How to become a licensed nursing home administrator in the District of Columbia: the three routes, the Administrator-in-Training (AIT) program, the NAB exams and the District exam, continuing education and renewal, with section numbers.
| Who licenses | The Board of Nursing, within DC Health, since 19 July 2024 (D.C. Code § 3-1202.04) |
|---|---|
| Education | A bachelor’s degree plus six 3-credit courses (17 DCMR 6202.1) |
| AIT requirement | One of three routes: an AIT of 6 or 12 continuous months as the Board sets, at 35 or more hours a week; 1 year of supervised work in a DC nursing home; or an accredited master’s degree plus 6 months of experience (17 DCMR 6202.1(c)) |
| National exams | NAB Core of Knowledge (CORE) and NHA Line of Service, a scaled score of 113 (17 DCMR 6204.4) |
| State exam | Required: the District examination, a Board-written test on DC law and rules (75 percent to pass) plus a Board interview (17 DCMR 6205.1) Details ↓ |
| Continuing education | 40 hours every two years, including 10 from listed topics, 2 of LGBTQ cultural competency and 4 of public health priorities; first renewal exempt (17 DCMR 6206) |
| Renewal | 30 June of each even-numbered year under the rule (17 DCMR 6201.1); credentials issued on or after 16 June 2024 expire in the holder’s birth month (Board page) |
| Official sources | dchealth.dc.gov (the Board page) · 17 DCMR Chapter 62 (Board PDF, 2019) · D.C. Code § 3-1205.04 · AIT Guidelines · nabweb.org (national exams) |
Verified September 2026. “DCMR” is the District of Columbia Municipal Regulations, and “§” numbers are sections of the D.C. Code.
Under current law, nursing home administrators are licensed by the Board of Nursing, part of DC Health (D.C. Code § 3-1202.04(b)(1), which lists the “practice of nursing home administration”). D.C. Law 25-191, the Health Occupations Revision General Amendment Act of 2024, repealed the separate Board of Long-Term Care Administration (§ 3-1202.05) effective 19 July 2024. One of the Board of Nursing’s 13 seats goes to a DC-licensed nursing home, assisted living or home health administrator.
Two names on DC Health’s site. DC Health’s licensing page is still headed “Board of Long-Term Care Administration (formerly the Board of Nursing Home Administration)”, and its list of licensing boards and its 2024 renewal notice use that older name. This page says “the Board” for the Board of Nursing.
The rules are 17 DCMR Chapter 62, unchanged since August 2019, so they still say “the Board” generally and call the national exam “NABENHA”. The office is at 2201 Shannon Place SE, Washington, DC 20020, (877) 672-2174.
DC Health also regulates the nursing homes, under the Mayor’s licensing authority in the Health-Care and Community Residence Facility, Hospice and Home Care Licensure Act (§ 44-501 et seq.). Federal rules for certified homes call for an administrator “Licensed by the State, where licensing is required” (42 CFR 483.70(d)(2)(i)).
Every applicant needs, under 17 DCMR 6202.1(a) and (b), a bachelor’s degree from an accredited 4-year institution and six 3-credit courses: accounting; human resources or personnel management; management; gerontology; health care law or ethics; and management of long-term care institutions. The statute, § 3-1205.04(f), asks for a bachelor’s degree with a specialty in the applicable courses and at least 1 year in a DC-licensed nursing home under a licensed administrator; the year does not apply to a master’s degree in nursing home administration or another appropriate specialty. A criminal background check is required (see DC Health’s page).
The rule then asks for experience by one of three routes (17 DCMR 6202.1(c)):
| Route | What you need | 17 DCMR |
|---|---|---|
| AIT | Complete an AIT program: 6 or 12 continuous months as the Board sets, at an average of at least 35 hours a week (details below) | 6202.1(c)(1) |
| A year of supervised work | At least 1 year of work, during or after your bachelor’s program, in a DC-licensed nursing home under a licensed administrator’s general or immediate supervision; each supervisor gives a signed statement | 6202.1(c)(2) |
| Accredited master’s degree | An ACEHSA-accredited master’s degree with a 6-month experiential component in a licensed nursing home, or 6 months of employment in one under a licensed administrator’s supervision | 6202.1(c)(3) |
The AIT is the first of the three routes. It runs 6 or 12 continuous months, and the Board specifies the length in the approval it gives you (17 DCMR 6202.9; AIT Guidelines, revised 22 July 2011). The Guidelines do not say which candidates get 6 months or 12, but they treat 12 continuous months as the base requirement, which the Board may waive in exigent circumstances. The statute, § 3-1205.04(f), asks 1 year in a nursing home of applicants without a master’s degree, so a 6-month AIT is the Board’s decision, not a default. The details:
The Board may approve up to 1,000 hours of practical credit for experience from the prior 5 years, such as assistant administrator, hospital administrator, residency, assisted living residence (ALR) management and senior management (17 DCMR 6202.4(d)). The Guidelines point to 17 DCMR 6202.1(d)(2)(b) for partial credit.
The rule asks for a licensed nursing home administrator with at least 3 years of experience, approved by the Board (6299.1). The Guidelines add: licensed at least 1 year, 3 years or longer in nursing home administration, Board certification as a preceptor, and a notarized Preceptor/AIT Agreement with you. A preceptor may not have more than two AITs at any one time (6202.11) and earns up to 20 CE hours (6208.6).
Other states: AIT Hours by State.
The free AIT Planner turns AIT hours into a plan across facility departments. DC lists 29 areas of supervised practice (17 DCMR 6202.4(c)), so treat the planner’s split as our planning aid and agree on your plan with your preceptor. No account needed.
Open the free AIT Planner17 DCMR 6204.1 requires a passing score on the national examination, which the rule still calls “NABENHA”; 6204.4 sets it at 113. The rule does not name the two exams, but NAB’s Candidate Handbook lists the NHA Line of Service exam as a “required component of licensure in all states and the District of Columbia”, so in practice you sit both the Core of Knowledge (CORE) and the NHA exams at Pearson VUE. Figures are from the Candidate Handbook (September 2026):
| Core of Knowledge | 125 questions (100 scored, 25 pretest), 150 minutes in all, 130 of them for answering questions |
|---|---|
| NHA Line of Service | 75 questions (60 scored, 15 pretest), 90 minutes in all, 70 of them for answering questions |
| Passing score | A scaled score of 113 |
| Fee | $480 for CORE and NHA applied for together, from 1 February 2026, paid to NAB. Taken alone, CORE is $320 and NHA is $190 |
| NAB attempts | Since 1 January 2026, up to 4 attempts at each exam per cycle (1 July to 30 June) |
| District retake rule | After 3 consecutive failures, you wait 1 year to take another national exam, and 1 year after each later failure (17 DCMR 6204.5, one of two sections with that number), on top of NAB’s limit |
| Older scores | A pass over 5 years old is still accepted if you have been continuously licensed and practicing as a nursing home administrator in the United States (6204.5) |
More in NAB Exam Format and The Core Domains Explained.
17 DCMR 6205 calls it the District examination. It has two parts: a written test the Board develops and an interview with the Board. The rule predates the 2024 move to the Board of Nursing, so ask DC Health who schedules the exam and interview.
| Written test | Developed by the Board on District law and rules; “a passing score of seventy-five percent (75%)” (6205.1) |
|---|---|
| Interview | Oral questions from Board members about your past and present experience (6205.6). A license cannot be denied on the interview unless your statements show a violation or that you do not qualify (6205.7) |
| When | Given “at least once every quarter” (6205.2), once you meet every other requirement (6205.3) |
| Retakes | After 3 consecutive failures, you wait 6 months to retake, then 1 year after each later failure (6205.5) |
| Not published | DC Health does not publish the exam’s format, number of questions, time limit, fee, testing vendor or study guide |
17 DCMR 6205.4 says the written test “may include, but is not limited, to” questions on these subjects:
More in State NHA Exams Explained.
Four places where DC law sets a different number, or adds a requirement, compared with 42 CFR Part 483. All four come from the D.C. Code:
| Topic | Federal rule (42 CFR 483) | District of Columbia rule | D.C. Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nurse staffing levels | Sufficient nursing staff on a 24-hour basis (483.35(a)), with no hours-per-resident-day minimum, and a registered nurse “for at least 8 consecutive hours a day, 7 days a week”, unless waived (483.35(b)(1)). CMS repealed the 2024 minimum staffing standards, which were never enforced, by interim final rule published 3 December 2025 (90 FR 55687, effective 2 February 2026) | From 1 January 2012, “a minimum daily average of 4.1 hours of direct nursing care per resident per day”, of which at least 0.6 hours come from a registered nurse or advanced practice registered nurse | § 44-504(h-1)(1)(B)(ii) |
| Practitioner time on site | Each resident is seen by a physician at least once every 30 days for the first 90 days after admission, and at least once every 60 days after that (483.30(c)(1)); no weekly hours-per-resident minimum | From 1 January 2011, a physician, physician assistant or advanced practice registered nurse (not the medical director) “available on-site for a minimum of 0.2 hours per week for each resident” | § 44-504(h-1)(1)(B)(i) |
| Discharge and transfer notice | At least 30 days’ notice, with listed exceptions (483.15(c)(4)) | Notice “at least 21 calendar days before a proposed discharge or transfer”, and at least 7 calendar days before a move within the facility, with limited exceptions for emergencies | § 44-1003.02 |
| Reporting abuse | Alleged violations involving abuse or serious bodily injury are reported “immediately, but not later than 2 hours”, and others within 24 hours (483.12(c)(1)); investigation results within 5 working days (483.12(c)(4)) | A health-care administrator and any licensed health professional with substantial cause to believe an adult needs protective services because of abuse, neglect or exploitation must report “immediately” to Adult Protective Services, which takes reports 24 hours a day | § 7-1903 |
The federal nursing home rules (42 CFR Part 483, Subpart B) apply only to facilities certified for Medicare or Medicaid, so a certified District home must meet both. DC’s 21-day discharge notice is shorter than the federal 30, and a certified home must meet the federal 30 days.
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The Board’s preceptor list. DC Health publishes Board Approved Administrator-in-Training Preceptors, covering 2005 to 2025. The PDF has 57 entries, by certification year only, with no facility, and is not filtered by current status, so use it as a list of names to ask, not a roster of who is taking trainees. The Board does not publish a list of AIT programs.
Forms. The AIT Guidelines and forms page has the Preceptor/AIT Agreement and the Application for Preceptor.
Associations, for meeting administrators. The DC Health Care Association (DCHCA) represents long-term care facilities in the District, and LeadingAge DC represents mission-driven aging-services providers, including nursing homes. They are places to meet administrators who could precept; this page does not list either as an AIT program.
For the full step-by-step on approaching facilities and preceptors, see How to Find an AIT Preceptor and an Approved Program.
| NHA license renewal, 2024 cycle | $203, plus an $85 late fee for renewing 1 July to 31 August 2024 (2024 Renewal Notice) |
|---|---|
| NAB CORE and NHA exams | $480 together from 1 February 2026, paid to NAB; $320 for CORE or $190 for NHA taken alone |
| Application and initial license, by examination | $356 for the application and license fee (DC Health’s examination application checklist) |
| District exam | DC Health does not publish a separate amount; for reciprocity applicants, 17 DCMR 6209.1(f) says only “applicable fees established by the Mayor” |
You need 40 hours of approved continuing education in the two years before your license expires (17 DCMR 6206.4). Within the 40:
Your first renewal is exempt (6206.2). With less than 2 years on your license term, the Board page says 50 percent of the CE is accepted during the birth-month transition, with the 2 LGBTQ hours and the public health priorities still required in full.
What counts. Programs must be Board-approved; sponsors submit a program 30 days ahead under the rule (6207.3(c)(2)) and 15 days under the Board’s CE guidelines. At least 50 percent of the CE must be seminars, workshops or conferences; 1 credit is 60 minutes, and a college semester hour counts as 15 CE hours and a quarter hour as 10 (6208.1 to 6208.3). The Board audits licensees at random, and you have 30 days to produce proof (6206.8 to 6206.9).
Renewal dates. Under 17 DCMR 6201.1, licenses expire at midnight on 30 June of each even-numbered year; the 2024 cycle closed 30 June 2024 (2024 Renewal Notice). The Board page says credentials issued on or after 16 June 2024 expire in the holder’s birth month, and Chapter 62 has no matching amendment. It links only the 2024 notice and does not state 2026 renewal dates for administrators. Renew online through the DC Health renewal portal.
Lapsed or inactive licenses. Reinstating takes 20 CE hours for each year the license lapsed, up to 100, with 20 of them in the year before you apply and 10 percent in public health priorities (6206.6). Reactivating from inactive status uses the same formula (6206.5).
Reciprocity (17 DCMR 6209.1). You need good standing in another state, 3 years of current practice as an administrator, a pass on the District exam, a reciprocal state with an agreement, a Board interview and 3 letters of recommendation. The rule does not require a national exam.
Endorsement (6210.1). The same, without the agreement. 6205.1 still asks every applicant to sit for an interview with the Board.
Temporary license. D.C. Code § 3-1205.08a lets a board issue a temporary license, in situations set by rule, for a fixed period it sets, to someone licensed and in good standing in another jurisdiction. 17 DCMR 4007 was amended effective 1 September 2023; ask DC Health whether it is offered to administrators.
Graduate practice (17 DCMR 6211.7 to 6211.8). A graduate may practice under an administrator’s supervision for no more than 18 months, with at least 8 hours a month under immediate supervision.
The laws, rules and other sources cited on this page.
Citations verified September 2026. For reference, not legal advice; the current official text governs.
DC sets the AIT in months, not a total: 6 or 12 continuous months as the Board sets, at an average of at least 35 hours a week (17 DCMR 6202.4(b), 6202.9), with up to 1,000 hours of credit for prior experience (6202.4(d)). It is one of three routes; the others are a year of supervised work in a DC nursing home, or an accredited master’s degree plus 6 months of experience (6202.1(c)).
The NAB Core of Knowledge and NHA Line of Service exams, with a scaled score of 113 (17 DCMR 6204.4), and the District examination: a Board-written test on DC law and rules, 75 percent to pass, plus a Board interview (6205.1).
40 hours of approved CE every two years, including 10 from 13 listed topics, 2 of LGBTQ cultural competency and 4 (10 percent) in public health priorities. Your first renewal is exempt (17 DCMR 6206).
DC Health publishes a preceptor list covering 2005 to 2025, by certification year only, with no facility or current status, and no list of AIT programs. The AIT Guidelines and the Application for Preceptor are on its site.
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