Advanced Practice Educator - Full Time

APP Educator

The APP Educator is a licensed Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant with System-wide Professional Development responsibilities. S/he demonstrates understanding of APP role at "top-of-license" and serves as a clinical resource and role model within his/her area of expertise. The APP Educator fulfills his/her organizational functions according to the Professional Development (PD) roles of learning facilitator, change agent, mentor, leader, champion for scientific inquiry, advocate for PD specialty, and partner for practice transitions. The APP Educator carries out these responsibilities in alignment with the current Professional Development Scope & Standards of Practice and utilizing the nursing process as applied to the specialty (assessment, learning needs and outcomes identification, planning, implementation, and evaluation).

Performs roles and responsibilities/duties in accordance with the Mission, Vision, and Goals of UHealth.

Core Job Functions

Caring Science

Promotes a culture of caring and compassion, Caring Science, and implementation of Caritas Processes in advanced practice; fosters teamwork and actively contributes to the successful accomplishment of the facility's goals and mission.

Is respectful of individual staff's spiritual beliefs and practices. Creates an environment for the staff that helps them support the patients physically and spiritually. Establishes a helping-trusting relationship with the staff. Responds to each staff member as a whole person, supporting their needs and concerns. Encourages staff to speak honestly about their feelings. Supports the APP to be accepting and supportive of patient beliefs regarding a higher power if they believe it allows healing. Mentors APPs to conduct activities that meet developing competencies, precepting new staff, receiving appreciation or recognition letter and/or participating in a medical mission.

Learning Facilitator:

Uses the educational design process to bridge the knowledge, skills, and/or practice gaps identified through needs assessments and environmental scanning.

Teaches needed information for self-care and illness prevention. Adjusts information and expectations based on responses from staff, leadership, colleagues, and cultural variations while addressing and meeting the needs of any language barriers that may be present.

Teaches other staff members both incidentally and/or through formal roles such as preceptor or super-user.

Collaborates with practitioners, leaders, nurses and educators, across departments to integrate the plan of care for a specialized group of patients, while adhering to regulatory, accreditation, specialty standards, and related UHealth policies, procedures, and guidelines.

Change Agent:

Actively works to transform processes at various levels through inspiration, initiative, adoption, and sustainment of, and adaptation to change, using performance improvement processes.

Serves as Resource when needed. Initiates system-wide education projects with significant impact on patient care, expense reduction, safety and/or patient experience.

Rapidly grasps problem situations and responds quickly and appropriately. Identifies the need for and activates emergency protocols.

Adapts to changing work demands and environment. Anticipates possible problems and assists leader(s) in the development of contingency plans.

Mentor:

Advances the profession by contributing to the professional development of others and supports life-long learning as individuals develop across practice, professional and educational settings.

Provides in-services, continuing education, serving as resource/super-user/specialist/support, competency development, and proctor skill validation.

Serves as a system-wide role model, mentor, and/or preceptor in area of expertise. Teaches others and suggests process improvements. Provides evidence-based practice suggestions and coaches others to improve, supports changes, and recognizes contribution of others.

Contributes to the knowledge and skill of other members of the staff through one or more activities such as formal or informal teaching, participation in Shared Governance groups, professional publications and/or presentations.

Supports activities that fulfill academic growth for APPs such as participating in an educational conference, poster presentation, or publication.

Leader:

Influences the interprofessional practice and learning environments, the PD specialty, and the role or advanced practice in healthcare.

Leads/guides clinical personnel in system-wide onboarding, orientation, education, ongoing competency, and role development.

Monitors own practices and assists in monitoring and evaluating others for practices related to patient and employee safety and compliance with standards and policies. Looks for opportunities for continual improvement in patient care and the work environment. Adheres to University and unit-level policies and procedures and safeguards University assets.

Designs education programs that align with the organization's strategic goals and promotes ongoing professional learning. Supports a culture of innovation. Ensures employees are trained on regulatory and accreditation standards, and University policy and procedures.

Administers and maintains accurate employee records related to onboarding, competencies, education, and training.

Contributes to team building through participation in unit programs and meetings.

Contributes to positive morale, using constructive and effective conflict resolution skills. Learns and utilizes the available technology for communication, documentation, and locating information regarding unusual clinical situations, diagnosis, and treatments.

Provides and demonstrates leadership by working as a role model and mentor to enhance patient care.

Assumes leadership roles representing professional development as needed.

Establishes and continuously assesses the effectiveness of the internal controls within the unit and compliance with university policies and procedures.

Champion for scientific inquiry:

Promotes the generation and dissemination of new knowledge and the use of evidence to advance PD practice, guide clinical practice and improve patient care.

Facilitates collaborative partnerships. Promotes and participates in research, evidence-based practice, and quality improvement initiatives.

Promotes activities such as an evidence-based practice/performance improvement project and/or a methodologic approach to develop a research proposal for Institutional Review Board (IRB).

Encourages APPs to engage in behaviors that support research at the organizational level or creates and implements educational curricula designed to facilitate participation in research, literature review, and sharing of findings in common forums.

Consults with and serves as a clinical resource for unit management to ensure quality patient care.

Promotes, encourages, facilitates, conducts and participates in research, evidence-based practice (EBP) and/or quality improvement (QI) activities.

Promotes and integrates the PD specialty to continuously improve his/her

practice.

Utilizes evidence-based practice to facilitate and promote best practice.

Advocate for PD specialty:

Actively supports, promotes, and demonstrates professional development as a practice specialty.

Attains knowledge and competence that reflects current advanced practice. Demonstrates commitment to lifelong learning and is responsible for his/her own professional development and maintenance of knowledge regarding the assigned patient population. Demonstrates an advanced level of competency in the area of practice.

Partner for practice transitions:

Supports the transition of advanced practice team members across learning and practice environments, roles, and professional stages.

Conducts and supports clinical personnel in onboarding, orientation, education, ongoing competency, Transition to Practice, and role development.

Professional Role Development

Assesses and develops clinical skills activities within established clinical and preceptorship models. Identifies and develops strategies to facilitate a continuous process of maturation through lifelong learning. Analyzes the role transition, role integration, and skill acquisition & mastery as learners advance from novice to expert in their professions and specialties. Coordinates programming to facilitate professional role development and practice role transitions, e.g. residencies, fellowships.

Communication

Complies with regulatory training guidelines (i.e. HIPAA). Teaches best practices for transition of patient care.

Educates staff on meeting diverse communication needs of patients with Limited English Proficiency (LEP).

Professional Practice Evaluation

Evaluates own professional development in relation to professional practice standards and guidelines, relevant statues, rules, and regulations. Provides focused constructive feedback and guidance with loving kindness to peers in a manner that provides growth and maintains self-esteem.

Participates in shared governance, following principles of bioethics to elevate the professional, integrating the professional practice model and relationship- based care, care delivery model into their practice. Integrates the Magnet Model components into practice.

Supports and encourages activities such as, participation in advanced practice council, committees, task forces, community/recruitment event; member of professional organization; national specialty certification.

Critical Thinking

Encourages staff to examine and question treatment to determine if they are within best practices. Uses sound judgement, decision making criteria, and available resources for drawing conclusions and taking required action. Applies evidence-based practices, approaches and solves problems with a global perspective using creativity and flexibility.

Department Specific Functions