Nurse Standards Specialist

Community Medical Services•Cleveland, OH

About The Position

The Nurse Standards Specialist is a nurse who develops, implements, monitors, and maintains clinical practice standards, policies, and procedures across the organization to promote safe, evidence-based, high-quality patient care. Reporting to the Regional Director, the specialist serves as a subject matter expert on nursing practice standards, regulatory requirements, and accreditation criteria, translating them into actionable guidance for clinical staff. The role works with nursing leadership, quality improvement teams, educators, and frontline clinicians to review and revise policies, conduct gap analyses, support audits and compliance initiatives, and continually improve nursing practice. It also supports staff education and competency as standards change. Core work includes managing competency-based new-hire training, training and coordinating preceptors, monitoring orientation and competency progression, conducting nursing quality reviews and compliance assessments, and supporting audits and regulatory readiness. The specialist maintains medication-management processes and documentation, assists with scheduling and onboarding, supports nursing staff with policy and client-care questions during scheduled work hours, and may fill in as a dosing nurse. Specialty-designated roles may also provide HCV/STI program oversight or coordinate controlled-substance medication call-backs for assigned Arizona clinics. The role supports Community Medical Services, a CARF-accredited addiction treatment program offering outpatient medication-assisted treatment and individual and group counseling. The organization is headquartered in Arizona and operates more than 70 clinics in 14 states.

Requirements

Active, unrestricted RN license in the state(s) where nursing care is delivered; an LPN may be considered where permitted by state scope of practice.
High school diploma or GED.
At least three years of clinical nursing experience, including at least one year in a substance use disorder treatment setting.
Current BLS/CPR certification.
Valid driver license and Motor Vehicle Clearance, including a satisfactory driving record for 39 months.
Basic to intermediate computer knowledge.
Problem-solving, conflict-resolution, and strong customer-service skills.
Integrity, mission-driven approach, self-direction, and ability to collaborate.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
Excellent organizational skills, accuracy, and attention to detail.
Ability to work effectively as a team member in a continuously changing environment.
Ability to maintain confidentiality and comply with HIPAA and 42 CFR, Part 2.
Ability to travel to assigned CMS sites.
Ability to work a variable schedule that may include nights, weekends, and holidays.
Ability to perform prolonged sitting and standing and frequent bending, stooping, or stretching in an office environment.
Manual dexterity to use a calculator and computer keyboard; frequent and prolonged typing and operation of computers, keyboards, and telephones.
Ability to regularly lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and frequently lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.

Nice To Haves

Experience with quality review, audit, clinical education, or competency assessment.

Responsibilities

Own the new-hire, multi-week competency-based training program.
Conduct on-the-job training and blood collection training.
Coordinate preceptors and training milestone signoffs.
Monitor new-hire orientation, competency progression, remediation plans, and ongoing nursing development; escalate concerns to the Regional Director when additional support or intervention is needed.
Partner with Clinic Managers to interview nursing candidates and provide clinical expertise and structured interview input.
Conduct routine nursing quality reviews, compliance assessments, and observational rounds to assess adherence to standards and identify education, process-improvement, and regulatory-readiness opportunities.
Perform internal DEA audits and assist with annual inventory audits.
Monitor and document medication errors and near-misses using Power Apps.
Maintain DEA binders, Medsafe binders, and Vista Pharm documentation.
Assist with nursing schedules and onboarding new nursing staff.
Train nursing staff on nursing protocol updates and changes.
Fill in as a dosing nurse as necessary.
Maintain medication-management processes, including oversight of medication protocols, detoxification protocols, and drug screening procedures.
Ensure adherence to DEA, federal, state, and accrediting-body regulations.
Participate in assigned weekly and monthly meetings and weekly clinical staffing.
Serve as a point of contact for nursing staff regarding policies and client care, responding to questions and concerns during scheduled work hours.
Maintain client and clinic records in accordance with organizational, state, and federal rules and regulations.
For the HCV/STI specialty: provide infectious-disease oversight; standardize screening, testing, and treatment workflows; monitor screening, consent, linkage to care, treatment, and outcome documentation; track performance metrics; provide education and competency training; collaborate with providers, clinic leadership, pharmacy, and external partners; ensure program compliance; develop workflows and educational resources; support process improvement and regulatory readiness; and reduce delays from consent and testing through treatment initiation so positive cases are not lost to follow-up.
For the Medication Callback specialty: complete or coordinate controlled-substance medication call-backs for assigned Arizona clinics; conduct outreach and schedule call-backs within required timeframes; use approved scripts and protocols; review relevant chart information before outreach; coordinate in-person verification with nursing teams; document activities in the EHR and maintain call-back trackers; communicate status updates; identify and escalate discrepancies or safety concerns; coordinate follow-up; and ensure incident and compliance documentation is completed and routed.