RN Educator, Nephrology

ChenMed•DeKalb, IL

3d•$76,732 - $109,617•Onsite

About The Position

The Patient Educator, Specialty (RN) collaborates with medical practitioners and leaders to incorporate chronic disease education into the care plans of a specialized patient population. The role promotes and facilitates disease education for patients and their families to improve health outcomes and support active involvement in care and care decisions. The incumbent also provides direct specialty nursing services as needed, adhering to regulatory standards and applicable policies and procedures. The role develops and delivers clinical education that increases patients’ knowledge of disease processes, improves engagement in care, and reduces hospital and emergency room admissions. The position coordinates care among primary care physicians, community specialists, vendors, hospitals, transitional care teams, and case management. It monitors chronic disease program performance across multiple medical centers, identifies gaps, and helps implement quality improvements. Patient education is adapted to individual needs, including cultural and religious practices, emotional barriers, motivation, physical or cognitive limitations, language, and readiness to learn. The role documents services according to internal policies and external requirements, builds stakeholder relationships, and performs other duties as assigned.

Requirements

Valid, active RN license.
At least 3 years of dialysis experience.
Teaching or training experience.
Basic Life Support (BLS) certification.
Fluency in spoken and written English.
Ability and willingness to travel locally, regionally, and nationwide up to 40% of the time.
Strong business acumen and acuity.
Excellent knowledge of general nursing and nursing education functions, practices, processes, procedures, techniques, and methods.
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
Skill in gathering, analyzing, and interpreting information.
Strong customer service orientation.
Ability to work across multiple centers of expertise and with stakeholders at different levels.
Ability to identify problems and recommend solutions.
Ability to establish priorities and coordinate work activities.
Attention to detail.
Ability to work effectively independently and as part of a team.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, as well as database and presentation software.
Ability to use and exercise independent judgment.

Nice To Haves

Nursing Compact license.
Teaching or training experience in clinical or patient education.
Experience working with geriatric patients.
Certified Nurse Educator (CNE) or similar nursing certification.

Responsibilities

Provide chronic disease education to a specific patient population and coordinate care with primary care physicians, community specialists, vendor services, and hospitals.
Monitor chronic disease program performance across multiple medical centers, identify gaps, and implement improvements in patient and quality outcomes.
Assist in developing quality improvement and management strategies related to disease education.
Collaborate with medical center leaders and primary care physicians to assess needs and develop and implement patient education programs.
Educate patients and family members while accounting for cultural and religious practices, emotional barriers, motivation, physical or cognitive limitations, language barriers, and readiness to learn.
Identify opportunities to reduce fragmentation of health care.
Support informed health care decisions by ensuring patients and family members understand the patient’s health status.
Assess patients’ and family members’ ability to cope with the patient’s health status, prognosis, and outcomes, and adapt communication as needed.
Promote healthy lifestyles to improve patients’ overall health.
Select, adapt, and individualize education resources, including brochures, printed materials, and videos, to meet patient needs.
Document patient care services in patient charts and department records in accordance with policies and applicable laws and regulations.
Study, evaluate, and redesign processes to improve quality results, implementing changes as needed.
Coordinate care with transitional care and case management teams to reduce hospitalizations and lengths of stay.
Build trusting relationships with internal and external stakeholders to identify opportunities and develop remediation strategies.
Perform other duties as assigned and modified at the manager’s discretion.