PICU Clinical Nurse Specialist

Job Title & Specialty Area: Pediatric Intensive Care Unit Clinical Nurse Specialist

Department: Education

Location: Plano, TX

Shift: Full Time

Job Type: On-Site

Why Children’s Health?

At Children's Health, our mission is to Make Life Better for Children, and we recognize that their health plays a crucial role in achieving this goal.

Through our cutting-edge treatments and affiliation with UT Southwestern, we strive to deliver an extraordinary patient and family experience, ensuring that every moment, big or small, contributes to their overall well-being.

Our dedication to promoting children's health extends beyond our organization and encompasses the broader community. Together, we can make a significant difference in the lives of children and contribute to a brighter and healthier future for all.

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
• Practice within the organizations professional governance structure
• Mentor nursing staff in the evaluation and use of best available evidence (Evidence-Based Practice)
• Evaluate current clinical practices and related outcomes; provides comparison to national standards
• Review and utilize current literature and research findings for evidence-based practice in the health care of pediatric patients and their families.
• Participate in research through data synthesis, translation of research into clinical practice, and the generation of new knowledge by conducting research independently or in collaboration with other professionals.
  
  

Work Experience

How You’ll Be Successful:

• 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 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
• If enrolled in a Clinical Nurse Specialist Program please still apply.
  
  

LICENSES AND CERTIFICATIONS

• Current licensure as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse in the State of Texas (or current valid Compact RN license) Upon Hire Req
• 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 PALS (Pediatric Advanced Life Support) certification 180 Days Required
  
  

A Place Where You Belong

We put our people first. We welcome, value, and respect the beliefs, identities and experiences of our patients and colleagues. We are committed to delivering culturally effective care, creating meaningful partnerships in the communities we serve, and equipping and developing our team members to make Children’s Health a place where everyone can contribute.

Holistic Benefits – How We’ll Care For You

• Employee portion of medical plan premiums are covered after 3 years.
• 4%-10% employee savings plan match based on tenure
• Paid Parental Leave (up to 12 weeks)
• Caregiver Leave
• Adoption and surrogacy reimbursement
  
  

As an equal opportunity employer, Children's Health does not discriminate against employees or applicants because of race, color, religion, sex, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, age, national origin, veteran or military status, disability, or genetic information or any other Federal or State legally-protected status or class. This applies to all aspects of the employer-employee relationship including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, promotion, transfer pay, training, discipline, workforce adjustments, termination, employee benefits, and any other employment-related activity.