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Free reference manuals & healthcare resources

Real, professionally written resources for the people who give the care — free to download, no sign-up required. Learn something today, whether or not you ever enroll.

Written by a professional, not a content mill. Both manuals are written by a licensed nurse and practicing Director of Staff Development with more than 25 years of healthcare and healthcare-education experience — a true professional in the subject. What you download is the same expertise behind our certification programs.
Free to download

Two Reference Manuals, Free to Anyone

California’s rules for staff development and infection prevention, gathered and explained in plain English with the citation attached to every requirement. No sign-up, no email required — they’re yours whether or not you ever enroll with Draco.

Front cover of The DSD Regulatory Reference Manual, Second Edition 2026, by Damien Draconum — California skilled nursing facilities and residential care facilities for the elderly.

The DSD Regulatory Reference Manual

Every regulation that touches staff development in California skilled nursing facilities and residential care facilities for the elderly — gathered, verified, and explained in plain English, with the exact citation attached to every requirement. Written for Directors of Staff Development, administrators, and compliance leads.

  • DSD qualifications, minimum hours and curriculum
  • CNA and nurse training and in-service requirements
  • Skilled nursing and residential care operating standards
  • Survey and F-tag reference (CMS Appendix PP)
  • Working tools: calendar, checklists and crosswalk
282 pages PDF · 3.1 MB Second Edition, 2026 Citations verified to official sources
Download the Manual Read online

An educational reference, not legal advice — always check the current text of a regulation before you rely on a citation.

Front cover of Infection Prevention & Control in Long-Term Care, First Edition June 2026, by Damien Draconum — the Infection Preventionist's reference manual for California skilled nursing and residential care.

Infection Prevention & Control in Long-Term Care

The science of infection prevention and the California rules that govern it, side by side — microbiology and surveillance alongside the federal, state and Cal/OSHA requirements, with every clinical recommendation and regulatory requirement tied to its official source. Written for Infection Preventionists, directors of nursing, and the staff developers and administrators behind them.

  • The Infection Preventionist role, qualifications and the full-time requirement
  • The written prevention program and annual risk assessment
  • Surveillance, national reporting and antibiotic stewardship
  • Hand hygiene, precautions, protective equipment and the pathogens
  • Outbreaks, reporting and the F880 survey (CMS Appendix PP)
276 pages PDF · 3.2 MB First Edition, 2026 Citations verified to official sources
Download the Manual Read online

An educational and clinical reference, not legal or medical advice — always check current regulation and clinical guidance before you rely on a citation.

More free resources

ECGs & Arrhythmia Recognition

A clear, systematic guide to reading electrocardiograms — from the heart as an electrical organ to recognizing, on sight, the rhythms and 12-lead patterns every monitor tech, nurse, and EMS provider needs to know.

Download free PDF

Want the full course behind these manuals? Explore our certification programs or browse the CE library.