Zero Tolerance
Pre-hire, renewed every 3 years (s. 393.13(3)(a), F.S.)
Core Competencies (DCCC)
Within 90 days of hire, one-time (iBudget Handbook App. B)
HIPAA
Required online for direct care staff
CPR & First Aid
Hands-on, external (AHA / Red Cross / ASHI)
HIV/AIDS
One-time (s. 381.0035, F.S.)
Medication administration
Role-based; RN/physician validation, annual (65G-7)
Zero Tolerance is APD's mandatory abuse, neglect, and exploitation training. It is required before hire and renewed every three years, and it covers the duty to report to the Florida Abuse Hotline (1-800-96-ABUSE) under Chapter 415, F.S. The Direct Care Core Competencies (DCCC) — five modules, about 2½ hours — establish the foundational role, ethics, and health-and-safety competencies and must be completed within 90 days of hire. DCCC is taken once and does not expire.
CPR and First Aid must be earned hands-on from an external certifier (American Heart Association, American Red Cross, or ASHI); APD does not provide it and CPR cannot be completed online-only. In residential settings, at least one CPR-trained staff member — or 50% of staff, whichever is greater — must be present whenever clients are present. Florida also requires a one-time HIV/AIDS education course for Chapter 393 direct-care employees (s. 381.0035, F.S.), paired with ongoing bloodborne-pathogen and infection-control practice under OSHA.
Medication training is not a universal requirement for every direct support professional. Only staff authorized to administer medication or assist with self-administration must complete APD-approved medication training and be validated by an RN or physician, with annual revalidation (65G-7, F.A.C.). The course covers the rights of medication administration, the MAR, storage, and medication-error reporting.
Staff in settings that use reactive strategies must be trained under Chapter 65G-8, F.A.C. Positive, proactive supports always come first; reactive strategies are a last resort. The rule defines restraint (manual restraint means restricting a person's movement for more than 15 continuous seconds), lists prohibited procedures, and routes the APD Reactive Strategy Report to the Local Review Committee (established under 65G-4.008(3), F.A.C.).
New to Florida's system? See our guide to becoming an APD provider in Florida.
DSPlife™ TrainingHub is built for APD, DODD, ODP, HHSC, and DBHDS providers. Its Florida library ships with courses your staff can complete on their own schedule — from Zero Tolerance and Core Competencies to incident reporting and person-centered supports — logs completion and competency, tracks the 3-year Zero Tolerance cycle and other renewals with automatic alerts, and generates audit-ready reports. See the full compliance overview.
APD’s Zero Tolerance training on abuse, neglect, and exploitation is required pre-hire and renewed every three years for direct care staff, supervisors, and support coordinators (s. 393.13(3)(a), F.S.).
The Direct Care Core Competencies (DCCC) — about 2½ hours across five modules — must be completed within 90 days of hire. They are taken once and do not expire (iBudget Handbook, Appendix B).
No — medication administration training is role-based. Only staff authorized to administer medication or assist with self-administration must complete APD-approved medication training and be validated by an RN or physician, with annual revalidation (65G-7, F.A.C.).
No. CPR and First Aid are hands-on certifications earned from an external body such as the American Heart Association, American Red Cross, or ASHI. APD does not deliver this training, and CPR cannot be completed online-only. This LMS tracks the external certification and its expiration.
General information, not legal advice. DSPlife™ TrainingHub is not affiliated with the Florida Agency for Persons with Disabilities. Confirm current requirements at apd.myflorida.com and the Florida Administrative Code.
Assign the Florida APD courses, log completion and competency automatically, and get alerts before the 3-year Zero Tolerance cycle or any certification lapses. Free to start — no credit card required.
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