the training hours that role requires, and clear a Level 2 background screening run through the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA). Companions need no clinical training. Home health aides need at least 75 hours. Certified nursing assistants complete roughly 120 hours and pass a state competency exam. From enrolling in a program to landing an “eligible” status in AHCA’s screening system, most people are looking at a few months.

Pick The Role You Want To Work In

Florida recognizes three common caregiver roles, and the one you choose sets your training, your pay ceiling, and what you’re allowed to do on the job.

Companion or homemaker. Non-medical help: light housekeeping, meal preparation, companionship. No clinical training required, though employers still run background checks.
Home health aide (HHA). Personal care tasks such as bathing, dressing, and basic health monitoring under a nurse’s supervision. Federal rules require at least 75 hours of combined classroom and supervised practical training for aides working in Medicare- or Medicaid-certified agencies.¹
Certified nursing assistant (CNA). Broader clinical duties in nursing homes, hospitals, and home settings. Florida CNA programs typically run about 120 hours, including 80 classroom hours and 40 clinical hours, with at least 20 clinical hours in a licensed nursing facility.

Many people start as a companion or HHA and later pursue CNA certification for higher pay and access to hospital and skilled nursing jobs an HHA certificate alone won’t open.

Complete The Required Training

HHA training combines classroom instruction with supervised hands-on practice. The 75-hour federal minimum covers infection control, personal hygiene technique, basic nutrition, patient rights, and safe transfers.² The practical portion requires you to demonstrate skills on an actual person under a registered nurse’s direct supervision.

CNA programs go further into clinical skills: vital signs, catheter care, range-of-motion exercises, documentation. The Florida Board of Nursing oversees CNA certification and requires completion of an approved training program before you can sit for the competency exam.³ Programs run at community colleges, vocational schools, and some healthcare facilities. Tuition varies. Eastern Florida State College, for example, charges roughly $1,116 for its patient care assistant certificate for Florida residents, not counting books and supplies.⁴ HHA-only programs tend to cost less; combined HHA/CNA programs run higher.

Pass The CNA Competency Exam

If you’re going the CNA route, you finish your training program and then take the Prometric CNA Exam. It has two parts: a written knowledge test and a hands-on skills demonstration.³ The written portion covers nursing fundamentals and patient safety. The skills section tests specific clinical tasks under observation.

Timing matters. Apply within six months of finishing your training program and you only need to pass the written portion. After that window closes, both sections are required. The exam is given at department-approved testing sites around the state. You can retake if you don’t pass, though additional fees apply each time.

Clear The Level 2 Background Screening

Every caregiver working in a licensed healthcare setting in Florida must clear a Level 2 background screening before starting work. It’s one of the more thorough checks the state runs. Electronic fingerprints are compared against Florida Department of Law Enforcement records and FBI national criminal history databases.⁵

Results are processed through the AHCA Care Provider Background Screening Clearinghouse, which posts your eligibility status to a secure database employers can access.⁶ The determination is binary: eligible or ineligible. An ineligible flag means no licensed healthcare employer in Florida can legally hire you.

Disqualifying Offenses And Exemptions

Florida Statute 435.04 lists offenses that automatically disqualify someone from caregiver employment: serious violent crimes, sexual offenses, abuse or neglect of a vulnerable person, arson, burglary, and many drug-related felonies. Equivalent offenses in other states count the same. Charges awaiting final disposition and nolo contendere pleas are treated as convictions for screening.⁷

A disqualifying result isn’t always the end. Florida Statute 435.07 lets you apply for an exemption. For disqualifying felonies, at least two years must have passed since you completed all confinement, supervision, or court-imposed conditions. For misdemeanors, you must have fully completed your sentence. Any court-ordered fines, restitution, or fees must be paid in full before you’re even eligible to apply.⁸ The head of the relevant agency decides based on your rehabilitation evidence.

If the report contains errors rather than legitimate offenses, that’s a different route. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the employer must tell you which background screening company produced the report, and you can dispute inaccuracies directly with that company. Ask the company to send the corrected report to the employer.⁹

Health Screening And Documents To Gather

Before starting work, you’ll need a physical examination and a tuberculosis screening. A physician has to certify that you’re free from communicable diseases and physically able to handle the job’s demands — lifting, transferring patients, extended time on your feet. TB screening is typically a skin test or blood draw reviewed by the hiring facility.

Pull the following together before you apply. Missing paperwork is one of the most common causes of delay:

Government-issued photo ID (Florida driver’s license, state ID card, or U.S. passport)
Social Security card
Proof of Florida residency (utility bill, lease, or similar)
Current CPR certification from an approved provider such as the American Heart Association or American Red Cross
Training certificates or diplomas from your HHA or CNA program
TB test results and physical exam clearance from a licensed physician, generally dated within the past 12 months

Keep digital copies. You’ll need the same documents for renewals and any time you change employers.

Submit Your Application Through AHCA

The application runs through the AHCA Care Provider Background Screening Clearinghouse. Usually the employer initiates the screening, but you can also start it yourself through the Clearinghouse Applicant Initiated (CHAI) portal. CHAI doesn’t require a permanent account. You enter an email address and receive a one-time passcode for each session.¹⁰

Once you’re in, the portal searches for any existing screening record tied to your information. If none exists, you’ll be directed to schedule a Livescan electronic fingerprinting appointment at an approved vendor. Vendor fees vary and generally include both the service charge and the FDLE/FBI processing fee. Fingerprints are transmitted electronically to state and federal databases.

Processing usually takes a few business days, though complex cases run longer. You’ll get a notification through the portal with your eligible or ineligible status. Eligible means you can start working in a direct care role.

Know What You Can And Can’t Do On The Job

Florida draws a hard line between assisting patients and practicing nursing, and this is where new caregivers get into trouble. An unlicensed caregiver can help a medically stable patient take routine, regularly scheduled medications meant to be self-administered. That includes oral medications, topical creams, transdermal patches, eye drops, ear drops, nasal sprays, and nebulizer treatments.¹¹

Assisting with self-administration is not the same as administering medication. Florida law specifically prohibits unlicensed caregivers from:

Giving injections or IV medications, or any parenteral preparation
Performing wound irrigations or applying debriding agents
Administering rectal, urethral, or vaginal preparations
Giving “as needed” (PRN) medications, unless the prescriber’s order includes specific parameters that eliminate any need for the caregiver’s judgment
Administering any medication where deciding timing, amount, strength, or method requires clinical discretion¹¹

Crossing these lines can bring criminal charges for practicing nursing without a license, loss of your eligibility status, and civil liability if a patient is harmed. When a family member or patient asks for something outside your scope, the right move is always to call the supervising nurse.

Keep Your Credentials Current

Your credentials don’t stay valid on their own. HHAs must complete at least 12 hours of in-service training every 12 months under federal rules.¹ This training can happen while you’re actively providing care.

CNAs are on a different cycle. Florida requires at least 24 hours of in-service training each two-year renewal period. CNA certificates renew biennially, and the renewal fee is $50.¹²¹³ Let it lapse and you may have to retake the competency exam to reinstate it.

Your Level 2 background screening also needs renewal every five years. Your employer must initiate a Clearinghouse renewal within 60 days before your retained fingerprints expire. Miss that window and you’ll need to be re-fingerprinted at a Livescan vendor, which costs more than a simple renewal.⁵ Between screenings, the Clearinghouse monitors for new arrests that could change your eligibility. The employer usually handles the renewal, but your career is the one on the line if it slips, so keep your own record of the expiration date.

1
eCFR. 42 CFR 484.80 – Condition of Participation: Home Health Aide Services
2
eCFR. 42 CFR 484.80 – Condition of Participation: Home Health Aide Services
3
Florida Board of Nursing. Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)
4
Eastern Florida State College. Patient Care Assistant – Certificate Program
5
The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 408.809 – Background Screening; Prohibited Offenses
6
FL HealthSource. FAQ: What Is a Level 2 Background Screening?
7
Florida House of Representatives. 2024 Florida Statutes Title XXXI Chapter 435 Section 04
8
The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 435.07 – Exemptions From Disqualification
9
Federal Trade Commission. Employer Background Checks and Your Rights
10
FL HealthSource. Care Provider Background Screening Clearinghouse – CHAI Instruction Guide
11
The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 400.488 – Assistance With Self-Administration of Medication
12
Florida Board of Nursing. Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Renewal
13
Cornell Law Institute. Florida Admin Code 64B9-15.0045