Nursing Staff

Nursing Professional Development Specialist: Neonatal Division
1.0FTE/Full-time/Exempt

At Stanford Children's Health, we know world-renowned care begins with world-class caring. That's why we combine advanced technologies and breakthrough discoveries with family-centered care. It's why we provide our caregivers with continuing education and state-of-the-art facilities, like the newly remodeled Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford. And it's why we need caring, committed people on our team - like you. Join us on our mission to heal humanity, one child and family at a time.

Neonatal
The Johnson Center for Pregnancy and Newborn Services' interdisciplinary teams provide the innovative and comprehensive care needed to meet the complex needs of the most critically ill newborns. Our 40-bed level IV neonatal intensive care unit, 34-bed level II intermediate care nursery and 6-bed level II special care nursery at Dignity Health Sequoia work in partnership to support our infants and their families at every step of their health care journey.

Sequoia Spec Care Nursery
Department Description: The Lucile Packard Special Care Nursery is a six-bed, Level II neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) located within the Sequoia Hospital Birth Center and staffed by doctors and nurses from Packard Children's neonatology team, which is ranked #5 in the nation by U.S.News. This Level II designation means Sequoia has the expertise and equipment to care for and stabilize high-risk newborns.

Intermediate Care Nursery
Department Description: The Intermediate Care Nursery (ICN) is a 34-bed level II Neonatal Intensive Care Nursery designed to provide care to recovering newborns and those infants requiring level II care. We care for infants requiring direct admission from the Delivery Room, the Emergency Department, other hospitals, re-admissions from home, post-surgery cases, as well as more chronic conditions or premature infants from our Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). The care in the ICN is family centered and focusses on parent and family education. This education prepares families to easily care for their infant once discharged.
The ICN staffs are committed and dedicated professionals who strive to work as a team, advocating for the needs of the unit, patients and families with the goal of promoting excellent customer service and ensuring the best possible outcomes. The staff enjoy watching the babies grow, but also enjoy partnering with the parents as their knowledge and comfort level increases.

The ICN offers a full spectrum of services and consultation with Stanford Children's Hospital and Palo Alto Medical Foundation attending physicians. There is a multidisciplinary approach to patient care with an emphasis on a collaborative team approach including developmental specialists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, dieticians, lactation consultants, case manager's, chaplaincy and social services. Every Tuesday, interdisciplinary rounds are held with representatives from each of these services, as well as nursing and management from the floor.

Job Summary

This paragraph summarizes the general nature, level and purpose of the job.

The Nursing Professional Development Specialist provides clinical and nursing professional development expertise as an educator, leader, consultant, facilitator, change agent, and researcher to support the organization in the provision of quality patient care by helping to ensure the clinical competence of nursing staff and foster the delivery of evidence-based nursing practice. This occurs through the facilitation of the educational process through assessment, development, planning, implementation and evaluation of clinical competency assessment, continuing education, and leadership development. Responsibilities include developing and teaching orientation, in-service education and continuing education programs. The Nursing Professional Development Specialist manages complex programs and projects requiring effective facilitation of cross-functional teams, and strong vertical and horizontal leadership relationships, to drive improvements in clinical and professional role performance, patient care quality, cost and satisfaction outcomes among patients, families, and health care providers. The Nursing Professional Development Specialist utilizes evidence-based practices and research that focuses on the knowledge and skills required to care for patients in the assigned area, including quality improvement, safety and regulatory/accreditation requirements, and outcomes evaluation of programs, projects, education and training. The Nursing Professional Development Specialist collaborates with the leadership team and staff regarding patient care and staff performance issues, participates in setting standards, and maintains knowledge and skills in the areas to which assigned. In addition, as a role model of professional behavior, the Nursing Professional Development Specialist is instrumental in creating a professional nursing climate within the organization to meet the needs of diverse units. Demonstrates principles of Packard Quality Management System in achieving efficient, effective standard leaders work.

Essential Functions

The essential functions listed are typical examples of work performed by positions in this job classification. They are not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, tasks, and responsibilities. Employees may also perform other duties as assigned.

Employees must abide by all Joint Commission Requirements including but not limited to sensitivity to cultural diversity, patient care, patient rights and ethical treatment, safety and security of physical environments, emergency management, teamwork, respect for others, participation in ongoing education and training, communication and adherence to safety and quality programs, sustaining compliance with National Patient Safety Goals, and licensure and health screenings.

Must perform all duties and responsibilities in accordance with the hospital's policies and procedures, including its Service Standards and its Code of Conduct.

EDUCATOR:

* Conducts systematic and ongoing learning needs assessments of individuals and/or groups within assigned units and organization-wide (as appropriate) using a variety of techniques and sources.

* Identifies educational objectives based on assessment data, quality improvement and regulatory/accrediting bodies' requirements.

* Develops educational programs for nurses at all stages of their career development that are culturally sensitive, age appropriate, and family centered after a complete review, validation and prioritization of needs and within available budget, staff and other resources.

* Plans, prepares and maintains materials for use in educational programs for accuracy and relevance to the target audience.

* Teaches content as needed and/or assigned within clinical expertise in formal and informal settings with a focus upon improvement of skills and retention of knowledge using appropriate strategies, technologies and adult learning principles.

* Ensures that educational activities are implemented in a professional and timely manner, adjusts content and teaching strategies appropriate to learner needs, and documents teaching/learning process and outcomes in accordance with standards.

* Conducts evaluations of assigned educational programs to determine if the purpose and objectives have been achieved and to identify areas for improvement in course design, content, and delivery.

* Evaluates the impact of educational programs on improving patient care, quality, cost and satisfaction.

LEADER:

* Serves as a role model for education and professional practice and to promote excellence and safety.

* Integrates ethical principles in all areas of practice. Role models and promotes the concept of life-long learning.

* Evaluates the quality and effectiveness of nursing practices in collaboration with others to ensure that nursing and the organization's goals and mission are in alignment.

* Networks throughout the organization and in the community with the goal of exchanging knowledge and expertise.

* Markets staff development and continuing education programs.

* Develops standards for educational practice in own setting. Develops and/or provides input into the capital and operating budgets.

* In leading complex project and program teams, demonstrates principles of project management including identification of plan, timeline, stakeholders, desired metrics and outcome targets, budget, communication and evaluation.

CONSULTANT:

* Identifies opportunities for staff development consultation on his/her own initiative.

* Collaborates with Nursing and Hospital Administration to recommend educational strategies to ensure compliance with requirements and standards of external regulatory and accrediting organizations.

* Serves as an educational consultant working with intra- and inter-disciplinary teams to brainstorm, problem-solve, and participate in projects relating to policy, procedure, program development and strategic planning.

* Serves as a resource to staff designing needed educational experiences.

* Responds to requests for consultation from other hospitals and the surrounding community.

CHANGE AGENT AND FACILITATOR:

* Demonstrates knowledge of select change theories and applies principles to support change within the organization.

* Facilitates the adult learning process, creating a climate that supports learning across the organization.

* Ensures that educational programs are congruent with organizational missions, values, and goals.

* Identifies and recruits internal and external resources for educational activities.

* Identifies which changes should be made through participation in various activities such as committees, projects, and strategic planning meetings.

* Participates in review of activities or processes for assigned area and department.

* Responds to changes in nursing practice and develops programs to support those changes.

* Facilitates the initiation of, adoption of, and adaptation to organizational change.

* Influences policies, procedures or legislation to create change.

* Fosters a positive attitude regarding the benefits and opportunities of life-long learning.

RESEARCH ROLE:

* Supports the integration of research into practice.

* Provides information to document effectiveness of role as a Nursing Professional Development Specialist.

* Facilitates the development of staff members' knowledge and skills in the research process and use of evidence to improve nursing practice.

* Evaluates studies for quality and applicability to patient care or educational programs.

* Applies evidence-based data for improving professional development activities, nursing practice, and patient outcomes.

* Applies research findings in the development of policies, procedures and guidelines.

* Participates in the research process in a variety of ways, such as serving as an investigator, protocol director, collaborator, data collector or evaluator.

* Applies appropriate measurement tools in quality improvement activities.

Minimum Qualifications

Any combination of education and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge, skills and abilities as well as possession of any required licenses or certifications is qualifying.

* Education: Masters of Science in Nursing Education or Master in Education (MED) or Masters in Nursing and equivalent coursework in curriculum development, adult learning theory, learning needs assessment, and learning outcome measurement from an accredited college or university.

-OR-

A Master's degree in Nursing and completion of a graduate nursing education certificate from an accredited institution.

* Experience: Four (4) years of progressively responsible nursing experience

* License/Certification: BLS (Basic Life Support) - Valid BLS certificate for health care providers that meets the requirements of and is recognized by the American Health Association

* License/Certification: CA Registered Nurse (RN)

-AND-

Board Certification as Nursing Professional Development Specialist required within three (3) years of job acceptance.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

These are the observable and measurable attributes and skills required to perform successfully the essential functions of the job and are generally demonstrated through qualifying experience, education, or licensure/certification.

* Ability to apply a professional nursing code of ethics and professional guidelines to clinical practice.

* Ability to apply Scope and Standards of Practice for Nursing Professional Development Specialist to role functions.

* Ability to be a resource for all employees assigned area of specialization.

* Ability to plan, implement, evaluate and revise professional development and continuing education programs for nursing staff at the unit and organization-wide levels.

* Ability to design curricula and programs that reflect sound education principles, incorporate evidence-based practice, meet measurable outcomes, and that meet requirements of external regulatory and accrediting organizations.

* Ability to evaluate and document the academic performance and clinical competency of staff, identifying staff's and unit's needs, strengths, limitations and opportunities.

* Ability to plan educational programs for staff with various levels of ability given available resources.

* Ability to function as an educator, leader, consultant, facilitator, change agent, and researcher.

* Ability to demonstrate LPCHS leadership competencies.

* Knowledge of adult instructional methods and theories, learning concepts and evaluation.

* Knowledge of the current theories, principles, practices and standards of as well as emerging technologies, techniques, issues, and approaches in the nursing profession, particularly those applicable to the area of assignment/expertise, the culture of nursing and the health care system, as well as the responsibility and accountability for the outcome of practice.

* Knowledge of laws, rules and regulations; standards and guidelines of certifying and accrediting bodies; hospital and department/unit standards, protocols, policies and procedures governing the provision of nursing care applicable to the area of assignment.

* Knowledge of medical terminology; principles and practices of health promotion, risk reduction, illness and disease prevention and management; medications and drugs, common dosages, their physical and physiological effects, and possible adverse reactions, as related to assigned area .

* Knowledge of medical and professional nursing ethics and patient privacy rights.

* Knowledge of computer systems and software used.

Physical Requirements

The Physical Requirements and Working Conditions in which the job is typically performed are available from the Occupational Health Department. Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job

Date Created 4/28/2013

Date Revised 2/3/2020

Equal Opportunity Employer

Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford strongly values diversity and is committed to equal opportunity and non-discrimination in all of its policies and practices, including the area of employment. Accordingly, LPCH does not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation or gender identity, religion, age, national or ethnic origin, political beliefs, marital status, medical condition, genetic information, veteran status, or disability, or the perception of any of the above. People of all genders, members of all racial and ethnic groups, people with disabilities, and veterans are encouraged to apply. Qualified applicants with criminal convictions will be considered after an individualized assessment of the conviction and the job requirements, and where applicable, in compliance with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance.

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