Nursing Practice Specialist OR

The Nursing Practice Specialist (NPS)is a master’s prepared nurse with an area of specialization who promotes competent, compassionate, and professional nursing care for patients/families across the continuum. The role integrates program development, clinical expertise and quality outcomes management and includes patient care, teaching, consultation, and research (see Graphic A). The NPS is authorized to provide health care services to individuals within their clinical scope according to acuity and based on episodic circumstances. Drawing on their expertise in the acute clinical environment, the NPS will develop educational programs, advise clinical decision-making, manage quality outcomes, and participate in research activities. Responsibilities also include patient care in the clinical environment, health promotion, disease prevention, health education, counseling and making referrals to other members of the health care team, in addition to forming a diagnosis and management and treatment of illness and disease within his/her specialty certification and legal scope of practice. The NPS may provide these services to those experiencing acute or chronic conditions, illness, trauma or other-life threatening event.

1. Clinical Practice - Provides expert-level consultation and advises clinical staff on the formulation of diagnoses and treatment plans for patients and families. Demonstrates excellence in providing direct and indirect nursing care to patients and their families.

1.1 Expert-level consultation

i. Supports independent nursing practice of professional nurses through collaborative, consultative, and role modeling activities.

ii. Analyzes clinical and non-clinical variables to influence, supervise, manage or oversee patient care needs and predict and manage responses.

iii. Provides expert consultation within their specialty area at the unit, program, service, administrative, and community level(s).

iv. Identifies current trends in health care and their implication for nursing practice.

v. Promotes the attainment of the goals of the patient/family plan of care.

vi. Applies new technology, nursing theories, research findings and experiential knowledge to improve patient/family health care outcomes and to assist in the development of nursing practice as applicable.

vii. Responds to change in clinical practice by planning, designing, implementing and evaluating guidelines, protocols and standards in collaboration with clinicians and other members of the health care team.

viii. Identifies and recommends interventions regarding ethical issues in patient/family care and guides staff and other providers in application of ethical concepts to address patient care issues.

ix. Applies innovative approaches to solving complex problems.

x. Acts as a content resource to colleagues, patient/families, and others as identified.

xi. Analyzes and evaluates the effectiveness of the consultative process.

1.2 Provide direct patient care as applicable.

i. Initiates, facilitates, coordinates, and manages interdisciplinary collaboration for the purposes providing direct care of the patient and family.

ii. Participates in the attainment of the goals of the patient and family.

2. Education - Plans and delivers relevant staff and patient education to nurses and other members of the health care team on matters regarding plan of care of the patient and family.

2.1 Identifies learning needs and develops and implements programs for patient education within the area of specialization.

2.2 Supports, participates, and contributes to educational programs for clinical and support staff both locally and across the larger organization.

2.3 Facilitates the acquisition of advanced clinical skills in staff nurses and students through role modeling, practice, and consultation in the clinical setting.

3. Research and Evidence-Based Practice - Actively participates in research and evidence-based practice activities that will positively affect patient care and patient care outcomes.

3.1 Uses nursing theories, research findings and evidence-based practice to plan, design, evaluate nursing practice and to generate researchable clinical problems.

3.2 Promotes staff and student utilization of the research process.

3.3 Participates in and supports research.

3.4 Utilizes scientific method in collecting data on clinical practice issues.

3.5 Initiates, participates in and continually evaluates quality assurance and performance improvement activities for evaluation of structure, process and outcome criteria as it relates to clinical practice. Identifies improvement opportunities, designs and plans programs for improvement and implements programs in the clinical environment.

4. Professional Development - Demonstrates accountability for ongoing personal/professional development.

4.1 Maintains and updates clinical knowledge and skills based on current nursing and health care practices.

4.2 Identifies own learning needs and goals and designs a plan to meet them.

4.3 Takes responsibilities for leadership and participation on committees and task forces of the Department of Nursing, MGH at large, and across Partners.

4.4 Participates in activities that foster peer support and networking.

4.5 Fulfills professional role through involvement in professional organization activities, presentations, and publications.

Qualifications

• Masters degree in Nursing.
• Current licensure as a registered nurse in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
• Relevant professional experience in operating room clinical nursing specialty.
• Certification in specialty area, if available, is desired. CNOR preferable
• Exceptional verbal and written language skills.
• Relevant Computer Skills (MS Word, MS Teams, Powerpoint, Excel etc)
• Cultural competence and language skills for patient population is desired.

Massachusetts General Hospital is an Affirmative Action Employer. By embracing diverse skills, perspectives and ideas, we choose to lead. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religious creed, national origin, sex, age, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation, military service, genetic information, and/or other status protected under law. We will ensure that all individuals with a disability are provided a reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment.