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GNA vs CNA in Maryland: What the CNA-I Change Means for Your License and Your Pay

Maryland retired the GNA title on April 1, 2026. What changed, who transitioned automatically, what CNA-I shifts pay city by city, and how to get certified or endorsed now, with live posted rates from real markets.

Updated July 22, 2026 · live AllShifts shift data

What just changed in Maryland

For decades Maryland was the odd state out: a plain CNA certificate was not enough to work in a nursing home or skilled nursing facility. You needed the GNA, the Geriatric Nursing Assistant certification, which meant passing an extra competency exam on top of CNA training. That two-tier system ended on April 1, 2026, when Senate Bill 999 (signed in May 2024) took effect.

• GNA is now CNA-I. Anyone who held a GNA certificate on March 31, 2026 was automatically transitioned to CNA-I. No new exam, no new application, no fee. Certified medicine aides also count as CNA-I.
• The old plain CNA is now CNA-II. Only people who already held a CNA certificate as of March 31, 2026 can hold CNA-II; the state is not issuing new CNA-II certificates.
• CNA-I works everywhere; CNA-II does not. A CNA-I can practice in any setting, including nursing and skilled nursing facilities. A CNA-II cannot work in those facilities, the same restriction the old plain CNA had.
• All new applicants get CNA-I. Since April 1, 2026, the only certification you can apply for is CNA-I: complete a Board-approved nursing assistant training program (or an approved acute care program) and pass the Board-approved competency evaluation.

Source: the Maryland Board of Nursing's CNA Bill FAQ and the COMAR 10.39.01-.03 revisions implementing SB 999 / HB 1125. Rules get refined over time, so check the Maryland Board of Nursing for the current text before making license decisions.

Why shift cards still say GNA

Facilities, schedulers, and job boards across Maryland spent twenty-plus years calling this role the GNA, and most still do. Shifts on AllShifts in Maryland are posted under the GNA title everyone searches for, and they are exactly the shifts a CNA-I is certified to work. If you transitioned from GNA to CNA-I automatically in April, nothing about your shift eligibility changed: same buildings, same work, same license number underneath.

What the license is worth in Maryland right now

These are live posted per-diem rates, not survey estimates. The median Maryland market posts $20.70-$22.08/hr today, and the highest-paying market (Cumberland) posts up to $27.20/hr:

A 12-hour shift at the median market range grosses $248.40 to $264.96 before taxes. Every rate above is the all-in hourly number shown on the shift card before you book, and AllShifts pays 100% of your net pay right after each verified shift, 7 days a week.

Getting the credential now

• New to the field: complete a Board-approved nursing assistant training program and pass the competency evaluation, then apply for CNA-I. There is no separate GNA exam anymore; one credential now covers every setting.
• Holding CNA-II and want facility work: you qualify for CNA-I by completing an approved training program, passing the competency evaluation, and applying to the Board. Until then, nursing and skilled nursing facilities are off the table for CNA-II.
• Certified in another state: Maryland offers certification by endorsement if your home-state certificate is in good standing and its requirements are essentially similar to Maryland's. Federal-standard CNA training generally travels well, but the Board makes the call.
• Keeping it current: the Board's renewal standard is modest, 16 hours of paid nursing assistant work within the 2-year period before your certificate expires. Even occasional per-diem shifts clear that bar comfortably.

Coming from PA or NJ? Compare before you commute

Maryland's neighbors post CNA shifts on AllShifts too, and the ranges differ enough to matter if you live near a border:

Full city tables live in our CNA pay guide, refreshed from the same live data as this page.

The next rung: what LPN pays in the same cities

If the license change has you thinking about the bigger jump, here is what LPN shifts post in the same Maryland cities today, measured the conservative way (bottom of the LPN range against the TOP of the GNA/CNA-I range). The median same-city jump is +$12.42/hr:

Our CNA-to-LPN bridge guide covers how per-diem scheduling funds the school year without quitting work.

Common questions

Pay figures on this page come from shifts currently posted in the AllShifts app and change daily. AllShifts is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.