Nursing Professional Development Specialist (Mental Health)

GENERAL SUMMARY

The Nursing Professional Development Specialist (NPDS) works under the direction of Clinical Practice Education Manager (CPEM) and collaboratively with nursing leadership, clinical care leads, and Mental Health Education Team in supporting employee education within the Children’s Pavilion. The Mental Health NPDS is an educational planner responsible for assuring that the educational outcome is measurable and is in alignment with the educational design and planning of programming. This position serve as a learning facilitator, change agent, mentor, leader, champion for inquiry, advocate for Nursing Professional Development (NPD) Specialty, and partner for practice transitions. The position works with the Mental Health Education Team to ensure compliance with federal and state regulations and corporate/hospital policy. Reports to Clinical Practice Education Manager (CPEM).

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Learning Facilitator 
  • Education: Develops educational activities to address practice gaps for identified target audiences, to include licensed and non-licensed healthcare personnel. These activities are developed to achieve specific outcomes related to identified deficits or opportunities for improvement in knowledge, skill, or practice.
  • Planning: Determines appropriate interventions incorporating theories pertaining to learning, behavioral change, and motivation.
  • Implementation: Demonstrates use of current evidence-based education guidelines (adult learning theory, brain-based learning, etc.) during implementation of educational programs. Uses the CHKD improvement framework in the implementation of system-wide programs and projects to continuously improve programs.
  • Orientation/Onboarding: Develops, coordinates, facilitates, conducts, and evaluates orientation programs for nursing and other healthcare personnel to guide the new hire towards job competency. 
  • Competency Management: Supports ongoing assessment and evaluation of performance. Assists in supporting unit leadership teams in prioritizing competency selection and helps with selection of instructional strategies to meet learning objectives.
  • Change Agent
  • Establishes collaborative partnerships and promotes an environment that can sustain change: Assesses staff and stakeholder readiness to change. Communicates to staff the opportunity for change. Promotes a culture in which staff understand the direct relationship between their role and the business of the organization. Motivates staff to take ownership of change. Collaborates with leadership and stakeholders to support change.
  • Assessment of Practice Gaps: Prioritizes department, inpatient psychiatric hospital, and health system needs aligning hospital initiatives and environmental scanning in the community, state, and national level to prioritize and address practice gaps.        
  • Identification of Learning Needs: Assesses knowledge, skill, and practice gaps within departments and inpatient psychiatric hospital differentiating between practice gaps, performance issues, and process/system issues.  
  • Outcomes Identification: Ensures realistic and achievable outcomes that are created in collaboration with key stakeholders and subject matter experts.  
• Advocate for Professional Role Development: 
  • Mentor/Leader: Serves as a role model and promotes a healthy work environment, professionalism, and just culture. Collaborates with interprofessional partners to share expertise in planning and decision making to achieve the desired results to deliver the highest quality of care. 
  •  Advocate for the NPD Specialty. Promotes and integrates the science of the NPD specialty to continuously improve their practice.
• Partner for Practice Transitions
  • Supports effective and efficient practice transitions. Identifies and develops strategies to facilitate a continuous process of maturation through lifelong learning. This allows for role transition, role integration, skill acquisition, and mastery as learners advance from novice to expert in their professions and specialties. Supports the development, maintenance, and expansion of transition to practice based on evidence and measurable outcomes. 
• Champion for Inquiry
  • Evidence Based Practice (EBP)/Quality Improvement (QI): Champions inquiry through promotion of EBP and QI in patient care settings. In collaboration with CPEM and under the EVMS Institutional Review Board (IRB) affiliate, may conduct, encourage, facilitate and/or participate in EBP and QI, including dissemination of findings.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

LICENSES AND/OR CERTIFICATIONS

• Registered Nursing License in the State of Virginia or Registered Nurse holding a valid Compact State license required at time of hire.
• Certification in Nursing Professional Development (NPD) required at time of hire or within 3 years of placement into position.
• Basic Life Support required at time of hire or must be obtained within 45 days of hire. 
• Pediatric Advanced Life Support required at time of hire or must be obtained within 45 days of hire.
• Safety Care Training certification required at time of hire or attendance and successful completion of the next available class offered during orientation is required.

MINIMUM EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS

• Master of Science in Nursing required.
• 2+ years of adolescent/pediatric experience is required; 2 years of the experience shall be in a pediatric inpatient psychiatric or acute care medical/behavioral hospital setting.
• 2+ years mental health experience to include crisis behavior intervention experience required. 
• Required to obtain the knowledge, skills, and understanding needed to utilize the management systems (e.g., Healthstream Learning Center, SMART sheet applications, etc.) within 90 days of hire.
• Professional knowledge of nursing theory and practice.
• Prior experience in a Pediatric Nursing Professional Development or Nurse Educator role preferred.
• Knowledge and understanding of federal and state regulations essential to position and Children’s Pavilion.
• Skilled in the maintenance of databases and records, as well as the generation of dashboards and reports.
• Proficiency and technical aptitude with the use of Adobe Acrobat and MS Office products, including Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Word.
• Knowledge of current and emerging trends in technology to support learning
• Ability to coordinate and facilitate education and training to staff from different professional backgrounds, while utilizing blended learning models to promote teaching-learning process.
• Possess the knowledge and skills to apply appropriate strategies in teaching and learning.
• Strong organizational and critical thinking skills with attention to detail and commitment to data accuracy.
• Excellent time management skills, able to shift priorities and able to work independently and problem solve in a fast paced, fluid environment.
• Ability to accept guidance and work with a team with capacity to self-reflect.
• Demonstrated track record of building respectful rapport with staff, ability to accept guidance from staff members and work with a team.
• Must possess strong verbal, written, and interpersonal skills as well as, the ability to interact with and build collegial relationships with diverse individuals.
• Experienced effective public communicator who is comfortable speaking and presenting in front of diverse groups in small or large settings. 
• Fosters a positive learning environment that models self-reflection and critical thinking.
• Increased Security Clearance Required: FBI fingerprinting, criminal background check, and Child Protective Services registry search.

WORKING CONDITIONS

Active in the inpatient milieus with patients, staff and families.  Active in the patient care environment with minimal exposure to environmental hazards such as, but not limited to, excessive noise, dust, or extremes in temperatures. Environment may include physical, mechanical restraints as well as seclusion. Patients that are dysregulated with high acuity and potential for risk to self and others. Exposure to communicable diseases and moderately adverse working conditions due to the need to perform certain patient care activities can be expected.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

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