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Becoming a Staff-Development Leader in Florida

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 Florida — we’ll remember it for you.

Florida

In Florida, the nurse who leads staff education and training is commonly known as a In-Service Training 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.

Florida has NO 'Director of Staff Development' credential. Florida is unusual: CNAs are certified directly by the Florida Board of Nursing under Sec. 464.203, Fla. Stat. (not a health-department registry), and certification may be earned by challenging the competency exam rather than completing a fixed-hour state course. Nursing-home in-service and staffing are governed by AHCA's Chapter 59A-4, F.A.C., and each facility designates its own in-service/staff-development coordinator — there is no separate credential to earn for that role. State overlay: CNAs must complete 24 hours of in-service per biennium to renew (Sec. 464.203(7)), with specific mandated topics set by Board rule (64B9-15); approved nurse-aide training programs still use the federal RN instructor rule (42 CFR 483.152).

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

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

How the role works in Florida — official details

Commonly called
In-Service Training Coordinator / Staff Development Coordinator (facility-designated). Note: CNAs themselves are certified by the Florida Board of Nursing, not a DSD-style role.
State credential
No distinct state credential — the facility designates the role.
Keeping skills current (in-service)
OVERLAY on the federal floor: a CNA must complete 24 hours of in-service training each biennium to renew certification (Sec. 464.203(7), Fla. Stat.) — 12 hrs/yr in aggregate but renewal-linked, with mandatory topics (e.g., HIV/AIDS, Alzheimer's/related disorders, domestic violence, medical-error prevention) prescribed by Board of Nursing rule 64B9-15, F.A.C.
Qualifying for the role
Federal rule applies (42 CFR 483.152): approved nurse-aide training must be by or under an RN with 2 years' experience, 1 year in long-term care. Florida additionally allows certification by exam challenge, so a fixed-hour state training program is not mandatory; the Board of Nursing (Rule 64B9-15) governs approved programs and the CNA exam.
State approval & process
No separate state approval to be a facility staff-development/in-service coordinator. Florida does have a state credential for the CNA (Board of Nursing certification), but not for the DSD/coordinator role — the facility designates it.
Where to check the official rules
Two agencies: the Florida Board of Nursing (within the Dept. of Health) certifies CNAs and regulates in-service (Sec. 464.203, Fla. Stat.; Rule 64B9-15, F.A.C.); the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) licenses nursing homes and sets facility in-service/nursing standards (Ch. 59A-4, F.A.C.).

General information to help you plan — not legal advice. Requirements can change, so confirm the specifics with your state’s licensing agency.
Sources: Sec. 464.203, Fla. Stat. (esp. (7)) · Fla. Admin. Code Ch. 59A-4 · Fla. Admin. Code R. 64B9-15.

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