Clinical Nurse Specialist - Neonatal ICU

Clinical Nurse Specialist

Under general direction, to assess, plan, implement and evaluate the nursing care of patients and to function as an expert clinician, consultant, educator and researcher. Santa Clara Valley Medical Center has one vacant Clinical Nurse Specialist position to support the Neonatal ICU Department. The is a full-time (1.0) position on the day shift. The Clinical Nurse Specialist requires the RN to be certified by the California BRN as a Clinical Nurse Specialist with clinical expertise in Neonatal ICU. At least five years of experience, evidence of expertise, and competency in the identified nursing specialty in a Joint Commission Certified Acute Care hospital is required. Board Certification in Neonatal ICU highly desired. The eligible list will be used for future openings within this competency area. Together, we can make a greater impact. Bringing better care and expanding healthcare services across the community.

Santa Clara Valley Healthcare (SCVH) is the second largest public health care system in California and includes three acute care hospitals, 14 clinics and 60+ specialty and sub-specialty services. Our mission is to provide high-quality, accessible healthcare and excellent service to everyone in Santa Clara County.

Santa Clara Valley Medical Center - SCVMC is a full-service tertiary acute care teaching hospital with 699 licensed beds providing a wide range of specialized services, including Rehabilitation, Burn, Trauma, and NICU. SCVMC was ranked by U.S. News and World Report as #6 Rehabilitation Hospital in the nation and #1 in the West and designated as a 2024 High Performing hospital for Maternity Care, Heart Failure, Stroke, Hip Fracture, and Pneumonia.

O'Connor Hospital - O'Connor Hospital (OCH) is a 358 licensed bed acute care facility offering a full range of inpatient and outpatient medical, surgical and specialty programs to residents of Santa Clara County. It was founded in 1889 as one of the first hospitals in the county. OCH has grown significantly over the past five years in both its inpatient volume and its Emergency Department visits. Along with these volume increases other ancillary and clinical departments like imaging, lab, pharmacy, and respiratory have seen growth as well.

St. Louise Regional Hospital - Since 1989, St. Louise Regional Hospital (SLRH) has been caring for the residents in Santa Clara and San Benito Counties, offering a wide range of inpatient and outpatient medical specialties. SLRH has 93 beds, is a Designated Primary Stroke Center, and is the only acute care hospital in the area. Located in Gilroy, SLRH maintains a CALSTAR 2 emergency helicopter base on the premises.

Regional Medical Center – Regional Medical Center (RMC) is a 258-bed hospital that is the main emergency healthcare provider for East San José, treating a wide range of critical and life-threatening conditions for more than 60 years. Since the SCVH integration of RMC effective 4/1/25, RMC has expanded the critical services including Level II trauma, Thrombectomy capable Stroke Center and STEMI care, and has been seeing an increased number of emergency visits and inpatient volume.

Typical Tasks

Clinician

• Provides or may facilitate direct nursing care to patients or their families through selected client caseload;
• Performs ongoing evaluation of the nursing care of patients requiring continued follow-up;
• Provides or guides nursing staff in the deliverance of expert nursing care;
• Develops and/or facilitates the development of comprehensive nursing interventions for specific clients based on expert assessment of the client's needs, goals and outcomes;
• Documents all care given on the patient's progress notes in the medical record;
• Collaborates with other members of the health care team to develop an integrated plan of care;
• Develops and implements discharge plans for referred patients; making referrals as appropriate;
• Provides patient/family supportive counseling and education when appropriate;
• Coordinates patient care between inpatient and outpatient departments;

Consultant

• Serves as consultant to nursing Staff, medical staff and other health care providers in area of specialization;
• Establishes standards for nursing practice in consultation with Nursing Administration;
• Collaborates with Nursing Administration to develop appropriate policies and procedures;
• Plans, facilitates, and participates in nursing and interdisciplinary rounds and conferences;
• Represents nursing during hospital/community conferences and committees;
• Serves as a consultant to hospital materials management and County Purchasing personnel regarding supplies and equipment;

Educator

• Serves as a resource person in area of expertise to community members, agencies and students of health profession;
• Assesses the need for and identifies, designs and implements classes, courses, and seminars to meet educational needs of staff as related to the care of target patients;
• Provides direct teaching to patients and families and/or coordinates instruction by others;
• Utilizes and evaluates various teaching strategies to meet the individual learning needs of patients and families during various phases of health care;

Researcher

• Evaluates and disseminates pertinent research findings;
• Identifies, designs and conducts nursing research;
• Assists staff members in understanding and utilizing research finding in their practice;
• Utilizes research findings for patient care planning and implementation;

General

• Provides a monthly and annual summary of patient statistics and job activities to designated Nursing and Medical Administration;
• Establishes and evaluates yearly objectives;
• Participates as an active member on select nursing and health- and hospital-wide committees;
• Pursues continuing education to expand knowledge and clinical expertise;
• Evaluates own practice and updates goals and competencies.

Employment Standards

Graduate of an approved nursing program (preferably BSN), currently licensed as a Registered Nurse (RN) in California and sufficient education and experience which demonstrate possession of the qualifications necessary to successfully perform the typical tasks noted above. Qualified applicants typically would have: 1) At least five years experience, evidence of expertise and competency in identified nursing specialty; 2) Experience in assessing patient and family learning needs and developing teaching programs; 3) Advanced educational preparation in identified nursing specialty or related area at the Master's level; 4) Nationally recognized certification as an expert in identified nursing specialty preferred.