Description

Summary:
The Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) provides leadership, mentorship, and clinical expertise within spheres of impact by utilizing unique and advanced level competencies. The CNS provides expert comprehensive nursing care directly to patients, supports and develops registered nurses at the point of care and serves as a leader in redesigning systems to improve access, quality, and safety in a cost-effective manner. The CNS improves patient care by putting the best evidence and innovations into practice while solving challenging patient care issues, evaluating nursing practice, and monitoring patient outcomes for clinical effectiveness. The CNS collaborates with the multidisciplinary team to design and implement safe, timely, equitable, effective, patient-centered evidence-based care.

Responsibilities:
Direct Patient Care:

• Conducts comprehensive wellness and illness assessments including development of a differential diagnosis
• Provides interventions to prevent or treat illness including identification and treatment of symptoms, functional problems, risk behaviors.
• Uses advanced communication skills to address complex situations and conversations.
• Intervenes to educate, guide and coach the patient, family, and caregiver(s) to establish a patient centered plan of care and navigate complex healthcare systems.
• Leads discovery of innovations in patient care.
• Collaborate with the multidisciplinary team to identify and develop proactive interventions to ensure optimal clinical outcomes for patients with complex health conditions
• Develop innovative and effective quality improvement processes related to clinical practice at the unit and/or organizational level
• Identify, trend and evaluate clinical practice quality metrics to support changes in the delivery of care that promote optimal clinical outcomes
• Use and design tools and methodologies to identify needs or gaps in the knowledge, skills, and competencies of nursing personnel to advance the practice of nursing

Nursing/Nursing Practice:

• Utilizes evidence-based practices to guide nursing practice and support patients and their families.
• Develops population profiles and conducts clinical inquiries to determine the need to change practice.
• Utilizes advanced clinical knowledge and communication skills through role modeling, consultation, and education with nurses and healthcare providers to support nursing practice and improve patient outcomes.
• Creates and develops evidence-based policies, procedures, protocols, and best practice models/guidelines using advanced clinical and specialty knowledge.
• Assists nurses and the interprofessional team to evaluate and change practice standards and ensure nursing practice is evidence-based.
• Facilitates critical thinking skills of nursing/clinical personnel
• Monitors and analyzes nurse sensitive data to develop practice guidelines for improving quality outcomes
• Serves as a leader in identifying nursing, team, technological, environmental, or systems barriers/facilitators to clinical practice that require change, enhancement or maintenance
• Supports the professional growth of nurses by identifying and promoting new learning experiences and opportunities to be reflective in their practice
• Ensure the multidisciplinary team understands and implements practice changes in accordance with regulatory agency recommendations and the National Patient Safety Goals as well as current hospital policies and procedures

Requirements

WORK EXPERIENCE
* At least 2 years Job related experience Required
* At least 2 years Experience in pediatrics or related specialized area of nursing Required
* At least 1 year Experience as a pediatric Clinical Nurse Specialist Preferred

EDUCATION
* Graduate in progress or professional work or advanced degree; or equivalent experience Accredited Master’s or Doctoral Degree program in the discipline of Nursing with preparation as a Clinical Nurse Specialist Required

LICENSES AND CERTIFICATIONS
* Current licensure as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse in the State of Texas (or current valid Compact RN license) Upon Hire Required
* Current certification as a Clinical Nurse Specialist by ANCC or AACN in the appropriate population focus area (maternal child, pediatric, or neonatal).
* The Texas BON requires all APRNs graduating from an advanced nursing program after January 1, 1996, to be certified by a national certifying body recognized by the BON in an appropriate advanced practice role and specialty, unless specially waived by the Board and substituted for 1,000 hours of supervised practice. Upon Hire Required
* Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers as required by CP 1.20 Life Support Course Requirements Upon Hire Required
* Current NRP (Neonatal Resuscitation Program) certification if practicing in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) Upon Hire Required
* Current PALS (Pediatric Advanced Life Support) certification 180 Days Required