Clinical Educator

Responsibilities:

• Leads the development, coordination, delivery, and evaluation of nursing and clinical education programs that support staff competence, clinical excellence, regulatory readiness, and organizational priorities.
• Identifies learning needs through collaboration with nursing leadership, quality leadership, clinical staff, program stakeholders, performance data, survey findings, and changes in evidence-based practice or regulatory requirements.
• Designs and facilitates education using adult learning principles, including staff in-services, clinical competency development, onboarding support, continuing education activities, patient education materials, and specialty program education.
• Serves as a clinical education resource, role model, coach, and facilitator for nursing staff, supporting lifelong learning, critical thinking, safe practice, and professional development in medical/surgical and specialty care settings.
• Creates and maintains education calendars, training materials, competency tools, onboarding resources, survey readiness materials, clinical practice guideline resources, and other program tools that support staff knowledge and performance.
• Evaluates education effectiveness through feedback, participation data, competency validation, clinical outcomes, quality indicators, and stakeholder input; recommends improvements based on findings.
• Provides education to patients and significant others through surgery preparedness classes and throughout the hospital experience, ensuring education is clear, consistent, and aligned with clinical care pathways.
• Coordinates Total Joint and Spine program activities that support patient, clinician, organizational, regulatory, and accreditation requirements, including TJC Disease Specific Certification standards.
• Maintains patient contact pre- and post-discharge using risk assessment, chart review, and interdisciplinary collaboration to identify needs, remove barriers, reinforce education, and support optimal recovery outcomes.
• Collaborates with physicians, nursing, care management, therapy, anesthesia, perioperative services, clinics, post-acute providers, quality, and leadership to coordinate education, care processes, and desired outcomes across the continuum.
• Monitors, analyzes, and reports quality metrics, patient outcomes, readmissions, complications, service excellence, length of stay, performance measures, and other program-specific requirements for internal review and regulatory agencies such as CMS, TJC, and AJRR.
• Conducts patient chart reviews, audits, data tracking, trend analysis, surveys, and reporting; prepares report cards and educational or program materials for orthopedic and spine surgeons, program medical directors, committees, and leadership.
• Researches best practices and leads or recommends continuous quality improvement initiatives that support evidence-based care, education priorities, performance standards, and target outcomes.
• Coordinates with the EPIC team and supports electronic health record reporting needs, workflow changes, clinical applications, education-related documentation, and data collection processes.
• Develops materials and contributes to Total Joint and Spine Committee meetings in coordination with program leadership and Program Medical Directors; may participate in other assigned projects, committees, and team meetings.
• Participates in survey preparation and follow-up actions; prepares documentation needed for intracycle TJC Disease Specific Certification calls and other certification activities.
• Maintains clinical competence, integrates ethical principles into education and practice, and considers safety, effectiveness, cost, and quality in planning and delivering education, care coordination, and professional development activities.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Essential Skills:

• Expertise in adult learning principles, instructional design, clinical education program development, competency validation, and evaluation of education outcomes.
• Strong facilitation and presentation skills, including the ability to prepare and deliver engaging PowerPoint presentations, staff education, patient education, in-services, and professional development activities.
• Ability to assess learning needs, translate evidence-based practice and regulatory requirements into practical education, and support staff development across varied experience levels.
• Knowledge of current nursing practice, clinical course of care in the acute setting, orthopedic and spine patient care, and health care trends impacting education and practice.
• Knowledge of CMS, PRO-PM, Joint Commission Disease Specific Certification standards, performance measures, and applicable regulatory or accreditation requirements.
• Ability to aggregate, analyze, interpret, and present data using spreadsheets, database software, electronic medical records, and reporting tools to inform education and quality improvement priorities.
• Positive attitude with strong verbal, written, interpersonal, collaboration, coaching, facilitation, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to function professionally, serve as a role model, advocate for patients and families, and promote staff accountability for safe, high-quality care.
• Ability to work autonomously, exercise initiative, adapt to changing requirements, and remain flexible in an evolving environment.

Required Qualifications:

• Current Texas RN licensure.
• Bachelor's degree in nursing required; graduate degree in nursing, education, or related specialty preferred or required based on organizational needs.
• Minimum of five years of clinical experience working as an RN in an acute care or related clinical setting.
• Experience developing, delivering, or supporting clinical education, staff development, onboarding, competency validation, or professional development activities.
• Computer proficiency, including Microsoft Office software and electronic medical record systems such as EPIC.
• BLS and ACLS certification required when applicable to assigned education responsibilities.

Preferred:

• Clinical educator, nurse professional development, preceptor, or staff development experience.
• Experience developing and delivering clinical education programs.
• ACLS/BCLS instructor certification.
• Quality improvement experience.
• Orthopedic and/or spine clinical experience.

Reporting Relationship: Reports to the Chief Nursing Officer or designated nursing/program leadership. Supervises: None. Classification: Exempt.

Occupational Exposure: Category I exposure to bloodborne pathogens, frequent exposure to chemical hazards, and possible exposure to radiation hazards.

Physical Demands and Work Environment: The physical demands and work environment are representative of those encountered while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The employee is frequently required to sit, converse, listen, use hands to handle objects or controls, reach with hands and arms, stand, walk, lift and/or carry over 20 pounds on a regular basis, and push/pull over 25 pounds on a regular basis. Specific vision abilities include close vision and the ability to adjust focus.