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Becoming a Staff-Development Leader in Rhode Island

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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Rhode Island

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

Rhode Island has no 'Director of Staff Development' credential; that is a California-specific title. To lead a facility's nurse-aide training you serve as the RIDOH-recognized program coordinator — a registered nurse with at least 2 years' experience (at least 1 in long-term care) and documented teaching/supervisory experience — under the Department of Health's rule 216-RICR-40-05-22. The Department of Health approves the training program itself; there is no individual certificate or separate state approval for the coordinator, so the facility simply designates a qualified RN. In-service education is the federal 12 hours per year, which Rhode Island ties directly to nursing-assistant renewal.

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

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Whatever Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island in-service rules

Available in all 50 states Certificate of completion 100% online & self-paced

How the role works in Rhode Island — official details

Commonly called

Nursing Assistant Training Program Coordinator / Instructor; no distinct staff-development-director title or credential

State credential

No distinct state credential — the facility designates the role.

Keeping skills current (in-service)

12 in-service hrs/yr — matches the federal floor (42 CFR 483.95). RI ties nursing-assistant certificate renewal to 12 hours of in-service training per year at the employing facility, plus at least 8 hours of paid nursing-assistant work within the prior 24 months (216-RICR-40-05-22 § 22.5.5(E)).

Qualifying for the role

State overlay consistent with 42 CFR 483.152. The training-program COORDINATOR must be a registered nurse with a minimum of 2 years of nursing experience, at least 1 of which is in long-term-care services, plus documented teaching or supervisory experience (a nursing-facility director may supervise clinical portions but not provide the actual training). Other instructors may be RNs/LPNs with 1 year of nursing experience — or dietitians, pharmacists, or physical therapists — each with adult-teaching coursework/experience and at least 1 year in their field (§ 22.7.1(E)).

State approval & process

No separate individual state approval to hold the role and no 'DSD' credential — RIDOH approves the training PROGRAM, and the RN coordinator must meet the § 22.7.1(E)(1) qualifications; the facility/program designates the coordinator. RI requires roughly 100 hours of training (an overlay above the federal 75-hour floor).

Where to check the official rules

Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) — certifies nursing assistants and approves nursing-assistant/medication-aide training programs (regulation prefix '216' = RIDOH)

General information to help you plan — not legal advice. Requirements can change, so confirm the specifics with your state’s licensing agency.
Sources: 216-RICR-40-05-22 · 216-RICR-40-05-22 § 22.7.1(E)(1) · 216-RICR-40-05-22 § 22.7.1(E)(2).

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