Illinois nursing assistants who wish to work in a federally certified long-term care facility must meet both state and federal requirements. Some of the state requirements pertaining to a CNA include: be at least sixteen years old; submit to a criminal history record check and have no disqualifying convictions; do not have any finding of abuse, neglect or misappropriation of client property in Illinois or any other state. Federal requirements for nurse aides working in Illinois include: prior to any direct contact with a resident participate in at least sixteen hours of classroom training in a state-approved CNA training program; if you are not certified at the date of hire, complete the CNA training and testing process within four months after the date of hire. For a complete list of the state and federal regulations contact the Illinois nurse aide registry.