New Jersey Nursing Assistant / Nurse Aide Guide
Is a License or Certification needed: To get certified and work as a nursing assistant or nurse aide in a long-term care or assisted living facility in New Jersey, you need to complete a nursing assistant program and pass the Nursing Assistant Training and Competency Evaluation Program (NATCEP) exam.
Who Grants Certification: The New Jersey Department of Health oversees nurses aides in New Jersey. PSI handles the exam.
The Qualifications to become Certified: Nursing aide candidates must complete a NATCEP program or a curriculum for New Jersey Personal Care Assistants (PCA). The NATCEP training program is 90 hours, consisting of 50 hours of classroom and 40 hours of clinical training in a New Jersey long term care facility. The PCA training is 85 hours, consisting of 69 classroom and 16 clinical hours. There are a few alternative routes to qualify for nursing assistant or nurse aide certification in New Jersey:
- If you have completed an equivalent program in another state (reciprocity); and
- If you have alternative training, such as nursing students who have completed a Fundamentals of Nursing course.
For more information on the routes to qualification, see here.
How to Apply for Certification and to take the Exam: If you do not have an alternative route of qualification, you will have to enroll in an approved long term care training program at the facility where you want to work, a vocational training school or community college. See here for an approved list of programs.
To schedule a written or oral exam with PSI, go their site online.
Test Content: The test has two parts, a skills evaluation and a written section. Both parts must be passed to be listed on the New Jersey State Nurse Aide Registry. The written section is 60 questions in length. You will have 90 minutes to complete the exam and must receive a 75% to pass.
The written exam for nurse aides includes the following content topics:
- Safety
- Communication
- Infection Control
- Data Collection
- Personal Care
- Basic Nursing Skills
- Mental Health
- Role and Responsibility
- Care Impaired
- Disease Process
- Resident Rights
- Older Adult Growth & Development
The PCA exams covers the following topics:
- Safety
- Communication
- Infection Control
- Resident Rights
- Data Collection
- Basic Nursing Skills
- Role / Responsibility
- Disease Process
- Mental Health
- Personal Care
- Care Impaired
- Aging Process/Restorative Care
The skills evaluation consists of completing 4 selected nurse aide skills in addition to hand washing. You need a score of 80% without missing any of the key steps to pass the skills portion.
For more information on the content of the exam, see the candidate bulletin.
Contact
Certification Program
PO Box 358
Trenton, NJ 08625-0358
Nationwide Toll Free Number: 866-561-5914
Fax: 609-633-9087
Registry managed by New Jersey Nurse Aide Registry PSI
3525 Quakerbridge Road, Suite 1000
Hamilton Township, New Jersey 08619
Phone: 1-877-774-4243
