CLINICAL NURSE SPECIALIST | UMH-Sparrow Lansing Emergency Dept

General Purpose of Job:

The Emergency Department Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) is an advanced practice nurse for a program and population for the emergency specialty area. The CNS influences outcomes for patients, nurses, and health systems by providing direct care, expert consultation, and implementing improvements based on current evidence-based practice. The CNS has knowledge and skills to serve through collaboration, consultation, education, mentoring, and change leadership.

Essential Duties:

Patient:

• Provides expert consultation and/or treatment based on a broad range of theories and evidence
• Leads and/or collaborates with interdisciplinary teams to enhance the quality and safety of patient care
• Designs evidence-based, cost-effective interventions to meet needs of complex patients

Nursing:

Clinical Practice

A. Ensures the delivery of high-quality nursing care to a specialty group of patients.

1. Develops and operationalizes a philosophy of care for Emergency Services patients and families.
2. Demonstrates in-depth knowledge and skills regarding emergency nursing care and capable of providing that care in a safe and effective way.
3. Consults with nursing staff concerning patient care issues. Evaluates practice and ensures clinical care reflects up-to-date clinical practices and integration of practice standards as appropriate. Works with manager to incorporate needed areas for improvement into staff performance plans.
4. Creates an environment that enhances effective patient and family care.
5. Establishes collaborative relationships for effective interdisciplinary care.
6. Participates in the development and evaluates the outcomes of educational programs for patients/families.
7. Evaluates current emergency and critical care nursing practices in relation to expected standards across the continuum of care.




1. Collaborates with Clinical Department Directors, Nurse Managers, Case Managers, Physicians and other key staff in overall program evaluation. Identifies key benchmarks for use in evaluation.
2. Initiates and directs planning related to program development including the identification of program objectives, expected outcomes, resource requirements and evaluation strategies.
3. Contributes to the design and conduct of quality improvement activities related to emergency care of patients.
4. Possesses knowledge and skills necessary to meet the developmental/age-specific needs of patients. Incorporates expertise in educational programming.
5. Possesses knowledge of the principles of growth and development.




8. Demonstrates the ability to assess data reflective of the patient's status in relation to developmental level.

• Mentors nurses in use of evidence-based practice to achieve optimal health care outcomes
• Develops, implements, and disseminates nursing research and/or quality improvement by acting as a principle investigator/project lead, mentor, or consultant
• Creates and revises nursing policies, procedures, protocols and plans of care using current evidence to achieve positive outcomes
• Evaluates outcomes of nursing practice using methods that provide valid data

Clinical Program Development

1. Creates and ensures clinical excellence and quality improvement through education of nursing staff.
   
   
   
   1. Ensures a well-coordinated program of orientation for newly hired nursing staff in the emergency department. Develops and implements innovative models of instruction to support clinical learning at the bedside. Ensures completion of orientation programs and standards. Incorporates relevant principles of growth and development into offerings and integrates appropriate evaluation measures into educational plan.
   2. Ensures further development of clinical precepting program through classroom experiences and clinical rounds with preceptors. Implements innovative models of practice evaluation.
   3. Collaborates with Clinical Department Directors, Clinical Nurse Mangers, Nursing Education and Development Department and other Clinical Nurse Specialists in overall curriculum development and evaluation of nursing programs.
   4. Supports structure which links specialized nursing education programs to overall nursing needs and programming.
   
   
2. Analyzes nursing continuing education and outreach needs and collaborates in the development of programming to meet assessed needs.

Organization/System:

• Designs, implements, and evaluates programs/initiatives congruent with strategic goals, regulatory requirements, and established standards
• Leads and participates in systematic quality improvement and safety initiatives based on problem identification, gap analysis and process evaluations
• Develops and/or evaluates system level interventions, programs and outcomes based on analysis of information
• Analyses system data to assess efficiency, standardize effective outcomes and optimize fiscal resources