Clinical Practice Nurse Educator/ Leader Inpatient Care Services

CareWell Health•East Orange, NJ

About The Position

The Clinical Practice Nurse Educator works across Carewell Health as an educator, consultant, facilitator, change agent, leader, and researcher. The role supports bedside nurses’ professional development and promotes evidence-based nursing practice in accordance with the New Jersey Nursing Practice Act and hospital and departmental policies. The educator facilitates assessment, development, planning, implementation, and evaluation of competency assessment, continuing education, and leadership development, and is accountable for the quality of nursing services delivered by themselves or those under their direction. The role participates in quality assurance and performance improvement initiatives and collaborates with other disciplines to support individualized patient care and outcomes. Reporting to the Director of Education or designee, the Clinical Practice Nurse Educator/Leader coordinates interdisciplinary care and helps create a professional nursing climate. The role assesses educational needs; coordinates staff orientation and competency validation; develops and delivers evidence-based programs and materials; supports remediation, certification, mentoring, life support, regulatory requirements, and product rollouts; and evaluates educational effectiveness. It also consults on policies, procedures, programs, regulatory mandates, and sentinel events; supports the integration of research into practice; develops evidence-based practice standards; and leads quality improvement and safety initiatives. The educator facilitates adult learning, coordinates educational activities and resources, participates in committees and projects, supports team building and leadership development, and responds to changes in nursing practice. The position models professional behavior, ethical practice, safety, and lifelong learning, and maintains required educational and clinical competencies. The schedule is Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with willingness to work different hours, holidays, weekends, and oversee the overnight shift to meet unit needs.

Requirements

Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) required.
Current or compact RN licensure in the state of New Jersey.
BLS, ACLS, PALS, and Trainer credentials.
Three years of nursing, clinical educator, or nursing instructor experience required; a master's degree in nursing may substitute for two years of required experience.
High proficiency with Microsoft products, especially Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.
Ability to sit, stand, stoop, and walk for long periods.
Ability to assist with lifting patients and equipment while working on the unit; ability to push and pull up to 50 pounds and carry and lift up to 50 pounds.
Ability to work in a stressful environment, work independently, think critically, make sound decisions, and remain detail-oriented, alert, and self-motivated.
Willingness to work different hours, holidays, weekends, and oversee the overnight shift as needed.
Ability to establish effective relationships and networks, provide peer guidance and feedback, foster cooperation and teamwork, and build consensus.
Demonstrated emotional intelligence, adaptability, empathy, integrity, clear communication, tact, discretion, and diplomacy.
Treat people with dignity and respect, promote cultural diversity and inclusion, and challenge bias and intolerance.

Nice To Haves

MSN, APRN, CNL, or Clinical Nurse Specialist certification in the specialty preferred.
Specialty certification from a nationally recognized nursing organization in a clinical specialty or Nursing Administration preferred; if not already held, it must be obtained within two years of hire.

Responsibilities

Conduct needs assessments using strategic tools and assist learners in assessing needs and identifying outcomes.
Apply adult-learning principles in planning, implementing, and evaluating education programs.
Coordinate orientation of new staff and develop or coordinate initial and ongoing competency validation plans.
Develop and coordinate core education for patient population-specific nursing care and bedside leader development.
Prepare and maintain accurate, relevant educational materials; identify and evaluate instructional materials across media and formats.
Adapt content and teaching strategies to learner needs and provide educational opportunities for nurses at all career stages.
Deliver competency-based nursing staff programs focused on improving skills and retaining knowledge.
Develop evidence-based educational materials and support staff development activities, including remediation, certification, mentoring, life support, regulatory requirements, and product rollouts.
Evaluate educational programming and prepare short- and long-term plans to address identified needs.
Teach within clinical expertise as needed to support orientation, staff development, and safe practice.
Serve as an educational consultant to facilities, task forces, committees, and projects concerning policies, procedures, and program development.
Respond to regulatory mandates and sentinel events, and address identified needs to promote quality patient care and safety.
Recommend educational strategies for implementing clinical standards and consult with staff about individual learning needs.
Support integration of research into practice, document the effectiveness of the educator role, incorporate current educational evidence, contribute to nursing research, and communicate research findings for program planning.
Use advanced clinical knowledge and communication through role modeling, consultation, and education to support nursing practice and improve patient outcomes.
Develop evidence-based policies, procedures, protocols, and best-practice models or guidelines using clinical and specialty knowledge.
Help nurses and interprofessional teams evaluate and change practice standards to ensure evidence-based nursing practice.
Lead quality improvement and safety initiatives based on gap assessments and data analysis; facilitate translation of best evidence into practice across programs and disciplines.
Collect and analyze data using collaborative systems thinking to support quality, cost-effective patient care and outcomes.
Facilitate adult learning and identify and recruit internal and external educational resources.
Coordinate educational activities, including continuing education credit, clinical affiliations, and nurse residency activities.
Participate in committees, task forces, projects, and reviews of activities or processes; facilitate team building and leadership development in areas of coverage.
Develop programs in response to changes in nursing practice and ensure educational programs align with organizational mission, values, and goals.
Promote a safe and healthy work environment, maintain flexibility across responsibilities, and communicate across disciplines.
Model excellence, safety, ethical practice, education, professional nursing practice, and lifelong learning; maintain required competencies and develop staff in varied roles.
Lead committees, work groups, or projects related to educational activities and perform related duties as assigned.
Work different hours, holidays, weekends, and oversee the overnight shift as needed to meet unit needs.
Meet the physical demands of the role, including prolonged sitting, standing, stooping, and walking, and assisting with lifting patients and equipment.