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Becoming a Staff-Development Leader in Arkansas

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 Arkansas — we’ll remember it for you.

Arkansas

In Arkansas, the nurse who leads staff education and training is commonly known as a In-Service Coordinator / Staff Development Coordinator. It’s a valued, higher-responsibility role — and we can help you prepare for it and grow your long-term-care career.

Arkansas has no distinct 'Director of Staff Development' credential. The facility designates its in-service coordinator, and nurse aides must receive 1 hour of in-service per month (12/year, the federal floor). The state-regulated role adjacent to staff development is the NATCEP Primary Instructor, approved by the DHS Office of Long Term Care: an Arkansas-licensed RN in good standing with at least 2 years' nursing including 1 year of long-term care in the last 5 years, plus instructor-workshop/teaching qualifications, with the DON providing general supervision but barred from doing the actual training. A nurse takes on staff development by meeting those RN requirements and being approved by OLTC as a program instructor — there is no separate staff-development license.

Study from Arkansas 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 Arkansas — our online courses are open to nurses and care staff in all 50 states:

Restorative Nurse Assistant ECG/EKG Technician Browse all courses

Whatever Arkansas 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 Arkansas 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 Arkansas in-service rules
Available in all 50 states Certificate of completion 100% online & self-paced

How the role works in Arkansas — official details

Commonly called
In-Service Coordinator / Staff Development Coordinator (facility-designated); for NATCEP the state roles are 'Primary Instructor' and 'Team Instructor')
State credential
No distinct state credential — the facility designates the role.
Keeping skills current (in-service)
Meets the federal 12 hrs/yr (42 CFR 483.95) but framed monthly: each nursing assistant must receive 1 hour of in-service per month (= 12 hrs/yr minimum). Initial-training overlay: 90 hours (>=74 clock hours incl >=16 hours supervised practical) vs. the 75-hour federal minimum.
Qualifying for the role
State overlay (016.25.19 Ark. Code R. 003): the NATCEP Primary Instructor must be an RN currently licensed in Arkansas and not subject to Board of Nursing discipline, with >=2 years nursing experience including >=1 year long-term care nursing within the last 5 years, plus teaching/instructor-workshop qualifications. Training may be under the general supervision of the DON, who is prohibited from performing the actual training (unless replacement DON coverage is provided); LPN instructors work under the Primary Instructor. Classroom ratio <=24:1, skills <=12:1.
State approval & process
No separate state approval to be a facility's in-service coordinator and no distinct staff-development credential. The state-regulated adjacent role is the NATCEP Primary/Team Instructor, approved by the DHS Office of Long Term Care after meeting the RN/experience/instructor-workshop requirements; the facility itself designates its in-service coordinator.
Where to check the official rules
Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS), Division of Provider Services & Quality Assurance (DPSQA), Office of Long Term Care (OLTC) — licenses long-term care facilities and approves the Nursing Assistant Training Program (NATCEP), instructors, and the Nurse Aide Registry.

General information to help you plan — not legal advice. Requirements can change, so confirm the specifics with your state’s licensing agency.
Sources: 016.25.19 Ark. Code R. 003 (DHS Agency #016.06 / #016.25) · 42 CFR 483.95 · 42 CFR 483.152.

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Certify for the DSD role in California — 24 CE contact hours, self-paced, sourced to the regulations, ending in a verifiable certificate.
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The infection prevention and control practices every long-term-care facility relies on — built for the nurse who leads them.
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