RN-Clinical Practice Specialist-ICU-CVICU

Clinical Practice Specialist (CPS)

Kaweah Health is a publicly owned, community healthcare organization that provides comprehensive health services to the greater Visalia area in central California. With more than 5,000 employees, Kaweah Health provides state-of-the-art medicine and high-quality preventive services in our acute care hospital, specialized health centers and clinics. Our eight-campus healthcare district has 613 beds and offers comprehensive health services across a broad continuum of care.

It takes a special person to work for Kaweah Health. We serve a region where the needs are great, which makes the rewards even greater. Every day, we care for people facing unique challenges and in need of healing. Throughout it all, our focus is to make a difference, and we do in the health of our patients, our loved ones, and our community.

The Clinical Practice Specialist (CPS) serves as a clinical expert and change leader responsible for advancing evidence-based practice, quality outcomes, patient safety, and clinical excellence across the area service line. Working collaboratively with operational leaders, physicians, pharmacists, clinical informatics, and interdisciplinary teams, the CPS leads the development, implementation, evaluation, and sustainment of standardized clinical practices.

Qualifications:

License/Certification:

CA RN license

BLS

ACLS

Acute/Critical Care Nursing (CCRN) from American Association of Critical-Care Nurses

Education:

Required: BSN

Preferred: MSN

Experience:

Minimum five years of progressive clinical experience in area of nursing practice.

Demonstrated experience leading evidence-based practice, quality improvement, or clinical practice initiatives.

Experience collaborating with interdisciplinary teams to develop and implement clinical protocols, guidelines, policy, procedures, standard work, and order sets.

Advanced knowledge of evidence-based practice (EBP), improvement methodologies and implementation strategies.

Proficiency in performance improvement and change management frameworks.

Demonstrated ability to translate research and evidence into sustainable clinical practice changes.

Knowledge of clinical quality, patient safety, regulatory, and accreditation standards.

Strong project management, facilitation, and stakeholder engagement skills.

Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams.

Excellent analytical, organizational, written, verbal, and presentation skills.

Ability to influence without direct authority and effectively leads cross-functional initiatives.

Strong critical thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities.

Job Responsibilities:

Evidence-Based Practice and Clinical Standardization:

Leads the identification, evaluation, and implementation of evidence-based practices across the area Service Line.

Collaborates with operational and clinical leaders to establish clinical goals, performance metrics, standards of care, policies, procedures, protocols, and practice guidelines designed to improve patient outcomes and operational performance.

Evaluates emerging evidence, regulatory requirements, and best practices to ensure alignment with organizational goals and quality standards.

Performance Improvement Leadership:

Utilizes improvement methods and techniques to design, implement, evaluate, and sustain clinical improvement initiatives.

Facilitates multidisciplinary performance improvement projects focused on quality, safety, patient experience, operational effectiveness, and clinical outcomes.

Develops measurement plans and monitors performance indicators to assess initiative effectiveness and identify opportunities for improvement.

Shared Governance and Unit-Based Council Partnership:

Serves as a strategic partner to area Unit-Based Councils (UBCs) in identifying improvement opportunities and advancing evidence-based practice initiatives.

Guides council members through the PDSA process to test, evaluate, and refine clinical practice changes.

Promotes staff engagement, ownership, and accountability for clinical practice improvements.

Clinical Informatics and Order Set Development:

Collaborates with Clinical Informatics, physicians, pharmacists, and interdisciplinary stakeholders to design, implement, and optimize electronic health record workflows and clinical order sets.

Ensures order sets align with approved standards, evidence-based guidelines, policies, procedures, and protocols.

Evaluates the effectiveness of clinical decision support tools and recommends enhancements as appropriate.

Quality and Patient Safety:

Analyzes quality, patient safety, and operational data to identify trends, risks, and opportunities for improvement.

Partners with operational leaders to develop and implement action plans that address identified gaps and support achievement of organizational quality goals.

Supports initiatives that reduce clinical variation and improve reliability of care delivery.

Education and Professional Development:

Develops and delivers education related to evidence-based practice, quality improvement methodologies, clinical standards, and practice changes.

Serves as a mentor and resource to nurses and interdisciplinary team members involved in improvement initiatives.

Supports specialty certification, professional development, and lifelong learning within the area Service Line.

Clinical Consultation and Change Management:

Provides expert consultation to nursing leadership, physicians, and interdisciplinary teams regarding clinical practice, quality improvement, and implementation strategies.

Facilitates stakeholder engagement and change management activities to support adoption and sustainment of new processes and practices.

Assists departments in evaluating workflow changes and operational impacts related to improvement initiatives.

Research and Innovation:

Promotes a culture of inquiry by identifying opportunities for nursing and interdisciplinary research and evidence-based practice projects.

Assists with literature reviews, evidence appraisal, dissemination of findings, and integration of research into clinical practice.

Supports presentation and publication of outcomes from quality improvement and evidence-based practice initiatives.

Leadership and Organizational Collaboration:

Participates in service line, departmental, and organizational committees, councils, and task forces related to quality, safety, clinical practice, and performance improvement.

Builds strong collaborative relationships across nursing, medicine, pharmacy, informatics, and operational leadership to advance strategic priorities.

Serves as a champion for nursing excellence, patient-centered care, and professional practice.

Accountability and Stewardship:

Demonstrates effective management of assigned projects, timelines, resources, and deliverables.

Maintains current knowledge of healthcare trends, regulatory requirements, and professional standards relevant to clinical area.

Utilizes organizational resources responsibly and performs other duties as assigned.

Additional:

Maintains competency and expertise in applicable clinical specialty areas.

Demonstrates the knowledge and skills necessary to provide care and services appropriate to the population served on the assigned unit or work area. Knowledgeable of growth and development for all patient/family cultural, linguistic, spiritual, gender, and age specific needs. Able to effectively communicate and care for patient and family as reflected in the Plan of Provision of Care.

Performs other duties as assigned.

Pay Range: $51.22 - $76.84

If you want to use your talents alongside people who face each day with courage and purpose, in an environment that empowers you to do your absolute best, this is where you belong.