Clinical Specialist Registered Nurse, Full Time, Operating Room, Atlantic Health Morristown Medical Center

Quality of Care: 

• Supports surgical teams with expert clinical guidance, troubleshooting, and workflow optimization to maintain patient safety, improve Operating Room efficiency, and ensure high‑quality surgical care. 
• Collaborates with the nursing team to provide direct or indirect patient care based on identified patient needs. 
• Advocates for patients, families, and nursing team members to ensure patient rights and an optimal healthcare environment.  
• Assists in the formation of quality improvement programs utilizing the framework of structure, process and outcome based on national benchmarks. 
• Evaluates quality data and translates evidenced based knowledge into recommendations to improve the quality of care and clinical practice. 
• Collaborates with nursing team members to identify interventions that reflect current scientific knowledge, are evidence based and consistent with patient and family needs.
• Supports and implements the principles of a High Reliability Organization (HRO) in daily practice 
• Advocates for patient safety by identifying risks, escalating concerns, and ensuring adherence to perioperative safety protocols, sterile technique, and regulatory standards.
• Evaluates the effectiveness of interventions and makes recommendations to enhance quality of care and nursing practice. Participates in performance improvement activities related to perioperative services. 
• Maintains strong knowledge of safety and regulatory standards, including AORN, Joint Commission, CMS, and OSHA requirements. 
• Demonstrates thorough understanding of Operating Room procedures, sterile technique, and perioperative best practices.

Education:

• Identifies the educational needs of team members, patients and families concerning alterations in health, the disease process, current evidence-based treatment for disease processes, the hospital plan of care, and discharge planning.
• Identifies the clinical and professional development needs of the nursing team and develops and provides educational programs and conferences for the staff. 
• Supports the training of novice clinicians by serving as an instructor, role model, and mentor.
• Assists in designing orientation and training curriculums. 
• Pursues and participates in formal and independent learning activities to enhance knowledge, clinical competency and professional development. 

Administration: 

• Participates in performance improvement activities related to area of specialization and/or clinical unit. 
• Assists in policy, protocol, order set and competency development and review as needed. 
• Participates in hospital and system-wide Shared Governance and assists in the development of clinical goals related to nursing. 
• Promotes recruitment and retention by providing guidance, support and professional development opportunities to team members and students. 
• Promotes positive hospital image through collaboration and networking. 
• Assists and participates in the preparation for regulatory agency visits and disease specific accreditation visits
• Assists with the implementation of policies, procedures and protocols from regulatory agencies and helps to promote and improve the highest standards or care. 
• Assists and supports achieving centers of excellence recognition from professional organizations. 

Individual practice: 

• Evaluates own clinical and professional performance according to the standards of the appropriate professional and regulatory bodies. 
• Seeks feedback regarding own practice from peers and colleagues and takes action to improve practice. 
• Actively pursues continuing educational, academic and certification opportunities to maintain ongoing competency 
• Maintains membership in national organizations for professional development 

 Ethics: 

• Fosters the establishment of an ethical environment that supports the rights of all participants. Contributes to the resolution of ethical dilemmas. 
• Serves as a mentor and role model to peers and team members.   

Research: 

• Evaluates existing practice based on current research findings and translates this knowledge into practice. 
• Promotes evidenced based practice in the clinical and professional environment. 
• Supports dissemination of internal EBP and research projects at the local, system, and national level. 

Collegiality: 

• Identifies and participates in opportunities to share skills, knowledge, and strategies for patient care and system improvement. 
• Promotes a learning environment that enables nursing and other healthcare personnel to make optimal contributions that affect the healthcare system. 
• Participates in professional organizations, enterprise-wide committees, and Shared Governance to address issues of concern in meeting patient needs and improving nursing practice 

Collaboration: 

• Collaborates with other disciplines in consultation, teaching, management, and research activities to improve outcomes in nursing practice and enhance the healthcare environment. 
• Utilizes the Shared Governance forum to provide support for enhancing education, practice, and quality improvement. 
• Collaborates with nurse managers and directors to identify clinical activities to facilitate professional growth of team members and areas of unit scope and role expansion. 

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Education:

• Masters Degree of Nursing required

License & Certifications:

• Current NJ (New Jersey) Registered Nurse License required
• Basic Life Support required
• CNOR certification required

Experience:

• Minimum 3-5 Years of Operating Room/ Perioperative experience required
• 3 years of previous Clinical Specialist experience preferred