Clinical Nurse Specialist - System

Essentia Health • Duluth, MN

2d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Clinical Nurse Specialist – System provides expert clinical leadership to improve patient outcomes, advance nursing practice, and strengthen healthcare system performance. This role integrates advanced nursing science, clinical expertise, and systems thinking to promote patient safety, quality of care, and evidence-based practice across the organization. The Specialist leads initiatives that translate research into practice and supports nurses and interprofessional teams in delivering high-quality, patient-centered care. Practicing across the spheres of Patient/Client, Nursing/Nursing Practice, and Organization/Systems, this role drives improvements in clinical outcomes, nurse-sensitive indicators, and healthcare delivery processes. This position will focus on our ambulatory and post-acute sites of care to include Elder, Palliative, Hospice, and Home Care nursing support. This position will also help support inpatient services.

Requirements

• Graduate from an accredited Clinical Nurse Specialist program
• 3 years acute care nursing experience
• Demonstrated expertise in clinical practice, quality improvement, and evidence-based practice implementation
• Active Registered Nurse licensure in Minnesota North Dakota and Wisconsin RN licensure required within 6 months of hire
• Active Clinical Nurse Specialist licensure in Minnesota North Dakota and Wisconsin Clinical Nurse Specialist licensure required within 6 months of hire
• National certification as a Clinical Nurse Specialist

Nice To Haves

• Doctor of Nursing Practice or Doctor of Philosophy degree
• National certification in nursing leadership or quality

Responsibilities

• Lead initiatives to improve patient safety, clinical outcomes, care quality, and population health across care settings
• Provide expert clinical consultation to nurses and interprofessional teams managing complex patient care situations
• Design and implement evidence-based care strategies to improve patient outcomes and care coordination
• Analyze patient outcomes, nurse-sensitive indicators, and clinical quality metrics to identify trends and drive performance improvement
• Translate research and evidence-based practice into clinical standards, policies, guidelines, and care pathways
• Develop and evaluate nursing standards of practice, competency frameworks, and professional practice initiatives
• Apply quality improvement and implementation science methodologies to advance system performance, operational effectiveness, and high-reliability practices
• Integrate regulatory standards, research findings, and evidence-based guidelines into organizational policies, protocols, and clinical frameworks

Benefits

• At Essentia Health, we’re committed to supporting your well-being, growth, and work-life balance.
• Our comprehensive benefits include medical, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance, along with supplemental options to fit your needs.
• We offer a 401(k) plan with employer contributions to help you plan for the future, and we invest in your professional development through training, tuition reimbursement, and educational programs.
• To help you thrive both at work and at home, we provide flexible scheduling, generous time off, and wellness resources focused on your physical, mental, and emotional health.
• Please note that benefit eligibility may vary.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 1,001-5,000 employees