Hospice Clinical Educator

Clinical Educator The Clinical Educator provides professional development and education services by supporting staff in acquiring knowledge and skills to competently meet the needs of the patients served by Compass Regional Hospice (Compass) while maintaining compliance with all State and Federal standards and regulations. Reports to :

Director of Clinical Services Responsibilities and Functions:

Plans, directs, coordinates, and conducts training and education sessions for employees. Identifies needs for education, plans and implements annual in-service and continuing education programs. Ensures educational activities are congruent with Compass' mission, vision, values, goals, priorities, and resources. Develops, conducts, and coordinates new employee orientation and staff training, including evaluation of preceptorships. Collaborate with Clinical Managers, and the Quality Committee to prioritize educational needs in relation to findings from clinical audits, observations during supervisory visits, or discussions with clinical staff. Provides an appropriate climate for learning, and facilitates the adult learning process by developing, planning, and presenting educational activities. Assist learners to identify both their learning needs and the effective learning activities required to meet those needs while fostering encouragement in the benefits and opportunities for life-long learning. Identifies changes that should be made in clinical practice using evidence-based approach and facilitates the initiation of, adoption of, and adaptation to change. Serves as a resource by assisting clinicians in identifying problems, identifying available internal and external resources, and selecting educational options. Integrates ethical principles in all aspects of practice. Provides ongoing evaluation of the quality and effectiveness of the educational activities to ensure that they maintain and enhance professional development that promotes the delivery of cost-effective high-quality hospice care. Collaborates with others at the local and state levels regarding hospice professional development. Maintains clinical competence and certification in hospice and palliative care, as required. Always maintains a culture of "survey readiness". Assists the Quality & Compliance Manager with surveys, corrective actions, and follow-up. Demonstrate familiarity with policy & procedures of the agency and rules and regulations of State and Federal bodies which aid in determining policy & procedures. Assists the Quality and Compliance Manager with policy and procedure development, as appropriate. Coordinate and conduct the planning and implementation of the annual safety fair and clinical skills days in conjunction with the Volunteer Manager and Delegating Nurse. Maintain compliance of the Clinical Department in continuing education. Provide education and support to staff for the EMR system. Maintains the confidentiality of employees, patients/client, and agency information at all times. Maintains a complete and accurate record of education and training provided for all staff.

Delegating RN Duties:

Acts as a delegating nurse for the CMTs at Compass who have completed a Board approved Medication Administration Training Program for Assisted Living and who is certified by the Board as a Medication Technician. Follow regulations which govern the Registered Nurse Case Manager/Delegating Nurse's Practice in Assist Living and include the Maryland Practice Act and COMAR regulations (e.g., COMAR 10.27.09, 10.27.11, 10.07.14) Per COMAR 10.27.11, assess the competency of the medication assistant administering medication at the same time as the 45-day site visit, assess the task to be delegated including complexity, assess the environment in which the task is to be performed, and determine the instruction and frequency of supervision required to monitor the caregiver. In conjunction with Compass' other delegating nurse(s), ensures the individuals delegated are competent to perform the delegated acts; instruct, direct, and regularly evaluate the performance of the task by the person to whom the tasks are delegated; rectify a situation when the task is performed incorrectly; and prohibit continued performance when the task is performed incompetently. Maintains Delegating RN certification. Maintains regular communication with the Barnette Center Manager to review Certified Medication Technician compliance with safe medication administration and documentation practices. Facilitates CMT training through 20 hours of instruction for new CMTs. Provides 2-year recertification and clinical training updates for CMTs. Practices as delegating nurse for CMTs at Compass in collaboration with the Barnette Center Manager. CMT supervision of medication passes as required for licensure and certification, as needed. Performs two step TB screening for all staff upon hire, as needed. Provides respiratory fit tests upon hire of clinical staff. Assists with MAR reconciliations to maintain quality requirements if Barnette Center Manager is unable. Supervise and update the health aide plan of care every two weeks or more frequently as needed in conjunction with the Barnette Center Manager.

Skills Required :

Knowledge of professional nursing principles, practices, concepts, and procedures, and documentation requirements as applied to the care of the hospice patient population. Excellent critical thinking skills, good nursing judgment and able to manage all aspects of terminal care and specific expertise in hospice care. Knowledge of how to collect health data in a systematic and ongoing manner, prioritizing data collection to identify education needs. Knowledge of and/or experience with Suncoast Systems EMR, preferred. Excellent oral and written communication skills. Knowledge of Medicare/Medicaid Regulations and accrediting bodies standards.

Minimum Qualifications:

Registered Nurse from an accredited college or university. Possession of a current license to practice as a registered professional nurse in the State of Maryland. Bachelor's degree in nursing with 4-5 years of varied work experience as a professional nurse. 2-3 years of hospice experience, highly preferred. Possession of Delegating Nurse certificate in area congruent with Hospice care or the ability and willingness to receive certification, as required. Certification in hospice and palliative care or the ability and willingness to receive certification, as required. 1-2 years in a supervisor or management position, preferred.

Additional Qualifications:

Complete hospice orientation. Support the hospice concept of care. Be flexible and able to work on several projects simultaneously. Be able to work harmoniously with diverse types of individuals and groups. Advances knowledge and skills; attends in-services and workshops as appropriate. An ability to cope with the stress of continual loss. Possesses physical ability to perform job-related duties which may require lifting, standing, bending, transferring, stooping, stretching, walking, and pushing. Must be able to hear, process directions, and requests.

Schedule:

Full-time on-site Admin On Call rotation

FLSA Status:

This position is classified as exempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act.