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Becoming a Staff-Development Leader in Tennessee

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.

Showing Tennessee — we’ll remember it for you.

Tennessee

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

Tennessee has no distinct 'Director of Staff Development' credential to apply for. A nurse takes on the staff-development / in-service role by meeting the federal-floor qualification (an RN with two years of nursing experience, at least one in long-term care) and being designated by the facility as the in-service coordinator or NATCEP Program Coordinator. The training program is approved and re-approved annually by the Tennessee Health Facilities Commission under Rule 0720-18-.15, and nurse-aide in-service tracks the federal 12 hours per year.

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

Restorative Nurse Assistant ECG/EKG Technician Browse all courses

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

How the role works in Tennessee — official details

Commonly called
In-Service Coordinator / Staff Development Coordinator (in a training program, the NATCEP 'Program Coordinator')
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). Rule 0720-18-.15(4) mirrors the federal language (performance review at least every 12 months plus regular in-service based on the review); no additional state hour mandate identified.
Qualifying for the role
State tracks the federal rule (42 CFR 483.152): the program coordinator must have >=2 years of nursing experience, at least 1 year in the provision of long-term-care services (0720-18-.15(2)(a)(2)); the coordinator selects qualified instructors, and a program instructor must be present or readily available on-site during all clinical hours (15:1 student-to-instructor ratio).
State approval & process
No separate DSD credential. The facility/program applies to HFC for NATCEP approval and identifies its Program Coordinator and instructors (now verified through Credentia); program approval is renewed annually. The staff-development role itself is designated by the facility once the person meets the RN/experience floor.
Where to check the official rules
Tennessee Health Facilities Commission (HFC), Division of Licensure and Regulation. HFC was created in 2022 (Public Chapter 1119) and now holds the nurse-aide training-program approval and registry functions formerly administered by the Dept. of Health / Board for Licensing Health Care Facilities. Credentia is the testing and registry vendor (effective June 2026).

General information to help you plan — not legal advice. Requirements can change, so confirm the specifics with your state’s licensing agency.
Sources: Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0720-18-.15 · Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0720-18 (2022 HFC rules) · 42 CFR 483.95, 483.151-483.154.

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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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