The Nurse Assistant (NA) provides Veteran-centered care within the VA New Jersey Health Care System Community Living Center (CLC), including long-term care, sub-acute/short-stay rehabilitation, dementia care, mental health/behavioral health, and hospice/palliative care. Assignments involve Veterans with complex and changing needs ranging from predictable to unpredictable.
Duties: The Nursing Assistant successfully performs duties at the lower grades and provides direct care to complex Veterans under the direction of an RN or LPN. The incumbent communicates effectively with Veterans, families, and the interdisciplinary team; recognizes emergent and subtle changes; intervenes within scope while obtaining assistance; and supports orientation and competency development of other NAs.
Duties include: Provides the full range of nursing assistant care for Veterans with complex physical, cognitive, behavioral, rehabilitative, and end-of-life needs, including ADLs, nutrition, elimination, mobility, positioning, restorative care, and skin protection.
Obtains, interprets within scope, documents, and reports vital signs, weights, intake and output, blood glucose values, specimens, and changes in appetite, mood, behavior, cognition, skin color, respiratory status, or functional ability. Performs validated procedures such as catheter and ostomy care, enemas, simple dressings, application of braces or prosthetic devices, oxygen support, suctioning or tracheostomy care when specifically authorized and competency validated.
Promotes long-term care residents' autonomy, preferences, meaningful activity, continence, social engagement, and highest practical level of independence; actively contributes to interdisciplinary care planning and treatment meetings. Supports sub-acute and short-stay rehabilitation goals by reinforcing therapy plans, monitoring tolerance and progress, safely using adaptive and mobility equipment, and promptly reporting barriers to recovery or discharge readiness.
Provides advanced dementia-sensitive care using validation, redirection, de-escalation, individualized behavioral approaches, and non-pharmacological interventions; identifies subtle changes from baseline and reinforces WanderGuard/elopement-prevention practices.
Implements assigned mental health observation levels and therapeutic milieu expectations; recognizes behavioral escalation, suicide or violence risk, contraband or environmental hazards, and initiates appropriate emergency or crisis response while summoning licensed staff. Provides compassionate hospice and palliative care focused on comfort, dignity, symptom observation, oral and skin care, positioning, family support, and recognition of changes associated with active dying.
Maintains a safe environment, follows infection prevention and safe patient handling requirements, initiates basic life support or other emergency actions as appropriate, serves as preceptor/mentor, and completes accurate documentation, mandatory education, and annual competency validation. Perform other duties as assigned.
Work Schedule: Alternating weekends (12am-8am) Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade).
Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience. Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.
Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66.
Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 14770F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education.
For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.
Patrisia.Cambi@va.gov · 917-853-1951
This position is with Veterans Health Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs.
The posted pay range is $38223 – $62407/yr.
This position requires a Other security clearance.
Applications close on 2026-11-09.
This position is open under the 'Fed Internal Search' hiring path.
Source: USAJOBS.gov — U.S. Federal Government · Retrieved 2026-10-31 · Not affiliated with or endorsed by OPM or USAJOBS.gov
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