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Becoming a Staff-Development Leader in Montana

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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Montana

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

Montana has no distinct DSD credential. The DPHHS Certification Bureau administers the nurse aide program under the federal NATCEP framework (42 CFR 483.151-154); a nurse becomes the program's coordinator/primary instructor by submitting a Nurse Aide Training Program Coordinator/Instructor Application to the Bureau (cna@mt.gov), which has 90 days to act. Instructor qualifications track the federal RN 2-year / 1-year-LTC rule, with Montana allowing the LTC year to include home health or hospice, and training is 75 hours (>=25 clinical) with 16 classroom hours before resident care. Note that Montana's only dedicated administrative rule on 'aide' instructors (ARM 24.159.905) covers medication aides, not CNAs; annual CNA in-service follows the federal 12-hour floor.

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

Restorative Nurse Assistant ECG/EKG Technician Browse all courses

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

How the role works in Montana — official details

Commonly called
Nurse Aide Training Program Coordinator / Primary Instructor
State credential
No distinct state credential — the facility designates the role.
Keeping skills current (in-service)
Follows federal 12 hrs/yr (42 CFR 483.95).
Qualifying for the role
Federal rule applies (RN with >=2 yrs experience, >=1 yr LTC per 42 CFR 483.152); Montana allows the required LTC year to include home health or hospice. The program coordinator/primary instructor is an RN approved through a DPHHS Certification Bureau application.
State approval & process
No distinct DSD credential. Submit a 'Nurse Aide Training Program Coordinator/Instructor Application' to the DPHHS Certification Bureau (cna@mt.gov) for program and instructor approval; the Bureau has 90 days to respond. Montana's CNA training runs under the federal NATCEP framework — note that Montana's dedicated 'aide-instructor' administrative rule (ARM 24.159.905, Board of Nursing) governs MEDICATION aides, not CNAs.
Where to check the official rules
Montana Dept. of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS), Quality Assurance Division / Office of Inspector General — Certification Bureau (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: 42 CFR 483.151–483.154 · DPHHS OIG Certification Bureau — Nurse Aide Registry · Mont. Admin. r. 24.159.905.

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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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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
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Restorative nursing and MDS Section O documentation — online theory plus in-person clinical, ending in a certificate of completion.
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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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Master the Minimum Data Set — accurate resident assessments that drive care planning and reimbursement across the facility.
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Skin integrity, wound care and ostomy management — high-value, in-demand skills for the long-term-care nurse.
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