Clinical Nurse Specialist - Behavioral Health Unit

UK St. Claire•Morehead, KY

4d•Onsite

About The Position

The Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) provides staff-development expertise as an educator, quality-improvement consultant, facilitator, change agent, leader, and researcher in inpatient care settings. The CNS promotes high-quality outcomes and innovative practice in accordance with the Kentucky Nursing Practice Act and hospital policies. The position supports bedside nurses and fosters empowerment through knowledge and evidence-based nursing practice. This includes assessing, developing, planning, implementing, and evaluating competency assessment, continuing education, and leadership-development activities. The CNS is accountable for the quality of nursing services delivered by self or by those under their direction, including participation in quality-assurance and performance-improvement initiatives. The CNS takes a leadership role in coordinating patient care and the interdisciplinary team, working with other healthcare professionals to enhance patient outcomes. As a role model of professional behavior, the CNS helps create a professional nursing climate within UK St. Claire. The position reports to the Nursing Director of the Service Line, with a dotted-line reporting relationship to the Director of Nursing Education. The role conducts needs assessments; develops and evaluates evidence-based education; coordinates orientation, onboarding, continuing education, competency validation, remediation, certification, nurse residency, and other professional-development activities; and provides education, consultation, mentoring, and individualized learning support. It also leads or supports quality-improvement and patient-safety initiatives, translates research and best evidence into clinical practice, and supports clinical standards, policies, procedures, and practice changes. The CNS serves as a resource to staff and interdisciplinary groups and supports shared governance, regulatory and accreditation requirements, research, and departmental initiatives. The position maintains required educational and clinical competencies and performs related duties as assigned.

Requirements

Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS), Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), APRN, or Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) qualification required.
At least 3 years of bedside nursing experience required.
Current Kentucky RN license or valid multistate RN license recognized by Kentucky required.
BLS, ACLS, PALS, or other certifications required based on the assigned clinical area or patient population.

Nice To Haves

At least 1 year of experience as a clinical educator or nursing instructor preferred.
Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) certification preferred.

Responsibilities

Conduct needs assessments and analyze clinical, quality, and performance data to identify educational, competency, and practice gaps.
Plan, develop, implement, and evaluate evidence-based educational programs using adult-learning principles and strategies suited to learners and clinical settings.
Coordinate nursing orientation, onboarding, continuing education, competency validation, remediation, certification, nurse residency, and other professional-development activities.
Develop and maintain educational materials and resources supporting population-specific care, leadership development, clinical competency, and safe nursing practice.
Provide education, consultation, mentoring, and individualized learning support to nurses at all stages of professional development.
Lead and support quality-improvement and patient-safety initiatives, including data analysis, clinical audits, gap assessments, root-cause evaluation, and monitoring practice standards.
Collaborate with nursing leadership, physicians, infection prevention, quality improvement, and other healthcare professionals to address educational, clinical, regulatory, and patient-care needs.
Promote evidence-based nursing practice by translating research and best evidence into clinical practice, educational programming, policies, procedures, protocols, and practice guidelines.
Support development, implementation, and evaluation of clinical standards, policies, procedures, and practice changes to improve quality, safety, and patient outcomes.
Serve as a nursing professional-development and clinical-practice resource to staff, leaders, committees, task forces, councils, and interdisciplinary teams.
Support shared governance, professional practice, frontline staff engagement, leadership development, and unit-based quality-improvement activities.
Coordinate and support educational and regulatory requirements, including continuing education, clinical affiliations, life-support training, and applicable accreditation and regulatory standards.
Participate in and/or lead committees, work groups, departmental initiatives, research activities, and projects related to nursing education, professional practice, quality, and patient safety.
Demonstrate advanced clinical knowledge, effective interdisciplinary communication, ethical practice, lifelong learning, and professional role modeling.
Maintain required educational and clinical competencies, promote a safe and healthy work environment, support departmental operations and leadership as needed, and perform related duties as assigned.
Coordinate the interdisciplinary team and collaborate with other healthcare team members to enhance patient outcomes.