CCA Registry

Frequently Asked Questions: CCA Registry

To better understand how many CCAs there are, where you are working, the kind of work you do and how long you have been working, the provincial government introduced the Continuing Care Assistants Registry Act. The Act requires all CCAs in the province to register on the CCA Registry and to renew your registration every year, unless you choose to no longer work as a CCA in Nova Scotia. The Act allows the Department of Health and Wellness to collect the data from the mandatory CCA Registry and to use it for CCA workforce planning, recruitment, and educational programming.

Anyone in Nova Scotia who is working in the role of a CCA in any employment setting, including positions that require a CCA qualification but have a different job title.  Education qualifications are required to work in the role of a CCA, as identified in the Entry to Practice Policy, update effective November 9, 2021.

As part of the registration process, you will be asked to submit proof of certification/qualifying education. 

  • Certified Continuing Care Assistants (CCA) have completed all components of the CCA Program from a recognized education provider and have passed the provincial examination. Certified CCAs hold a certificate from the Department of Health and Wellness or Department of Seniors and Long Term Care. *This includes Care Team Assistants (CTAs).
  • Certified Home Support Workers (HSW) hold a certificate of completion from Home Support Nova Scotia (HSNSA) which must be presented as proof of certification. 
  • Home Health Care Providers/Home Health Aides (HHP/HHA) hold a certificate from the Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) which must be presented as proof of certification. 
  • Certified Personal Care Workers (PCW) hold a certificate from the Nova Scotia Department of Health or Department of Community Services which must be presented as proof of certification. 
  • Retired Nurses or other nurses who do not wish to maintain an active license in Nova Scotia may be granted equivalency and hired as a CCA given verification of previous good standing with the nursing college; a form letter is available on the main CCA Registry page.  See Section 5.5 of Entry to Practice Policy.
  • International Educated Nurses (IEN) may be granted equivalency and hired as a CCA where the National Nursing Assessment Service (NNAS) advisory report indicates the individual is comparable or somewhat comparable to the Canadian RN or LPN.  If your NNAS is still in process, you may be hired under the conditional hire clause see Section 5.4 of Entry to Practice Policy.
  • Conditional Hires include CCAs in Training/IEN without NNAS report/other health care students for replacement coverage.  You will be required to upload the employer form letter located on the main Registry page identifying your conditional hire circumstance. See Sections 5.2.4 to 5.4.3 of the Entry to Practice Policy.
  • On the Job Trained includes grandfathered employees working in the role of a CCA.  You will be required to submit a letter from your employer verifying on the job trained status.  See Sections 5.2.2 and 5.2.3 of the Entry to Practice Policy.

The main goal of the CCA Registry is to acquire a list of Certified CCAs and equivalents to provide information to the Department of Health and Wellness, and employers for human resource planning and to identify formal and informal education preparation.

Identifying education credential (i.e., Continuing Care Assistant Certification, CCA in Training) will aid the planning required to meet the current and future workforce needs.  To ensure the integrity of the information in the CCA Registry database it is mandatory you submit proof of your credential as validation. 

The Minister of Health and Wellness is responsible for the CCA Registry and has given the Health Association of Nova Scotia (HANS) the role of administering the CCA Registry on behalf of the Minister. HANS and the Department of Health and Wellness will work together to ensure that the registration data is kept secure and private in accordance with Nova Scotia’s privacy legislation.

We haven’t had a full picture of the CCA workforce in Nova Scotia.  The mandatory CCA Registry will provide a complete list of all CCAs working across both the public and private sector, and give us a better understanding of this workforce, including regional distribution, part-time versus full-time employment status, public or private sector, and trends in employment and retention. It will also allow employers to ensure their CCAs are registered

The mandatory registry replaces the voluntary registry, which does not capture a full picture of the workforce. Less than 10% of CCAs working in the province are included in the voluntary registry. The data collected is not sufficient to support good workforce planning.

The data is collected through the registration and annual renewal process you will complete online at CCA Registry.

When you register, you will need to provide:

  • Personal details such as name and address
  • Proof of government issued identification
  • Education, the related institution, and certification date
  • Information on your employment status such as whether you are currently employed, and if so, whether you work on a part-time, full-time, or casual basis
  • The name and location of your employer(s)
  • Work duties and average number of hours worked per year
  • Estimated retirement date

Certificate courses connected with the CCA education will be recorded in the Registry (e.g., palliative care, dementia etc.). 

Newly employed CCAs are required to register upon commencement of employment. It is now a requirement for all CCAs to be registered on the CCA Registry. 

The annual membership  period for the CCA Registry runs from January 1-December 31 each year. 

CCAs must renew their registration each year between Jan 1 and March 31.

CCA in Training working under conditional hire are required to be a member of the CCA Registry. Students not working under a conditional hire as a CCA in Training are not eligible as a member of the Registry.

No. There is no cost to CCAs to register or renew their registration annually.

You will receive a letter indicating your application for registration has been denied and the reason why. If the reason is a lack of required information, you will have an opportunity to provide that information to the Administrator. The letter will include information on how you can request a review (appeal) of the decision to deny your application. 

You will be fined $50 if you don’t register by June 30, 2022.  In 2023 and beyond you will be fined if you don’t register by March 31 each year. 

You will receive notification when it is time to renew your registration.  We will also reach out to stakeholders, such as unions and employers, to ensure CCAs are aware of the need to register and know how to do it.  

Employers are required to have their CCA staff registered and will communicate and work with you to ensure you complete your registration.  Employers may assist by providing the technology for access to online tools, such as registrations, renewals, resources, and services.

The data collected will be securely stored except for name, registration number, and annual registration status and whether registration is conditional (eg. CCA in Training). This information will be publicly available similar to the practice of the Nova Scotia College of Nurses.

For general inquiries about the CCA Registry: 

Email:CCARegistry@healthassociation.ns.ca

or call 1-866-265-9900

Monday-Friday 8am-4pm

© CONTINUING CARE ASSISTANT PROGRAM