Job Description

Join UChicago Medicine, as a Clinical Nurse Educator supporting our NICU Department. 

A Clinical Nurse Educator is a nurse with previous educational experience whose focus is on staff development and nursing education. This nurse is an educator, consultant, role model, staff/patient advocate, change agent, leader and cost-effective professional. In collaboration with nursing leadership, the Clinical Nurse Educator designs, develops, implements, and evaluates a variety of educational offerings to improve nursing care and clinical/organizational outcomes.  The Clinical Nurse Educator elevates the standard of professional nursing practice at UCM by developing, coaching and mentoring staff to become expert clinicians and leaders.

The Margaret M. and George A. Stephen Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Comer Children’s Hospital provides Level IV NICU care, which is the highest level of newborn care according to the American Academy of Pediatrics’ standards. Comer Children’s is one of only a few children’s hospitals in Illinois that provides Level IV NICU care just steps away from our birth center. Our pediatric surgical subspecialists on staff can perform advanced surgical procedures when needed. We also offer extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), a type of life support for infants with heart or lung problems.

 Essential Job Functions:

• Assesses the education needs of employees within area of responsibility.
• Utilizes standardized and develops customized assessment tools and testing methodologies to measure staff knowledge and skill in core nursing practices and within specialty areas.
• Interprets the medical center’s strategic imperatives, policies, guidelines, and other internal demands to design education that supports these strategic goals and key objectives.
• Plans and designs a variety of educational activities based on the needs assessment.
• Collaborates with key staff to develop a comprehensive annual educational calendar.
• Designs specialty based orientations for clinical staff.
• Designs inservices and continuing education programs for staff.
• Fosters a cultural environment that promotes learning.
• Evaluates all learning activities using objective performance criteria and recommends corresponding changes in education plans.
• Participates and collaborates with nursing leadership in quality, research and scholarly activities and develops grant proposals as appropriate.
• Researches available funding sources and submits funding proposals in order to implement support and expand new or existing programs to meet the educational needs.
• Participates on departmental and hospital committees
• Participates in seminars, workshops, and/or for credit course in area of professional interest and work responsibility.

Required Qualifications:

• BSN required
• Current RN Illinois license
• Minimum requirement of three years of clinical practice
• Knowledge and previous application of adult learning principles
• Demonstrated leadership skills evidenced by serving as a charge nurse, preceptor, or episodic teacher
• Demonstrates complex decision-making skills and problem-solving ability

 Preferred Qualifications:

• Master of Science in Nursing or related education field
• Experience in ICU and/or Burn setting
• Knowledge of medical/surgical practices preferably with an increased focus on post-surgical and post-transplant patients.
• Previous experience working within multidisciplinary teams or nursing leadership committees
• Certification in specialty area preferred, must receive within the first 12 months of hire

Position Details:

• Job Type/FTE: Full-Time (1.0 FTE)
• Shift: Days, 8:00am-4:30pm
• Work Location: Onsite 
• Unit/Department: Pediatrics Care Center - Hyde Park 
• CBA Code: Non-Union