Nurse Educator - Medical Acute Care

Northeast Georgia Health System•Gainesville, GA

23h

About The Position

The Nurse Educator is a unit-based practitioner accountable for specialty and unit education, staff development, and oversight of unit skills and competencies. The role provides formal and informal continuing education, supports orientation, and collaborates with the Clinical Nurse Specialist to address staff and patient needs. The Nurse Educator has expert knowledge of a specific patient population, promotes quality nursing care, facilitates learning for staff and students, and provides direct patient care as needed. The position may also support educational needs on other like units and may care for patients ranging from infants to geriatric adults, following population-specific guidelines and National Patient Safety Goals. The Nurse Educator supports the professional practice environment and nursing strategic direction, the Professional Nursing Governance Structure, NDNQI quality teams, and the unit practice council. The role assists with clinical governance and other assigned projects. Practice is guided by the Association for Nursing Professional Development, its Scope and Standards of Practice, and the Nursing Professional Development Practice Model.

Requirements

Licensed to practice as a registered nurse in Georgia.
Professional certification in a clinical or education specialty.
Bachelor’s degree in Nursing.
At least 3 years of RN experience.
Relevant clinical experience for the specific unit.
Membership in a professional organization.
Good interpersonal skills.
Good verbal and written communication skills.
Knowledge of audiovisual equipment and computers.
Effective organizational skills.
Good clinical knowledge and skills demonstrated by competency assessment.
Ability to teach and provide comprehensive verbal and written instruction.
Maintain certifications required for the unit receiving education.

Nice To Haves

Certification in Nursing Professional Development (NPD-BC).
Master’s degree in Nursing or another field if the candidate has a BSN.
Previous staff development and education experience.
Membership in the Association for Nursing Professional Development (ANPD).

Responsibilities

Coordinate, elevate, and resolve education-related problems and conflicts as they occur.
Provide formal and informal continuing education and oversee unit-based skills and competency development.
Facilitate and support orientation activities for new personnel, including instruction and supervision of care as required.
Collaborate with the Clinical Nurse Specialist and other disciplines to address staff and patient needs.
Promote quality nursing care and provide direct patient care as needed, including care for the unit’s patient population.
Support nursing strategic direction, the Professional Nursing Governance Structure, NDNQI quality teams, and the unit practice council; coach team members and assist with clinical governance and assigned projects.
Use the nursing process to assess, plan, and evaluate patient care; document assessments and recommend care for patients with complex or special needs.
Promote effective discharge planning in collaboration with other disciplines and Case Management.
Serve as a liaison among patients and families, physicians, and other health care members.
Assist with and monitor development, implementation, and compliance of bundles to prevent hospital-acquired infections.
Evaluate patients’ responses to nursing treatment and recommend continuation or modification of care plans.
Assess patient and family learning needs, provide teaching, and evaluate and revise teaching plans as indicated.
Participate in hospital and community committees and activities to communicate relevant, accurate information.
Use clinical expertise to assist nursing staff, students, and orientees with difficult or unusual procedures.
Evaluate patient care conferences, interdisciplinary conferences, and staff development programs; provide feedback to appropriate staff.
Conduct frequent staff development programs, including unit-specific infection control information.
Evaluate staff nurses’ technical skills using skills checklists and provide feedback to unit leadership for performance reviews.
Support quality assurance activities, comply with established performance improvement standards, and assist with monitoring or chart review.
Assess personnel numbers and skill levels needed for quality care and make staff assignments based on scope of practice, patient acuity, infection control measures, and unit-specific care modalities.
Monitor shift personnel for compliance with unit routines and nursing and patient care standards.
Provide impromptu instruction and demonstrations of techniques, products, and procedures.