Clinical Practice Educator

General Summary

• Supports excellence in Clinical Practice and patient care quality through the implementation and evaluation of educational programs that support positive staff and patient outcomes. Services include, but are not limited to: consultation, program design, organizational assessment and development, educational programming, materials development, and practice consultation.
• Designs systems and provides services which promote quality Clinical Practice of staff from multiple disciplines, which are customer oriented, and support collaboration across organizational boundaries. Serves as a resource to managers and staff; works in collaboration with Professional Development Coordinator. Contributes to the ongoing development of the organization through leadership, expertise, professional support, and collaboration with staff, affiliates, and outside agencies and organizations
• Must demonstrate the knowledge and skills necessary to provide care appropriate to the age, culture, ethnicity, and specific individual diagnostic needs of the patients served in his/her department. He/she must be able to assess and interpret data about the patient’s status in order to identify each patient’s specific needs and provide the care needed by the patient group (pediatric, adolescents and/or geriatric patient group, culture and diagnostic specific).
• Consistently expresses and demonstrates compassion and courtesy for patients. Extends courtesy and support to patient’s families/visitors.

Principal Responsibilities and Tasks

The following statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by the person assigned to this classification. They are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all job duties performed by personnel so classified.

• AHA BLS Instructor
• Develop, plan, implement, & evaluate hospital core orientation, nursing orientation, in-service education.
• Use, facilitate use of educational equipment and resources.
• Incorporation of effective and creative educational strategies and methodology as an educator.
• Incorporate population specific principles into programming as appropriate.
• Establish and maintain an effective means of communicating pertinent information to interdisciplinary team members, managers, external customers, and professional colleagues.

Respect for individuals, Customer Service, Teamwork and Collaboration:

• Anticipates and responds to customer needs. Identifies issues and takes responsibility for follow up.
• Facilitates cooperative and collaborative relationships among peers and organizational leaders to ensure effective and appropriate educational programming in compliance with standards.
• Collaborates at least annually with department leaders and nursing Clinical Practice committee to assess the learning needs for creating/revising/updating the nursing core orientation.
• Assumes the lead role in review and revision of nursing core orientation in collaboration with nursing Clinical Practice committee and nursing leadership.

Leadership, Clinical and/or Technical Skills

• Participates in the development and implementation of the Department’s strategic plan, which is based on the mission, vision, values, and priorities of the organization.
• Effectively serves on, chairs, and/or consults with committees, focus groups and teams within the organization related to areas of expertise and responsibility.
• Mentors staff and seizes opportunities to implement changes that improve practice and patient care processes.
• Other duties as assigned.

Quality and Patient Safety:

• Collaborates with management staff and reviews quality performance indicators to identify priorities for action and allocate resources.
• Develops annual and short term goals, objectives, and functional target achievement dates for areas of responsibility as appropriate.
• Identifies outcomes to be achieved. Achieves identified outcomes within targeted time frames. Documents and communicates progress toward outcomes. Implements revisions in plans as required.
• Supports excellence in Clinical Practice through assessing, planning, implementing and evaluating programs that support positive staff and patient outcomes.
• Actively participates in and supports quality improvement initiatives.
• Analyzes performance improvement data and customer requirements, the current healthcare environment and best practice evidence to identify opportunities and strategies for improvement.
• Designs specific Clinical Practice strategies that improve performance in clinical, functional, satisfaction, and cost outcomes. Develops and coordinates implementation of treatment protocols, guidelines, policies and/or standards to systematize and coordinate care.
• Participates in the development of policies and implements changes utilizing appropriate channels. Synthesizes current research and evidence based practice into practice standards and policies.
• Develops and supports programming and educational activities designed to increase staff and manager support of performance improvement initiatives.
• Assists nursing leadership to make appropriate changes in Clinical Practice of staff based on quality outcomes.

Cost Effectiveness:

• Contributes to the budgetary planning process and monitors own expenditures for appropriate areas of responsibility.

Education & Research:

• Assumes responsibility for comprehensive Clinical Practice programming and services within area of responsibility. Ensures that areas of responsibility meet necessary standards including, but not limited to: organizational policies, CARF, and TJC. Develops, proposes, and implements programming based on analysis of organizational performance improvement initiatives and identification of customer requirements for service. Develops innovative and creative approaches to service delivery which promote staff involvement and facilitate attendance and participation in Clinical Practice activities. Continually evaluates and refines services based on customer feedback and organizational impact analysis. Introduces new clinical and professional development topics to achieve best practice standards,
• Interprets, evaluates, and utilizes research findings as a basis for clinical and educational practice.
• Assumes responsibility for the design, implementation and evaluation of a comprehensive nursing core orientation program in coordination with appropriate nursing councils.
•  Assists department leaders in the development, implementation, and evaluation of department/unit-based skill lists and competencies, including criteria for evaluation.
• Develops programming to enhance staff skills and competency.
• Organizes and facilitates programs and activities to support staff and student recruitment and development.
• Assumes a leadership role for the Clinical Practice development of staff related to areas of responsibility. Organizes, implements, consults, facilitates, and/or evaluates program activities. Services include, but are not limited to: Education activities: educational programming, program design, competency design, continuing education, and train the trainer programs. Training to meet standards: CPR, orientation, crisis prevention training, annual training. Student affiliations: mentor students, maintains collaborative relationships with affiliated schools, coordinates nursing student affiliation program.
• Is responsible for own professional growth and development. Completes required content on an annual basis. Maintains professional affiliations. Seeks opportunities both internally and externally, attending programs, professional meetings, and educational seminars, reviews current literature pertinent to job responsibilities.