If you are looking up the rules for becoming a Director of Staff Development in a California skilled nursing facility, the first thing worth getting right is which section to read — the DSD qualification lives in one specific place that is easy to confuse with its neighbors. Here it is, straight.
Two sections are commonly confused with it, and neither says what people expect:
| Section | What it actually is |
|---|---|
| 22 CCR § 71835 | Certification Training and Competency Evaluation Program. It governs the CNA training program — curriculum, clinical hours, program approval. It does not set DSD qualifications. |
| 22 CCR § 72517 | Staff Development, over in Chapter 3 (skilled nursing facility licensing). It requires an ongoing educational program for all facility personnel. It states no DSD qualifications and no annual hour figure. |
| 22 CCR § 71809 | The definitions section. It defines a DSD as a licensed nurse, approved by the Department, who meets the qualification requirement in § 71829. |
Where the job itself comes from
The requirement to have a DSD at all is statutory, not regulatory. Health & Safety Code § 1337.4 provides that every skilled nursing or intermediate care facility shall designate a licensed nurse as director of staff development, responsible for the management of the approved training program. Section 71829 then says who may hold that post.
The two qualification pathways
Section 71829(d) offers two alternative routes. You need one of them, not both. This is the point most often stated incorrectly, usually by attaching a continuing-education requirement to everyone.
Pathway (d)(1)
- One year of experience as a licensed nurse providing direct patient care in a long term care facility, and
- One year of experience planning, implementing and evaluating educational programs in nursing.
Pathway (d)(2)
- Two years of full-time experience as a licensed nurse, at least one of them in direct patient care in a nursing facility, and
- Within six months of employment, and before teaching a certification program, 24 hours of continuing education in planning, implementing and evaluating educational programs in nursing.
The statutory overlay everyone misses
Section 71829 has not been amended since 1992. Since then the Legislature has added Health & Safety Code § 1337.15 (added by AB 2850, effective 1 January 2019), which requires an instructor in a certified nurse assistant precertification training program to be a licensed vocational nurse or registered nurse with no less than two years of nursing experience, at least one year of it caring for the chronically ill or elderly.
In practice that statutory floor sits over the top of the older regulation. If you are planning a route to approval, plan against two years.
Getting approved by the Department
Approval is not automatic and it is not granted by your employer. Section 71829(a)–(c) sets out the process and its clocks:
- A resume is submitted to the Department for approval.
- The Department replies within thirty calendar days as to whether the submission is complete or deficient.
- A final decision follows within sixty calendar days.
- The Department must be notified within thirty calendar days following the employment of a new Director of Staff Development or Instructor.
- A copy of the resume is kept on file at the facility or agency.
The application itself is CDPH 279 (rev. 11/2022), Instructor or Director of Staff Development (DSD) Application, submitted to CDPH's Training Program Review Unit. A program delivered online or by distance learning uses CDPH E279 and goes to the eLearning Review Unit instead. Sending the right form to the right unit is a common cause of delay.
The hours you owe, by bed count
Section 71829(e) sets minimum DSD hours by the number of beds. The column you read depends on what your facility runs, and the two columns use different units — which is the single easiest thing to get wrong here.
| Number of beds | Column A — hours per month facilities providing only an orientation and in-service program |
Column B — hours per week facilities that also have a certification program |
|---|---|---|
| 100 or more | 93 per month | 40 per week |
| 60–99 | 54 per month | 30 per week |
| 1–59 | 26 per month | 20 per week |
Worked example
A 99-bed facility that runs a certification program falls in the 60–99 band and reads Column B: 30 hours per week. Add one bed and it moves to the 100-or-more band and 40 hours per week — effectively a full-time post. A 99-bed facility that runs only orientation and in-service reads Column A instead: 54 hours per month, which is a materially different commitment. Check which column applies before you budget the role.
What the job then consists of
Approval is the entry ticket. The duties themselves live in other sections, and it is worth knowing where before you start:
- § 71847 — the in-service training program: the annual hours, what drives the content, what a lesson plan must contain, and how long records are kept.
- § 71835 — the certification training program, if your facility runs one.
- § 71803 — clinical training, defined as instruction and demonstration on a patient followed by the trainee's own return demonstration.
- § 71849 — the record of attendance each CNA must be given, and what it has to contain.
Federal requirements run alongside all of this and are not interchangeable with it. A facility certified for Medicare or Medicaid also answers to 42 CFR Part 483, where nurse aide competency is surveyed at F726 and training requirements at F947. Being correct under one does not make you correct under the other.
Frequently asked questions
Which regulation sets DSD requirements in California?
22 CCR § 71829, "Director of Staff Development or Instructor." It is commonly confused with § 71835 (the CNA training program), § 72517 (a facility's ongoing staff education) and § 71809 (the definitions section) — none of which set the DSD qualification.
What are the two DSD qualification pathways?
Section 71829(d) gives two alternatives. Pathway (d)(1): one year of direct patient care as a licensed nurse in long-term care, plus one year planning, implementing and evaluating nursing education. Pathway (d)(2): two years of full-time nursing experience, at least one in direct care in a nursing facility, plus 24 hours of education. You need one route, not both.
Does every DSD need 24 hours of continuing education?
No. The 24 hours are written inside pathway (d)(2) only. A DSD approved under (d)(1) does not owe them.
Is the DSD's 24 hours the same as the CNA 24-hour in-service requirement?
No — they are different obligations in different sections owed by different parties. The (d)(2) figure is education a DSD candidate completes to qualify; the CNA figure is in-service training a facility must make available to its aides each year under § 71847.
How does the Department approve a DSD?
A resume goes to the Department; it replies within 30 calendar days on whether the submission is complete, and issues a final decision within 60. The application is CDPH 279 (rev. 11/2022) to the Training Program Review Unit, or CDPH E279 to the eLearning Review Unit for online/distance programs.
How many hours must a DSD work?
Section 71829(e) sets minimums by licensed bed count, and the two columns use different units. Facilities running only orientation/in-service read hours per month (26 to 93); facilities that also run a certification program read hours per week (20 to 40).
Why does one extra bed change the hours so much?
The bands step at 60 and 100 beds. A 99-bed facility with a certification program owes 30 hours per week; at 100 beds it becomes 40 hours per week — effectively a full-time post. Check which band and which column apply before budgeting the role.
What experience does a nurse-assistant-program instructor need?
Health & Safety Code § 1337.15 (AB 2850, effective 2019) requires an LVN or RN with no less than two years of nursing experience, at least one year of it caring for the chronically ill or elderly. This statutory floor sits over the 1992 regulation, so plan against two years.
Where are the DSD's duties defined?
In other sections: § 71847 (the in-service program, annual hours, lesson plans and records), § 71835 (the certification program), § 71803 (clinical training), and § 71849 (the attendance record each CNA receives).
Do federal requirements also apply?
Yes. A Medicare/Medicaid-certified facility also answers to 42 CFR Part 483 — nurse-aide competency at F726 and training at F947. Being correct under state law does not make you correct under federal law, and vice versa.
