The clinical nurse specialist (CNS) is the clinical leader for a program or area of nursing practice. The advanced knowledge and skills required for this role include clinical expertise in a focus area, evidence-based practice, collaboration, consultation, education, mentoring, and change leadership. These are essential to advance the practice of nursing and the professional development of nurses. The specialized knowledge and skills are used within three major areas of focus: patient/family, nurses and nursing practice, and the organization/system. The CNS is accountable for collaborating with members of the health care team to design, implement, and measure safe, cost-effective, evidence-based care strategies. The CNS is responsible for maintaining current professional knowledge and competencies and contributing to the advancement of the practice of nursing at the unit/system, local, state and/or national and international level.
Essential Functions:
- Direct interaction with patients, families, and groups of patients to promote health or well-being and improve quality of care.
- The CNS uses a holistic perspective in the advanced nursing management of health, illness and disease states.
- Maintains own clinical competence within specialty focus.
- Contributes to the professional development of nurses locally and nationally.
- Shares specialty practice knowledge in formal and informal educational activities at local/national/international levels with members of the interdisciplinary team.
- Participates in the planning and delivery of professional development programs.
- Works in partnership with Nurse Educators to support the orientation and skill development of new hire employees and the on-going development and competency assessment of current employees.
- Analyzes research findings and other evidence for potential application to clinical practice.
- Assess systems barriers and facilitators to the adoption of evidence-based practices.
- Designs programs for effective implementation of research findings and other evidence into clinical practice.
- Provides expert clinical consultation and recommendations to staff nurses, nurse managers, medical staff and interdisciplinary colleagues.
- Initiates consultation to obtain resources as necessary to facilitate progress toward achieving identified outcomes.
- Communicates consultation findings that are consistent with professional and institutional standards to appropriate parties.
- Analyzes data from consultation to implement practice improvements.
- Facilitates the provision of clinically competent care by staff/team through education, role modeling, team building, and quality monitoring.
- Performs unit level and system level assessments to identify variables that influence nursing practice and outcomes.
- Performs other duties as requested.
Qualifications:
Basic Qualifications:
- Three (3) years of specialty clinical experience
- Two (2) years of management experience, preferred.
- Five (5) years of recent education experience, preferred.
- Five (5) years of recent clinical experience in specialty, preferred.
- Completion of Clinical Nurse Specialist program in area of specialty, preferred.
- Master's in Nursing in area of specialization.
- Graduate of accredited school of nursing.
- Master's in Nursing, preferred.
- Must have current Oregon RN license upon hire.
- Must obtain BLS with AED Certification upon hire.
- National certification as a Clinical Nurse Specialist, preferred.
- Active in professional association, preferred.
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, preferred.
External hires must pass a background check/drug screen.
We are proud to be an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.