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Becoming a Staff-Development Leader in Maryland

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.

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Maryland

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

Maryland has no California-style DSD credential, and its frontline nursing-home aide is the Geriatric Nursing Assistant (GNA). To lead a nurse-aide/GNA training program you must be an RN licensed in Maryland with at least 2 years of nursing experience (1 year with the elderly or chronically ill in the past 5 years) plus a 16-hour adult-education course or 2 years of teaching experience (COMAR 10.39.02.05), and the training program itself must be Board of Nursing-approved before it operates. The Board of Nursing certifies CNAs/GNAs and approves the 75-hour GNA curriculum (COMAR 10.07.02.62); the Office of Health Care Quality licenses the nursing home. There is no separate staff-development credential to apply for — the facility designates its in-service coordinator, and the federal 12-hour annual in-service floor applies.

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

Restorative Nurse Assistant ECG/EKG Technician Browse all courses

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

How the role works in Maryland — official details

Commonly called
Staff Development / In-Service Coordinator (training role: RN Program Director / Instructor of the CNA/GNA training program). Maryland's frontline nursing-home aide credential is the Geriatric Nursing Assistant (GNA), not a staff-development credential.
State credential
No distinct state credential — the facility designates the role.
Keeping skills current (in-service)
Follows the federal 12 hrs/yr (42 CFR 483.95). Maryland's nursing-home reg requires an ongoing in-service program and orientation, but I could not confirm a numeric state minimum above the federal 12 from primary sources — treat the 12-hour federal floor as controlling. Separately, GNA certification renews every 2 years with evidence of active paid geriatric-nursing-assistant practice (OHCQ/MBON).
Qualifying for the role
State overlay ON TOP of the federal rule. COMAR 10.39.02.05: the faculty/program instructor must be an RN licensed (or multistate-privilege) in Maryland, with a minimum of 2 years of nursing experience, at least 1 year of which was caring for the elderly or chronically ill within the past 5 years, PLUS completion of a 16-hour course in adult-education principles OR a minimum of 2 years of teaching experience. Each program must have an RN instructor with overall supervisory responsibility (10.39.02.05(B)). The 16-hour adult-education requirement is Maryland's overlay beyond 42 CFR 483.152.
State approval & process
No standalone DSD credential to apply for. However, the CNA/GNA training program and its RN faculty must be approved by the Maryland Board of Nursing BEFORE the program operates (NATP approval application) — the RN instructor role is approved as part of program approval, not as a separate facility staff-development certificate. Facilities designate their in-service/staff-development coordinator.
Where to check the official rules
Maryland Board of Nursing (MBON) certifies CNAs/GNAs and approves nursing-assistant training programs and the GNA curriculum (COMAR 10.39.01 / 10.39.02); the Maryland Dept. of Health Office of Health Care Quality (OHCQ) licenses nursing homes and houses the GNA training-program rule (COMAR 10.07.02.62).

General information to help you plan — not legal advice. Requirements can change, so confirm the specifics with your state’s licensing agency.
Sources: COMAR 10.39.02.05 · COMAR 10.07.02.62 · COMAR 10.39.01.09.

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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.

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