Clinical Nurse Specialist

Clinical Practice:

• Provides nursing leadership for care of complex patients within specialty foci of complex wound care and experience working within the geriatric population

• Participates within interprofessional team rounds to provide nursing leadership and guidance in the provision of patient care

• Uses theoretical and empirical knowledge to assess, plan, implement, and evaluate patient care

• Uses multiple assessment strategies to anticipate a wide range of patient responses to actual and changing health status and choices

• Participates in and provides a resource for care planning activities with nurses, interprofessional team members, physicians, patients and their families

• Role models and facilitates partnerships with patients and their families to promote, enhance and champion person-centered care

• Uses multiple strategies to support the integration of nursing standards, best practices, clinical policies and procedures within the practice setting and at point of care

• Provides leadership in the interpretation of regulatory issues that impact practice and organizational policy and promotes accountability at the unit level

• Advocates for and participates in creating a practice environment that supports safe patient care, interprofessional collaborative practice and professional growth

• Provides consultation across the organization regarding both patient specific needs and corporate practice initiatives that they are leading and/or participating in such as RNAO Best Practice Guideline implementation, evaluation and sustainability

Professional Development

• Works in partnership with Clinical Service Managers and Clinical Nurse Educators to identify nursing staff’s learning needs and facilitates or provides ongoing development support to staff for their clinical practice

• Collaborates with Clinical Service Managers and Clinical Nurse Educators to support unit/department orientation and identification of ongoing learning needs of new staff

• Identifies changes in competencies and skill sets of nursing staff in relation to changes in specific patient care needs and/or patient populations

• Through multiple strategies, facilitates learning and provides mentorship for nursing staff to help meet their needs for changes in their clinical competencies and skills

• Plans coordinates, implements and evaluates initiatives to support the development of critical thinking, knowledge translation and achievement of person-centered care

• Partners with Clinical Service Managers and Clinical Practice Leaders to develop, implement and evaluate interprofessional approaches to care and support the application of interprofessional collaborative model of care practices in the practice setting

• Identifies need for new and updated products and equipment, acceptable performance and use of existing items. e.g. change in practice, staff/patient education, need for written procedures, monitoring of trends and impact on patient outcomes

• Facilitates development, revisions, monitoring, and dissemination of practice related policies and procedures

• Participates in the interviewing process for hiring of staff for all professions as appropriate

• Engages in continuous professional self-development that demonstrates responsibility and commitment for ongoing learning and maintenance of competence

Research and Scholarship

• Maintains current knowledge of best practices and current trends in nursing practice

• Leads in the identification of opportunities to improve patient care through the application of best practices

• Facilitates the application of best practices with nurses and interprofessional team members

• In partnership with relevant stakeholders, develops, implements and evaluates educational materials for patients/families, nurses and interprofessional team members

• Leads and collaborates in planning, development, implementation and sustainability of quality improvement initiatives (both unit based and corporately) that are based on best practices.

• Maintains a commitment to supporting WPHC’s status as a designated Best Practice Spotlight Organization through activities of implementation, evaluation, dissemination and sustainability/spread of best practice guidelines

• Engages in quality improvement frameworks e.g. Practice Development methodologies to develop sustained person-centered, evidence informed practice through 1) transformation of care, and 2) shifting the culture and context of care

• Supports Nursing Professional Standards and Issues Committee (PSIC) and Interprofessional Council through membership and leadership on specific initiatives and sub-committees arising for its business

• Leads and/or supports practice initiatives through membership on corporate committees to positively impact patient care

• Forms alliances and collaborations with experienced researchers for co-investigations

• Participates in research activities through a number of mechanisms e.g. identification of the subject matter, methodology and design, data collection, analysis of findings, development of recommendations, etc.

• Involves staff in research for data collection and analysis activities as appropriate

• Disseminates research and quality improvement findings in publications and through presentations in local and external venues

• Seeks joint appointments to build coalitions, and to share resources, knowledge and expertise

• Mentors undergraduate and graduate nursing students, staff undertaking specialty certifications/courses, RNAO fellowships, etc.