Nationwide · All 50 States

Becoming a Staff-Development Leader in New Jersey

Every skilled nursing facility needs a nurse to lead its orientation and in-service education, and the core skills are the same across the country. We help you build them — with professional, certificate-bearing online courses available to nurses and care staff in all 50 states. In California the role is called Director of Staff Development; elsewhere it’s a Staff Development Coordinator, In-Service Coordinator or Nurse Educator.

Looking for the in-service training requirements rather than the role? See our nursing-home in-service requirements by state.

Showing New Jersey — we’ll remember it for you.

New Jersey

In New Jersey, the nurse who leads staff education and training is commonly known as a Nurse Aide Training Program Instructor/Evaluator. It’s a valued, higher-responsibility role — and we can help you prepare for it and grow your long-term-care career.

New Jersey has no distinct Director of Staff Development credential. Nurse aides are certified by the NJ Department of Health and appear on the state Nurse Aide Registry, and each aide must get at least 12 hours of in-service education a year driven by annual performance reviews. To be the CNA-course instructor a nurse must be a NJ RN with two years' experience (one in long-term care) plus adult-teaching preparation and be approved by the Department (resume review); evaluators need three years' experience with recent LTC. There is no individual certificate to earn for a 'staff development' title — the facility designates the role and the Department approves the training instructor/evaluator.

Study from New Jersey today — nationwide training that travels with you

Through our sister platform Draco Learning, you can build practical skills and earn a professional certificate of completion from New Jersey — our online courses are open to nurses and care staff in all 50 states:

Restorative Nurse Assistant ECG/EKG Technician Browse all courses

Whatever New Jersey asks you to teach, it’s already written

The in-service topics a surveyor expects are set by federal law, so they are the same in New Jersey as everywhere else. Our in-service library covers all of them — 186 ready-to-teach lessons, each with a lesson plan, handout, quiz, speaker notes and slides — for $99.

See the lesson library Free compliance checklist New Jersey in-service rules
Available in all 50 states Certificate of completion 100% online & self-paced

How the role works in New Jersey — official details

Commonly called
Nurse Aide Training Program Instructor/Evaluator (Department-approved); facility in-service education under the nursing department
State credential
No distinct state credential — the facility designates the role.
Keeping skills current (in-service)
N.J.A.C. 8:39 requires each nurse aide to receive at least 12 hrs of regular in-service education per year, tied to the outcome of an annual performance review — meets the federal floor of 12 hrs/yr (42 CFR 483.95).
Qualifying for the role
State OVERLAY (on process, not a new credential): the training-program instructor must be a NJ-licensed RN with at least 2 years of nursing experience including at least 1 year in a licensed long-term care facility, plus adult-teaching training or experience; the competency evaluator must be a NJ RN with at least 3 years of health-care experience including LTC within the prior 5 years. Both must be approved by the NJ DOH Certification Program (resume submission) (8:39-43.10). NJ's aide training is 90 hours, exceeding the federal 75.
State approval & process
No separate state DSD credential — the individual instructor/evaluator submits a resume to the NJ Department of Health's Certification Program for approval, and the facility designates whoever delivers in-service education.
Where to check the official rules
New Jersey Department of Health — Certified Nurse Aide program / Nurse Aide Registry; long-term care licensure under N.J.A.C. 8:39

General information to help you plan — not legal advice. Requirements can change, so confirm the specifics with your state’s licensing agency.
Sources: N.J.A.C. 8:39-43.10 · N.J.A.C. 8:39-43.2 · N.J.A.C. 8:39-43.

Explore another state

Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
Our Programs

Explore Our Programs

Advance your long-term-care career with our growing family of professional programs — the DSD certification here on DSD Certify, plus more through our platform Draco Learning.

Director of Staff Development (DSD) program On this site
Director of Staff Development (DSD)
Certify for the DSD role in California — 24 CE contact hours, self-paced, sourced to the regulations, ending in a verifiable certificate.
Enroll — $79
Restorative Nurse Assistant (RNA) program Draco Learning
Restorative Nurse Assistant (RNA)
Restorative nursing and MDS Section O documentation — online theory plus in-person clinical, ending in a certificate of completion.
View program
Infection Control & Prevention Nurse program Draco Learning
Infection Control & Prevention Nurse
The infection prevention and control practices every long-term-care facility relies on — built for the nurse who leads them.
View program
MDS Nurse Certification program Draco Learning
MDS Nurse Certification
Master the Minimum Data Set — accurate resident assessments that drive care planning and reimbursement across the facility.
View program
Skin, Wound & Ostomy Care program Draco Learning
Skin, Wound & Ostomy Care
Skin integrity, wound care and ostomy management — high-value, in-demand skills for the long-term-care nurse.
View program