Clinical Nurse Specialist (APRN)

About the role

Hospital-based position with prescriptive authority at Illinois Masonic Medical Center in Chicago's Lakeview area.

Responsibilities

Clinical

• Completes and documents accurate comprehensive, episodic history and physical assessments
• Performs ordering, conducting, supervising, and interpreting diagnostic laboratory and imaging studies
• Prescribes treatments and therapies not limited to medications, diet, supplies, prosthetic devices, and equipment
• Implements primary and secondary prevention strategies and management of acute and chronic health problems
• Provides clear, concise, accurate, and legible information regarding patient care in the record
• Formulates a comprehensive plan of care in collaboration with the patient and interdisciplinary team
• Fulfills billing and productivity metrics requirements where appropriate and maintains relevant documentation
• Provides other clinical duties as appropriate
• Works with interdisciplinary team to develop resource-conscious care delivery strategies
• Provides education to patients, families, staff, and significant others using established education materials and assists patients and families in making healthcare decisions

Professional

• Encourages involvement in professional organizations
• Seeks experiences and formal and independent learning activities to maintain and develop clinical and professional skills and knowledge
• Advocates for patients, families, co-workers, the community, and the nursing profession
• Advises leadership in adoption of organizational change, quality improvement initiatives, best practice research, and patient care best practices; integrates evidence-based knowledge and clinical expertise in decision making
• Participates in peer review in accordance with privileges, competency assessment activities, and maintains appropriate credentialing and privileging requirements
• Establishes an effective relationship with the interdisciplinary team including the collaborating physician where appropriate
• Advances the profession through presentations and publications
• Conducts, assists, and/or mentors others in research through participant selection, coordination of protocols, data collection, and other associated activities
• Provides education to patients, families, and significant others using established education materials

Leadership

• Provides feedback to and consults with leadership in assessment, problem-solving, decision-making, and evaluating system issues and models of care
• Identifies and participates in quality-improvement initiatives within the practice setting and initiates change to translate clinical research findings into evidence-based interventions
• Participates in or leads multidisciplinary teams to provide integrated delivery of patient care services
• Initiates and revises protocols or guidelines and facilitates organizational change to reflect evidence-based best practice relative to practice setting
• Performs comprehensive patient population needs assessment, analyzes data, and provides recommendations for organizational outcomes where appropriate
• Advises interdisciplinary care teams with evidence-based interventions, health promotion information, and population health management strategies
• Works to influence policy-making bodies to improve patient care

Requirements

Licensure

• Nurse, Advanced Practice (APN) AND Nurse, Registered (RN)
• Current Illinois APRN License
• Current Illinois Registered Nurse license
• Current Illinois Controlled Substance License within 6 months of hire
• Eligible for DEA registration; possession of a current DEA Registration within six months of hire (may vary based on practice site)
• Current BLS Certification
• Current PALS/ACLS certification (may vary based on practice site)

Education & Experience

• Master of Nursing Degree as APRN-CNS
• 2 years RN experience preferred
• 1 year APRN-CNS experience in the relevant setting preferred

Skills

• Well-developed interpersonal and communication skills
• Proficiency with an Electronic Medical Record
• National certification as a CNS from an accredited body

Physical Requirements & Working Conditions

• Travel may be required
• Ability to work varying hours and shifts to meet the needs of Advocate Health Care, including on-call coverage
• Ability to work under stressful conditions and in difficult situations
• Ability to respond quickly to patient needs and work at a fast pace
• Routinely works with potentially infectious specimens and patients; work environment includes probability of exposure to adverse, hazardous, or unpleasant conditions while caring for the sick
• Recognizes needs and behaviors of a variety of patient age groups (child growth and development, normal patterns of adolescent behavior, signs of normal aging)
• Ability to lift up to 35 pounds without assistance; for patient lifts over 35 pounds or when patient cannot assist, patient handling equipment is expected to be used with at least one other associate when available; unique patient lifting/movement situations assessed case-by-case