Nursing Professional Development Practitioner

Department Overview

The Nursing Professional Development (NPD) Practitioner is a Registered Nurse (RN) who serves as a strategic leader in advancing nursing practice and workforce development across the health system. With authority to design and implement clinical education and competency strategies, the NPD Practitioner plays a key role in aligning professional development efforts with organizational priorities, regulatory standards, and nursing excellence goals. 

Function/Duties of Position

Grounded in the core competencies defined by the Association for Nursing Professional Development (ANPD), the NPD Practitioner leads care area-based and system-wide initiatives in education, onboarding, role development, and competency management. This role supports the transition to practice, sustains professional role competence, and promotes lifelong learning among nurses and interprofessional partners.

The NPD Practitioner represents nursing profession by shaping and executing strategies that influence policy, practice, and operations. This includes leading enterprise-level projects, designing and evaluating education programs, coaching clinical staff, and supporting regulatory and accreditation readiness. The role also contributes to advancing quality, safety, and health equity through education and practice innovation.

1. Onboarding and Orientation:Supports recruitment, hiring and retention efforts in collaboration with care area or department-based leaders for Clincial RNs and other clinical roles as assigned. Leads the process of orienting and integrating new team members with a focus on patient safety, professional and clinical performance, and retention. Use principles of equity to design, develop, and evaluate orientation curriculums to support the needs of the learner. Evaluates clinical performance and provides consistent coaching and communication regarding performance expectations and measurable goals during orientation.

2. Competency Management:Collaborates with NPD leaders and colleagues, Nursing Practice Specialist partners, Professional Governance and other key partners to determine initial, annual, and ongoing competency needs, including annual regulatory standards and policy requirements. Develops a competency demonstration plan for each clinical role that aligns to OHSU competency model and nursing professional practice model. Collaborates with unit and department leadership to ensure that staff comply with all competency and regulatory requirements.

3. Education and Learning Facilitator:Accountable for annual needs assessment and evaluation for Clinical RNs and other clinical roles as assigned. Responsible for developing and implementing a plan to address practice gaps for target audiences, including interprofessional learners at all levels. Develop and evaluate specific outcomes intended to measure improvement in deficits related to knowledge, skill, practice or behavior and attitude. Applies knowledge of learning domains and innovative teaching strategies to facilitate knowledge retention and behavior change. Evaluates impact of educational initiatives in support of professional development of nurses and other clinic roles as assigned.

4. Professional Role Development:Identify and apply strategies to facilitate continuous growth through ongoing professional learning. Responsible for transitions in practice, including Clinical RN residents and nurses new to specialty through specialized programs and curricula designed to meet unique learning needs. Supports the development of nurses and other team members in role mastery and skill acquisition through regular monitoring and evaluation of individual and team performance. 

Leads preceptor and mentor competency and professional development through coaching and feedback. Support organizational engagement and retention initiatives through mentorship and coaching of Clinical RNs in planning their professional development goals. Ensures specialty based professional development and learning opportunities are available. Provides resources to support professional certification, such as review courses. Encourages certification among all nursing staff.

5. Scientific Inquiry:Supports research, quality improvement (QI) and evidence-based practice (EBP) activities at various levels. Uses best available evidence to guide education and practice decisions. Disseminates research, QI and EBP findings through educational programs, courses, and other activities. Incorporates Continuous Improvement principles and resources into daily work and process improvement opportunities.

6. Leadership and Change Management:Aligns work with organizational goals and strategic plan. Demonstrates commitment to financial stewardship and resource management while fostering innovation and embracing change. Collaborates with other leaders to identify problems and propose solutions. Support change management by assessing readiness for change, developing goals, exhibiting creativity and flexibility, and implementing change strategies that support staff ability to sustain change.

7. Health Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI):Supports a healthy work environment by aligning responsibilities to organizational EDI strategic plans and goals. Evaluates clinical learning environments for opportunities to eliminate bias and discrimination and increase inclusivity. Support education programs and process/program improvement related to health equity, diversity and inclusion as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Masters Degree in Nursing or current enrollment in a Masters Degree in Nursing• 3-years experience as a registered nurse in a related clinical area of Practice or Focus• Adult Learning Theory• Educational Design• Facilitation• Giving & Receiving Feedback• Program Management• Microsoft 365• Unencumbered RN License• Basic Life Support (BLS) from the American Heart Association (AHA)• Nursing Professional Certification

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s Degree in Nursing Education• 2 years of recent leadership experience• Learning Management System Administration• System Program Management• ANCC Program Accreditation • NPD-BC Certification

Additional Details

This position also comes with great benefits! Some highlights include:

• Comprehensive health care plans that cover 100% for a full-time employee and 88% for dependents for .75 FTE and higher.
• $50K of term life insurance provided at no cost to the employee
• Two separate above market pension plans to choose from
• Paid time off- 208 hours per year (full-time), prorated for part-time
• Extended illness bank- 64 hours per year, prorated for part-time
• 9 paid holidays per year
• Three weeks of paid parental leave
• Adoption assistance program (up to 5k)
• Substantial Tri-met and C-Tran discounts
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Innovative Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Why apply to OHSU?

We are Oregon's only public academic health center. In addition to caring for patients, we lead groundbreaking research. We also train the next generation of health care professionals. As Portland's largest employer, we give you opportunities to learn and advance in a system of hospitals and clinics across Oregon and Southwest Washington. All are welcome. OHSU welcomes people of all ages, ethnicities, genders, national origins, religions and sexual orientations. We are striving to build an anti-racist, multicultural institution and encourage people with diverse backgrounds to apply. To request reasonable accommodation, contact View email address on click.appcast.io