• Employment Type: Full Time
• Shift: Days
• Hours: VARIABLE
• Location: Boston, MA

The Professional Development Director (PDD) in the Robin & David Jaye Center for Nursing Excellence is responsible for establishing an environment that facilitates professional growth, role competence and proficiency in healthcare practices through the utilization of evidence-based science, innovation, and quality improvement strategies. The PPD reports to the Associate Chief Nursing Officer of the Center and is accountable for the achievement of professional and clinical outcomes for all assigned staff, areas of practice, quality and/or population health initiatives.

The overall outcome of professional development is the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and attitudes that translate into practice and contribute to the safety of patients/families and the provisions of quality care. This includes the outcome evaluation and measurement of clinical knowledge, proficiency of technical skills, application of critical thinking and performance supportive of the nursing professional practice model. The PDD will lead in the development of transitions into practice programs for nursing and entry level health professions, such as but not limited to novice nurse program, experience nurse orientation, advanced practice nurses onboarding and orientation, nurse returning to the workforce program, nurse role transition, clinical care technicians, patient care assistants, and behavioral/mental health council. The role encompasses responsibilities inclusive of program development, outcome evaluation, active- interactive problem and practice-based teaching and methods (live, computer-based and virtual).

PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

The Professional Development Director:

• Guides and mentors nurses in their development toward professional experts who represent the profession.
• Enhances and elevates the profession of nursing and allied health partners using the professional practice model.
• Supports the selection and hiring of professional and technical staff for practice.
• Develops, measures and constructs methods for the evaluation of staff performance and practice outcomes.
• Provides and facilitates continuous performance feedback to advance nurses and support staffs knowledge, skills, and practice.
• Supports development and utilization of interprofessional team members.
• Ensures evidence-based standards of care grounded in science are being developed and practiced clinically.
• Provides consultation in the delivery of care that inspires excellence in knowledge, skill, and leadership at the bedside.

Orientation:

• Develops, coordinates, facilitates, conducts, and evaluates orientation programs and innovative learning approaches for staff.
• Partners in the development of recruitment strategies inclusive of serving as a liaison of academic-practice partnerships in collaboration with Human Resources, interviewing and hiring for new positions,
• Supports the facilitation of on boarding progression and enculturation into professional practice, including counseling and separation recommendations when required.
• Provides performance feedback through a competency outcome- based format.

Competency Program:

• Develops, coordinates, facilitates, conducts, and evaluates competency programs for all staff
• Ensures staff competency through innovative teaching and evaluative methods (simulation, objective structured clinical exams, virtual)
• Achieves successful outcomes by utilizing innovative and flexible methods.
• Monitors and ensures excellence in the clinical practice of nursing and the delivery of patient care as demonstrated through learning needs assessments, quality trends and nursing sensitive indicators.
• Provides continuous and substantive performance feedback during the orientation phase and during programs provided through the Center of Excellence.
• Supports outcome-based learning management programs for continuous professional development.
• Accountable for competence achievement of staff through planning, collaboration, implementation, coaching, counseling, and dissemination of practice updates.
• Recommends, initiates, provides, and documents formal discipline when necessary, in collaboration with nursing leadership.

Continuing Education:

• Identifies professional continuous educational activities through needs assessment, trends, and quality indicators that augment knowledge, skills, and attitudes of all nursing and support staff.
• Serves as a nurse planner of continuous professional development activities utilizing the ANCC criteria for accreditation as a provider unit of contact hours.
• Demonstrates proficiency in identifying continuous professional and educational offerings that are provider-directed, learner-directed and learner- paced.
• Creates, manages, implements, coordinates, and evaluates continuing education such as in-services of newly adopted devices or products.

Career Development and Role Transition:

• Provides guidance and mentorship in professional career advancement roles in scholarship, leadership, innovation and practice (i.e., research, evidence-based practice, charge nurse, preceptor role, business acumen and clinical practice)
• Serves as a mentor and facilitates the mentorship of others.
• Provides guidance and support for professional presentations by staff nurses at national conferences or publications
• Guides and serves as a mentor of staff in career development, role transition, and succession planning.

Research and Scholarship:

• Conducts, encourages, disseminates, and/or participates in research, evidence-based practice, quality improvement, innovation, and data analyses.
• Conducts and encourages the dissemination of research and evidence-based practice through poster/podium presentations and publications.

Academic Practice Partnerships:

• May serve as an academic liaison and/or adjunct faculty
• May teach, coordinate, and/or advise other learners concerning academic education and scholarly activity
• May facilitate programming, consultation or teach within organizational affiliate structure.

Outcomes Management:

In collaboration with the interdisciplinary team:

• Ensures excellence in outcomes for all quality, safety, patient experience metrics and regulatory requirements.
• Leads and builds the capacity of the staff and interdisciplinary team(s) for excellence in all aspects of their performance and outcomes
• Expert in change management, innovations, systems thinking, and dissemination of practice communications

Leadership:

• Serves as a highly visible servant leader and role model for the organization and nursing values, mission, and goals.
• Embraces the concept of change and leads staff through the change process as evidenced by adoption of new behaviors and/or processes.
• Is accountable to deliverables and set goals.

AGE-SPECIFIC COMPETENCIES:

• Knowledge and expertise in growth and development
• Ability to interpret age specific data and responses to care
• Demonstrated ability to develop and engage in patient communications that are age appropriate.

JOB KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS:

• Demonstrates ability to lead and direct high functioning teams through effective communication, collaboration, engagement and teamwork among colleagues.
• Demonstrates knowledge and skill in patient care and family-centered care
• Demonstrates outcomes in staff learning through formal/informal teaching methods
• Demonstrates proficiency in leadership and clinical performance as evidenced by creativity in problem solving, risk taking and interdisciplinary communications.
• Has ability to work collaboratively with others in assistive roles as well as interprofessional colleagues in all areas of the hospital.
• Has ability to achieve outcomes in collaboration with all members of the leadership team
• Has excellent communication skills
• Able to have flexibility in work schedule to support off-shifts when necessary.

EDUCATION:

• Bachelors in Nursing
• Masters Degree in Nursing, Business, Healthcare Administration, or Health Policy preferred.
• Specialty certifications highly preferred.

EXPERIENCE:

• At minimum, five years of healthcare experience, as appropriate to a specialty or designated patient population
• Leadership capabilities and essential skills
• Knowledge of adult learning strategies, teaching methods
• Strong computer-based skills.
• Project management experience preferred.

An equivalent combination of education and experience, which provides proficiency in the areas of responsibility listed above, may be substituted for the above education and experience requirements.

LICENSES, ETC.:

• Massachusetts Registered Nurse License required
• BLS Required, Instructor Certification preferred
• ACLS and/or PALS preferred

WORKING CONDITIONS/PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

• Prolonged, extensive, or considerable standing/walking
• Lifts, positions, pushes and/or transfer patients and equipment
• Considerable reaching, stooping, bending, kneeling, crouching
• Frequent exposure to hazardous chemicals, sick patients, bodily substances, noise and possible exposure to radiation, lasers, electric shock, etc
• Regularly exposed to the risk of blood borne diseases and other transmissible infections
• Contact with patients under wide variety of circumstances
• Subject to varying and unpredictable situations
• Handle emergency and crisis situations
• Subjected to irregular hours
• May have contact with hazardous materials.

AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES STATEMENT:

Must be able to perform all essential functions of this position with reasonable accommodation if disabled.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed. They are not intended to be construed, as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of personnel so classified. Tufts Medical Center reserves the right to modify position duties at any time, to reflect process improvements and business necessity.

COVID-19 POLICY:

Please note that effective October 1, 2021, as a condition of employment at Tufts Medical Center, all employees and new hires must have received their complete dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, unless they have been granted an exemption.