Becoming a Staff-Development Leader in Ohio
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.
Ohio
In Ohio, the nurse who leads staff education and training is commonly known as a Staff Development Coordinator / NATCEP Program Coordinator and Primary Instructor, and Ohio recognizes a distinct Nurse Aide Training Program Primary Instructor — Train-the-Trainer (TTT) certificate (a state-approved teaching credential; NOT a California-style 'DSD' title) credential. It’s a valued, higher-responsibility role — and we can help you prepare for it and grow your long-term-care career.
Ohio is the exception among these five: it has no California-style 'DSD' title, but it DOES require a distinct state teaching credential to serve as the Primary Instructor of a nurse aide training program. Under OAC 3701-18-09 the Primary Instructor must be an RN with ≥2 years of nursing experience (≥1 in long-term care) AND hold a Train-the-Trainer (TTT) certificate from an ODH-approved TTT program (OAC 3701-18-16; alternatives include a year teaching adults with the approved manual, or a year of direct nurse-aide supervision). Facility in-service education itself follows the federal 12 hours/year (OAC 3701-17-07.1) and needs no special credential, and a Program Coordinator handles program administration. So an Ohio nurse who wants to fully run nurse-aide training completes the ODH Train-the-Trainer program to earn the TTT certificate — the closest analog to a distinct staff-development credential in this set, though it is a primary-instructor teaching credential, not a California DSD.
Study from Ohio 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 Ohio — our online courses are open to nurses and care staff in all 50 states:
Restorative Nurse Assistant ECG/EKG Technician Browse all coursesWhatever Ohio 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 Ohio 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.
How the role works in Ohio — official details
General information to help you plan — not legal advice. Requirements can change, so
confirm the specifics with your state’s licensing agency.
Sources: OAC 3701-18-09 · OAC 3701-18-16 · OAC 3701-17-07.1.
Explore another state
Explore Our Programs
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.
On this site
Draco Learning
Draco Learning
Draco Learning
Draco Learning