Nursing Professional Development Specialist

Position Summary / Career Interest:

The Nursing Professional Development Specialist develops group and individualized educational initiatives to promote exemplary professional practice and quality patient care. Develops tools, theories, skills and knowledge of nursing professional development to improve the practice of staff. Merging innovative thinking with evidence-based practice, the Nursing Professional Development Specialist empowers the learner to improve outcomes by promoting professional development of the learner. Provides expertise in adult learning theory and generational learning principles to promote quality educational events. Utilizes advanced critical thinking and leadership skills to implement Nursing's educational goals. Provides oversight and coordination of educational endeavors to minimize duplication of unnecessary tasks and maximize the impact thus encouraging retention of information.

Responsibilities and Essential Job Functions

• Demonstrates ability to provide instruction to all levels of staff
• Develops tools, theories, skills and knowledge of NPD to improve the practice of staff.
• Designs educational activities to address practice gaps for identified target audiences, which may include licensed and non-licensed healthcare personnel. Activities are developed to achieve specific outcomes related to identified deficits or opportunities for improvement in knowledge, skill, or practice.
• Identifies gaps through use of learning needs assessments.
• Actively works to transform processes at micro, meso-, and macrosystem levels through inspiration, initiation, adoption, and sustainment of and adaptation to change using project management and improvement processes.
• Advances the profession by contributing to the professional development of others and supporting life-long learning as individuals develop across practice, professional and educational settings. Supports role transition, role integration, skill acquisition, and mastery as learners advance from novice to expert in their professions and specialties.
• Influences the interprofessional practice and learning environments, the NPD specialty, the profession of nursing, and healthcare.
• Promote and integrate the science of the NPD specialty to continuously improve their practice. Promote research, EBP, and QI in patient care settings.
• May conduct, encourage, facilitate and/or participate in research, EBP, and QI, including dissemination of findings.
• Develop, coordinate, manage, facilitate, conduct, and evaluate the following activities: On-boarding and orientation programs for nursing and other healthcare personnel.
• Initial and ongoing competency programs.
• Collaborate with partners to share expertise in planning and decision making to achieve the desired results. Interprofessional collaboration involves multiple healthcare personnel from different professional backgrounds collaborating to deliver the highest quality of care. Models purposeful, direct, and assertive communication with staff, peers, managers, and administration
• Provides leadership and supportive role in task forces and teams promoting the goals of the organization
• Must be able to perform the professional, clinical and or technical competencies of the assigned unit or department.
• These statements are intended to describe the essential functions of the job and are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities. Skills and duties may vary dependent upon your department or unit. Other duties may be assigned as required.

Required Education and Experience

• Bachelor Degree Nursing
• Master's Degree Clinical Nurse Leader
• Master's Degree in Instructional Design OR
• Master Education OR
• Master's Degree in related field OR
• Master Degree Nursing OR
• Doctor of Nursing Practice OR
• Doctorate in Nursing, Education, Clinical Nurse Leader, Instructional Design or related field OR
• 3 or more years of hospital or ambulatory clinical experience

Preferred Education and Experience

• 3 or more years of education and staff development experience
• Previous experience in program leadership and development

Required Licensure and Certification

• Basic Cardiac Life Support (BLS or BCLS) - American Heart Association (AHA) within 14 days
• Licensed Registered Nurse (LRN) - Single State - State Board of Nursing in State of Kansas
• Nursing Professional Development Certification (NPD-BC) - American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) This position is eligible for the certification bonus program.

Preferred Licensure and Certification

• National certification in a specialty nursing field
• AHA Instructor

We are an equal employment opportunity employer without regard to a person’s race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity and sexual orientation), national origin, ancestry, age (40 or older), disability, veteran status or genetic information.