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Becoming a Staff-Development Leader in South Carolina

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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South Carolina

In South Carolina, the nurse who leads staff education and training is commonly known as a 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.

South Carolina has no 'Director of Staff Development' credential — that title is California's. To lead nurse-aide training you serve as the Program Coordinator/Primary Instructor: an RN (SC or compact license) with at least 2 years' experience including a year in long-term care within the last 5 years, working under a Program Director who holds administrative authority. There is no individual certificate to earn; instead the facility submits the South Carolina Nurse Aide Training Program Application to SCDHHS's Division of Long Term Living, which approves the program and vets your qualifications within it. In-service for working aides follows the federal 12-hour annual floor.

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

Restorative Nurse Assistant ECG/EKG Technician Browse all courses

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

How the role works in South Carolina — official details

Commonly called
Program Coordinator / Primary Instructor (with a Program Director holding administrative authority); no distinct staff-development-director credential
State credential
No distinct state credential — the facility designates the role.
Keeping skills current (in-service)
Follows the federal floor (12 in-service hrs/yr, 42 CFR 483.95). Separately, SC Nurse Aide Registry renewal requires performing at least 8 hours of nursing or nursing-related services for pay within a 24-month period (a work-recency requirement, not an in-service-hour requirement).
Qualifying for the role
State overlay on 42 CFR 483.152: the Program Coordinator/Primary Instructor must be an RN (South Carolina or compact license) with a minimum of 2 years RN experience, including at least 1 year in long-term-care nursing within the last 5 years; other instructors may be an RN or LPN/LVN with at least 1 year of current experience caring for the elderly or chronically ill, working under the primary instructor. Clinical instructor-to-student ratio is 1:8.
State approval & process
No 'DSD' credential and no separate individual state approval of the person. The facility or school submits the 'South Carolina Nurse Aide Training Program Application' to SCDHHS, Division of Long Term Living, naming a Program Director (administrative authority) and a Program Coordinator/Primary Instructor (the qualifying RN); SCDHHS approves the PROGRAM (individuals are vetted within that application via resume/license/background check, not separately credentialed). No classes may begin before SCDHHS approval; the state responds within 90 days (42 CFR 483.151).
Where to check the official rules
South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (SCDHHS), Division of Long Term Living — oversees the SC Nurse Aide Training & Competency Evaluation Program and the Nurse Aide Registry (implementing 42 CFR 483.150-158 plus the SC Core Curriculum)

General information to help you plan — not legal advice. Requirements can change, so confirm the specifics with your state’s licensing agency.
Sources: SCDHHS NATP Policies (0741-24) · 42 CFR 483.152 · 42 CFR 483.150-158.

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