System Perioperative Nurse Educator

Overview

Functions in the roles of Educator, Facilitator, Consultant, Change Agent, and Leader. Coordinates and delivers educational activities that promote competency, professional development, and clinical excellence among Appalachian Regional Healthcare (ARH) perioperative personnel. Responsible for assessing, planning, developing, implementing, and evaluating educational programs that support orientation, competency validation, continuing education, leadership development, regulatory compliance, quality improvement initiatives, and evidence-based perioperative practices across ARH surgical services. Designs and delivers educational offerings utilizing adult learning principles and evidence-based instructional methodologies to enhance the knowledge, skills, and professional growth of perioperative staff. Facilitates onboarding, orientation, competency assessments, and ongoing professional development while maintaining educational and competency records in accordance with organizational policies and compliance requirements. Collaborates with nursing leadership, perioperative leaders, and interdisciplinary teams to develop standardized educational initiatives that promote consistency, quality, patient safety, regulatory compliance, and clinical excellence across the ARH system. Serves as a resource, mentor, and change agent in advancing perioperative practice and workforce development. Maintains positive relationships with internal and external customers and supports organizational goals through educational leadership and continuous improvement. Travel to various ARH facilities is required to provide perioperative education and support under the direction of the Vice President-Perioperative, with matrixed reporting responsibilities to the Senior Director of Nursing Education.

Responsibilities

• Assumes ownership and responsibility in attaining, developing, and maintaining educational and instructional expertise.

• Facilitates centralized orientation.

• Responds to changes in perioperative practice and develops programs to support these changes.

• Ensures that educational programs are congruent with organizational missions, values, and goals.

• Maintains flexibility when managing multiple roles and responsibilities.

• Interprets and communicates across multiple disciplines.

• Promotes a safe and healthy work environment.

• Serves as a role model to promote education, professionalism, excellence, and safety.

• Role models and promotes the concept of lifelong learning.

• Leads committees, work groups, and/or projects related to the implementation of educational activities.

• Provides educational resources for perioperative personnel.

• Acts as a clinical resource for perioperative personnel using evidence-based standards and professional guidelines.

• Assists perioperative personnel in the evaluation of current practice through quality and process improvement measures.

• Collaborates with other members of the healthcare team as required.

• Facilitates and monitors perioperative personnel compliance with organizational policies and procedures and regulatory and accreditation standards.

• Mentors team members as required.

• Manages all aspects of educational projects, including fiscal responsibility.

• Assists perioperative personnel in assessing their individual learning needs and learning styles.

• Maintains perioperative employee educational data and records as required.

• Facilitates student learning experiences in the perioperative setting.

• Pursues professional growth and participates in professional organizations.

• Acts as a patient advocate and maintains privacy and confidentiality of individuals and health information.

• Performs miscellaneous job-related duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor's Degree; Bachelor’s degree in Nursing (BSN) required or plan to obtain within 2 years of hire. Required

Experience

• 4-6 years; Five (5) years of varied surgical services experience. Required

• 1-3 years; One (1) year nursing education experience. Preferred

Required Skills, Knowledge & Abilities

• Strong understanding of rural Appalachian culture.

• Broad knowledge of clinical nursing, including current trends, safety precaution policies, equipment, electronic healthcare records (EHR) management software, accrediting agency standards, and local, state, and federal regulations.

• Working understanding of adult teaching/learning theories and program assessment, program design, promotion and marketing implementation, and evaluation processes.

• General knowledge of scope of practice, evidence-based practices, the American Nurses Association (ANA) Code of Ethics for Nurses, and the Patients’ Bill of Rights.

• Attention to detail with time management and organizational skills and the ability to work with a high degree of initiative and independence.

• Possesses solid written and public speaking skills, including the ability to clearly and professionally explain medical, technical, or sensitive information to diverse audiences.

• Experience presenting educational programs preferred.

• Intermediate knowledge of word processing, presentation, and email software, including Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Publisher, and Outlook.

• Working understanding of Microsoft SharePoint, Adobe Captivate, electronic medical records, and an aptitude for learning new programs.

• Ability to work independently as well as part of a team while demonstrating exceptional attention to detail and organizational skills.

• Ability to prioritize and delegate assignments under varied and urgent conditions while working within standardized procedures and practices to achieve objectives and meet deadlines.

• Ability to identify and solve complex problems based on the analysis of multiple sources of information while providing new perspectives on existing solutions.

• Ability to ensure the privacy of each patient’s Protected Health Information (PHI).

• Ability to develop collaborative relationships with various internal and external groups, including clinical and support staff, other departments, management, ARH Clinical Nurse Educators, college staff, regional CPR training program coordinators, and regulatory agencies to coordinate educational needs and ensure compliance.