Critical Care Educator

Overview

JOB SUMMARY:   The Educator is accountable to the Education Department Director.   The instructor responsibility is to plan, provide and/or facilitate professional growth and development of hospital staff through the didactic process, role model and or clinical education process.    The educator responsibility is to support the delivery of safe patient care through the nursing process of assessment, nursing diagnosis, planning, implementation and evaluation based on established clinical nursing practice standards.   Serves as a resource nurse, role model, and leader in health care administration.   Supports the organizational vision and mission.  Utilizes knowledge of patient’s age and cultural diversity into the education process for both staff and patients.  Contributes to the provision of quality of care through support of performance improvement processes that lead to positive outcomes in patient care.

Responsibilities

Collaborates with managers and staff to assess learning needs of staff.

Designs programs and delivery systems in conjunction with specific needs of the department, staff and/or patients and management.

Assess learning needs of patients appropriate to home health care and department guideline for training.

Assesses patient/family for level of knowledge, understanding and readiness to learn about health care process, personal care, infant care, illness and responsibility for care after discharge.

Identifies patient’s physical limitations, psychosocial needs, symptoms and behavioral changes.

Assesses resources and addresses age specific differences, cultural diversity and spiritual needs as appropriate.

Plans activities based on department and individual needs assessments

Takes part in education department annual goals and objectives for continuity of staff and patient knowledge or personal development.

Plans, prepares and/or presents just in time in-service training programs specific to department needs for patient safety goals, core measure and survey preparedness.

Develops a teaching/discharge plan for individual patients.  Utilizes assessment data as basis for planning; and includes the patient and family in the development of the teaching discharge plan whenever possible and/or appropriate.

Includes staff in patient education planning and training.  Instructs staff in the patient education process as indicated.

Prepares educational lesson plan for continuing education programs.  Includes complete learning objectives for each BRN program as indicated.

Plans, prepares individual learning packets of materials for patient teaching within specialty unit as appropriate.

Prioritizes and organizes work in order to complete assigned tasks and meet department, staff and patient needs.

Provides mandatory classes, audits, training or learning as required by accrediting agencies. (TJC, DHS, Title XXII, OSHA, etc.)  Facilitates compliance.

Maintains teaching material and education tools and files for department needs.

Assists in the communication of revised procedures to patient care staff and new employees.

Incorporates customer relations into all communication processes.

Provides learning sessions to implement and inform the staff of new products and equipment as appropriate or requested by department directors.

Utilize new information research findings in developing and updating the content of programs and specific activities.

Functions as a resource person for staff members; follow up promptly on question regarding further research or discussions.

Regularly attends and contributes to various meeting assigned by education department director.

Regularly evaluates personnel and learning processes and makes recommendations to nursing directors, departments and committees.  Initiates change as appropriate.

Consistently evaluates the effectiveness of teaching and learning of staff and patients to assure continuity of care and safety of patient.  Documents learning of patients appropriately on patient medical record.

Assists in the competency assessment and documentation process of staff as appropriate and requested by department director(s).

Maintains personal competency levels for teaching and assessing staff according to specifics of department needs and technology updates with director approvals or recommendations.

Collaborates with patient care/professional and support service departments to identify performance gaps, determine the causes and measures the impact of learning and non- learning actions that are required to change performance.

Consistently evaluates educational programs to update in content and technology.

Attends staff development programs, meetings and conferences as assigned; demonstrates knowledge in hospital emergency procedures.  Assists in drills as possible.

Promotes an environment that offers a positive rapport, respect and culture awareness to patients, public, staff and physicians.

Promotes and teaches components of quality improvement and evidence based practice.  I.e.; patient safety goals and core measures, etc.

Takes a leadership role in planning, designing, coordinating, conducting and evaluating educational/competency validation programs for assigned department which includes orientation, employee performance development, new policy/procedure development, new technology implementation, regulatory/accreditation requirements, etc.

Determines and documents initial competency of nursing personnel upon hire, provides ongoing assessment and evaluation of staff competency, implements and documents strategies to maintain competency.

Provides recommendations and participates in the selection and hiring of new employees and participates in the development and evaluation of disciplinary performance plans for staff.

Performs other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE, TRAINING 

Must be a graduate of an accredited School of Nursing

Currently licensed to practice nursing in California

A minimum of four years of acute care experience with teaching experience preferred.

BLS for Health Care Provider (AHA), NIHSS Stroke Certifications required. 

Instructor certifications in BLS, ACLS, PALS, and/or NRP certifications preferred.

BSN or Master’s Degree preferred

Compensation: 50.1 to 58.21 (USD)