WisCaregiver Careers: CNA—Frequently Asked Questions

WisCaregiver Careers is a public-private partnership administered by Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) in partnership with the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay.

The program is financed through the General Purpose Funding (GPR).

WisCaregiver Careers aims to connect people with nursing home employers who will coordinate and pay for CNA training and testing and pay $500 retention bonuses.

WisCaregiver Careers is an employment-first program meaning you apply for employment in a nursing home setting first. As part of WisCaregivers, your new employer will coordinate your:

• Free CNA training
• Free CNA certification testing
• $500 retention bonus after 6 months of employment, full-time or part-time

When you sign up for WisCaregiver Careers, you will automatically be connected with participating employers in your area.

You can also contact our program partner at your local FSET (Food Share Employment and Training) office to receive additional support that will help you get your CNA certification. FSET offices can provide uniforms, shoes, transportation vouchers, and other help to those who qualify. Make sure to tell them that you are interested in WisCaregiver Careers.

Please note that to become a CNA you must complete competency testing. The cost for the exam may be covered through your employer. The six-month $500 retention bonus is in addition to your wages.

WisCaregiver Careers is an employment-first model in the nursing home and extended care field. This means that you apply first for any open position or entry-level position with an employer of interest. Some employers may hire you first in another position while you get trained as a CNA. You will be able to choose from more than 190 participating employers across the state.

To be part of WisCaregiver Careers, you will apply directly to the employer indicating during the application or interview process you are interested in becoming a WisCaregiver.

It’s easy to get started, simply sign up for WisCaregiver Careers.

WisCaregiver Careers is a job search tool powered by the Handshake platform.

Once you sign up for WisCaregiver Careers, you will automatically be added to the platform. Your name and contact information will be searchable by participating WisCaregiver Careers employers.

Approximately 24-to-48 hours after you register, you will receive an email from the WisCaregiver Careers registration and education team at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. This email will guide you through the final important steps required to complete your Handshake profile.

These final steps are required so that WisCaregiver Careers employers will know that you are actively looking for a job.

The CNA career pathway opens up many opportunities to care for residents of nursing home facilities. CNAs can advance their careers to medication aide, LPN, RN, and on to director of nursing and nursing home administrator. In addition, CNAs can choose many other management positions in nursing homes related to activities, facilities, food service, human resources, and business office services.

You can take the first step to a meaningful career right on this website. Sign up for WisCaregiver Careers.

If you’d like to check out all participating employers in our program, go to the CNA—Find Employers webpage. You will find an up-to-date map showing the growing number of 200+ employers currently offering WisCaregiver Careers benefits across the state. Click on any one of the map markers, and you can learn more about a potential employer, including their address, a link to their website, and more.

The great thing about WisCaregiver Careers is that you are in charge of deciding where you want to work and learn. You apply directly to your chosen employer as a CNA or a CNA trainee, depending on how the employer has structured their application. The application process will also cover a background check and vaccine requirements.

Have questions along the way? Contact our WisCaregiver Career Navigators at wicaregivercna@uwgb.edu.

If you cannot find an employer in your geographic area of interest, or if you have an employer in mind, but they are not listed on the map, please contact one of our WisCaregiver Career Navigators at wicaregivercna@uwgb.edu. We'll be happy to conduct outreach to employers on your behalf to recruit them into the program.

We are continuously updating our employer map on the CNA—Find Employers webpage. We upload new employers in batches on a weekly basis. Typically your information will be added within a few days.

The mentorship program was discontinued effective May 1, 2024. All trainees who started prior to May 1, 2024, with an assigned mentor through TMU prior to May 1, 2024, were eligible for the mentorship bonus if all requirements were met.

The program tries to provide maximum flexibility to our employer partners. Therefore, there are no programmatic requirements from WisCaregiver Careers regarding the number of hours worked. This is entirely at the discretion of the employer. However, if an employer has specific restrictions (i.e. it does not apply to per diem substitutes), they need to clearly communicate requirements to applicants in advance. Our advice is to include this question as part of your employer’s hiring process.

WisCaregiver Careers has no age requirement. There are no rules or regulations in Wisconsin specifying a minimum age requirement for CNAs. Age requirements are at the employer’s discretion, although employers must be aware of all other employment rules for minors, such as work permit requirements and regulations relating to mechanical lifts, which have an age minimum of 16 years. For more information, contact DHSWIDQA_NATCEP@dhs.wisconsin.gov.

WisCaregiver Careers CNA applicants are only eligible for reimbursement through employment in nursing homes. Applicants must be in a nursing home setting while being trained or working toward their six-month retention. If a facility has an assisted living wing, all applicants must still be employed by the nursing home capacity of the employer while in CNA training. Applicants may transfer to another portion of the facility after 6 months post-training.

If you are interested in working in an assisted living facility, consider becoming a Certified Direct Care Professional (CDCP) for free.

Yes! You would still need to apply to one of our qualifying employer partners, and your employer will help you coordinate the scheduling of your certification exam.

If you have any questions about your specific circumstances, feel free to reach out to our Customer Service team at wicaregivercna@uwgb.edu. You'll also qualify for a 6-month retention bonus after 6 months of employment with your employer.

Yes! WisCaregiver Careers has expanded and there is now an option to become a Certified Direct Care Professional (CDCP). Though it is all through WisCaregiver Careers, there are two separate programs for those who want to be Certified Nursing Assistants and those who want to become Certified Direct Care Professionals. If you are interested in becoming a CNA, you are in the right place!