Nurse Professional Development Education Specialist

How would you like to work in a place where your contributions and ideas are valued? A place where you can serve with compassion, pursue excellence and honor every voice? At Wellstar, our mission is simple, yet powerful: to enhance the health and well-being of every person we serve. We are proud to have become a shining example of what's possible when the brightest professionals dedicate themselves to making a difference in the healthcare industry, and in people's lives.

Work Shift

Job Summary:

The Clinical Nurse Professional Development Educator Advanced works collaboratively to assess, identify, plan, implement, coordinate, facilitate, and evaluate educational activities through a systems model. This includes the tools, theories, skills, and knowledge of the specialty to improve healthcare practice of learners based on the Association of Nurse Professional Development (ANPD) Practice Model. Using expertise in education and professional development practices, the Clinical NPD Educator Advanced leads the staff, leadership, faculty and researchers to implement and evaluate professional development programs that influence professional role competence, continuous learning and growth, promotes synergistic practices and patient outcomes throughout the organization, and advances Wellstar's Nursing Professional Practice Model and in accordance with Association Nursing Professional Development Scope and Standards of Professional Nursing Practice. Roles include learning facilitator, change agent, mentor, leader, champion for scientific inquiry, advocate for Nurse Professional Development specialty and partner for practice transitions.

The Clinical Nursing Professional Development Specialist leads and supports the Nursing Professional Development Generalist, clinical manager,

and interprofessional team to implement, document, and modify evidence-based, quality, and educational programs and activities that

promote professional competency and role performance for nursing and non-licensed staff.

The Clinical NPD Educator Advanced also supports patient care by being a proactive member of an interdisciplinary team of licensed and unlicensed care givers who ensure that patients, families and significant others receive individualized high quality, safe patient care. They practice in a clinical environment in a functional role. It is expected that all Clinical NPD Educators are licensed, knowledgeable and uphold the practice of nursing as outlined by the Georgia Professional Nurse Practice Act and implements the Scope of Practice and Code of Ethics Standards put forth by the American Nurses Association. As a member of the patient services team, it is expected that the individual upholds the voice of the patient, system policies and procedures while supporting service excellence goals.

Core Responsibilities and Essential Functions:

Exemplary Practice

• Assessment Practice Gaps: Conducts, analyzes, and synthesizes data to determine learning needs of the target audience
• Validates identified needs with learner, content experts and nurse leaders when appropriate
• Prioritizes anticipated needs in alignment with system strategic goals
• Uses data to identify future trends and issues
• Documents identified needs that facilitates documentation of purpose statements, educational objectives, program content and evaluation criteria.
• Identification of Learning Needs: Assesses and identifies practice gaps related to the educational needs of the learner and other pertinent situations
• Determines needs from current issues and trends (falls, infections, new equipment, regulatory changes, etc.)
• Prioritizes data collection based on the immediate or anticipated needs and documents evidence of professional practice gaps in a retrievable manner that facilitates educational planning.
• Conducts initial and ongoing assessment of competence.
• Outcomes: Identified outcomes for learning activities and programs
• Outcomes reflects professional role competence, learning and change
• Involves learners/stake holder in formulation of desired outcomes
• Uses outcomes to demonstrate learning activities and programs are meeting their intended purpose and quality. Revise based on changes in trends, evidence, or stakeholder expectations.
• Planning: Establishes a plan that prescribes strategies, alternatives, and resources to achieve expected outcomes.
• Educational objectives developed to meet needs of learner
• Reflects adult learning and instructional design principles in planning and resource available
• Incorporates diverse learners in planning education to meet gender, race, culture, generational differences within target audience
• Collaborates with other disciplines enhance comprehensiveness of the plan; and documents planning process.
• Demonstrates return on investment, enhanced quality of care, and improved patient outcomes).
• Analyzes cost and anticipated return on investment on learning activities, programs, and projects
• Implementation: Implements the educational plan
• Coordination: Coordinates the education
• Facilitation of positive learning
• Evaluates progress toward attainment of outcomes
• Selects valid and reliable relevant methods and instruments to measure processes and outcomes; involves learner and stakeholder and implements evaluation plan to measure processes and outcomes relevant to program; synthesizes evaluation data to guide future decision making for changes and improvement; disseminates results of the evaluation of learning activities and educational program; revise based on evaluation data.

Teamwork and Shared Leadership

• Consultation: Provides consultation to influence plans, enhance the abilities of others and effect change.
• Involves learner, stakeholder, and other specialties in decision making process and negotiation of role responsibilities; advises on design, development, implementation and evaluation of materials and teaching strategies; includes theories pertaining to learning, behavioral changes, motivation, epidemiology, and other frameworks; and communicates recommendations with effective handoff.
• Establishes collegial partnerships with support departments including but not limited organizational learning, safety and quality, IT, BI, and other departments/roles to provide contributions and advancements in decisions regarding education.
• Serves as clinical resource to nursing staff, leadership, and medical staff for interdisciplinary practice.
• Demonstrates teamwork and collaboration by practicing in a manner that is fiscally responsible and promotes the recruitment and retention of all healthcare team members.
• Consults with preceptors/orientees to facilitate completion of orientation.
• Partners with others to effect change and generate positive outcomes
• Engages colleagues in the planning and implementation of lifelong learning activities for individuals and groups of learners
• Facilitates and supports performance improvement inclusive of all stakeholders, research and research utilization to promote safe, quality patient care including initiating and/or leading such activities as well as, promoting an inter/intradisciplinary processes and actively supports/participates in shared governance at all levels in the system.

Professional Development

• Ensures patient/family/staff confidentiality and corporate compliance for self (and accountability for team members) requirements including completing all required mandatory education and proficiencies.
• Serves as a preceptor (or mentor) for other professional nurses (and staff or students for all disciplines) to ensure that there is a current and future qualified workforce, modeling the professional practice of nursing and creating a healthy work environment
• Participates in educational activities related to knowledge and skills appropriate to the specialty area, practice setting, nursing education role and learner diversity.
• Applies current standards, guidelines, policies, and regulations into education that is offered.
• Seeks experiences to develop, maintain and improve competence in nursing professional development.
• Seeks professional certification and academic appointment when eligible.

Creative Innovations

• Promotes evidence-based practice, nursing research and performance improvement in nursing. Participates in activities such as value analysis as part of the decision-making process in evaluating patient care products.
• Advances the profession through writing, publishing, presenting, and participating within the external to the discipline of nursing.
• Upholds all health care system/organizational policies and procedures and clinical competencies put forth by this job description and professional association including legal, regulatory and accreditation requirements and standards ensuring by way of example, such goals as TJC Patient Safety Goals and Wellstar Health Systems safety absolutes
• Participates in data collection, poses relevant clinical questions to advance evidence-based practice. Consults appropriate experts and uses appropriate resources, data, and evidence to address practice questions.
• Integrates ethics in all areas of practice.
• Develops innovative solutions and strategies to secure appropriate resources and technology for professional development initiatives.

Clinical Resources and Support

• Performs the Nursing Process (assessment; diagnosis; identification of outcomes; planning; implementation and evaluation) in the performance of clinical care using evidence base practice, uses analytical/critical thinking and ensuring that care is individualized; coordinating care through effective partnerships recognizing that caring is central to achieve optimal patient care outcomes.
• Practices using current clinical practice standards
• Coordinates the delivery and documentation of safe quality patient care that promotes the professional care delivery model. This includes, but is not limited to diverse and inclusive interdisciplinary communication methods (interdisciplinary rounds, case review, etc); completion of timely documentation and promotion of a respectful, inclusive clinical environment
• Completes all initial and ongoing professional competency assessment, required mandatory education, population specific education. Support of Clinical Care

Performs other duties as assigned

Complies with all Wellstar Health System policies, standards of work, and code of conduct.

Required Minimum Education:

• Bachelors Nursing or Masters Nursing-Preferred

Required Minimum License(s) and Certification(s):

All certifications are required upon hire unless otherwise stated.

• RN - Reg Nurse (Single State) or RN-COMPACT - RN - Multi-state Compact
• BLS - Basic Life Support or ARC-BLS - Amer Red Cross Basic Life Support or BLS-I - Basic Life Support - Instructor

Additional License(s) and Certification(s):

ACLS - Advanced Cardiac Life Support within 180 Days Preferred or

ACLS-I - ACLS - Instructor within 180 Days Preferred or

ACLS-P - ACLS - Provisional within 180 Days Preferred and

NRP - Neonatal Resuscitation Prvdr within 180 Days Preferred and

NRP-I - NRP - Instructor within 180 Days Preferred or

PALS - Pediatric Adv Life Support within 180 Days Preferred and

PALS-I - PALS - Instructor within 180 Days Preferred or

PALS-P - PALS - Provisional within 180 Days Preferred or

Required Minimum Experience:

Experience in educator role. Required and

Minimum 5 years experience in related field of nursing Required and

Experience with direct patient care preferred Preferred and

This role may be required to support more than one facility or specialty. Required

Required Minimum Skills:

Ability to read, write, and speak English language, optimize the use of technology to support learning and holds advanced computer skills; demonstrates emotional intelligence; strong interpersonal, collaborative skills along with customer service skills required; ability to function in a fast paced environment and respond to emergencies in using a decisive, composed and respectful manner; possess excellent time management skills; possess a strong understanding of adult learning theories and can utilize multi-methods to implement training/development.

Develops tools, theories, skills, and knowledge to advance the practice of the NPD specialty.

Provides consultation to influence plans, enhance the abilities of others and effect changes.

Maintains educational or clinical competencies appropriate for role.

Promotes concept of lifelong learning.

Supports integration of research into practice.

Uses appropriate measurement tools and methods in quality improvement, evidence-based practice, and research activities and shares at national forums. Involves learners in assessment of needs and identification of outcomes.

Ensures educational programs are congruous with organizational mission and goals.

Produces desired outcomes relevant to organization.

Selects appropriate teaching strategies to facilitate behavioral change.

Evaluates effectiveness and outcomes of educational endeavors.

Evaluates overall program effectiveness.

Promotes career development and role transition.

Develop, coordinate, manage, facilitate, conduct, and evaluate onboarding, orientation, and competency programs for nursing and other healthcare personnel.

Join us and discover the support to do more meaningful work-and enjoy a more rewarding life. Connect with the most integrated health system in Georgia, and start a future that gives you more.