Overview

Nurse (Educator)

Fort Carson, CO: Located just south of Colorado Springs, Ft. Carson combines scenic beauty, pleasant residential areas, and cultural activities to satisfy every taste. It is an unusually well-rounded military community which offers a variety of recreational and cultural opportunities. World-class ski resorts are available within a short 2 1/2 hour drive, golf courses and biking trails are available on the installation as well as in the surrounding community. Numerous colleges and universities are available for continuing education.

Working for the Department of Defense comes with an abundance of benefits and perks to include competitive compensation packages, paid-time off, medical benefits, student loan repayments, and retirement package with Thrift Savings Plan to include matching employer contributions. For more information, please visit the following link: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/benefits/

Responsibilities

Duties

Serves as department of emergency medicine nurse educator within a Medical Treatment Facility (MTF) with responsibility for the planning, coordination, and implementation of continuing education, clinical education to include continuing medical education, continuing nursing education, graduate medical education, and various life support programs. Identifies, organizes, coordinates, and promotes educational and training activities that ensure, maintain, and improve the clinical competency of all civilian, military professionals, and enlisted health care personnel employed within the department of emergency medicine. The primary focus of training and education is to enhance the clinical competence of the MEDDAC health care personnel, to include physicians, nurses, and other allied health personnel and to improve the job specific competency of all MEDDAC staff. Education and training may be presented locally, or through computer-based training, in conjunction with other Military Treatment Facilities (MTFs). Requires professional knowledge of education concepts, principles, techniques, and practices to perform assigned duties.

1. Incumbent develops, researches, and presents comprehensive plans for short-term and long-range goals for future Professional Programs training. These programs include but are not limited to continuing nursing education (CNE), continuing medical education (CME), graduate medical education (GME), skills lab verification, population specific competencies, and new employee orientation. Coordinates and communicates with other departments, directorates and committees as required. Assesses, analyzes, and resolves problems related to training issues. Develops and distributes annual training needs assessment surveys and customer evaluation forms to establish priorities for future continuing education and staff development activities. Develops lesson plans and training packets for continuing education credits, prepares after action reports to evaluate effectiveness of various training programs offered; instructs classes as needed, maintains records of all continuing education offerings, and prepares various weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual reports, analyses information prior to routing through staff offices to identify organizational training problems and priorities.

Incumbent serves as subject matter expert for training development and design. Reviews and evaluates course materials for clarity and technical/educational correctness. Researches and implements current teaching methodology to enhance training opportunities. Ensures that training is conducted in keeping with principles of adult learning. Conducts learning needs assessments employing a variety of data gathering techniques. Develops training from analysis of responses. Maximizes the use of available training resources; coordinates scheduling of instructors, students, and classrooms; resolves scheduling conflicts and takes appropriate actions as required; designs and aggressively promotes, through multiple media, forthcoming educational offerings; and develops and publishes a master training calendar and a staff development newsletter. Supports the clinical activities of the department with educational support, relating to health care improvement opportunities. Coordinates student affiliation programs, to include, but not limited to planning, orientation, training, evaluation, and program review. Coordinates with the leadership, Plans, Training, Mobilization, and Security (PTMS)/ Operations to minimize conflicts between military, civilian and other training events.

Ensures that the department provides appropriate orientation and continuing education consistent with The Joint Commission (TJC) standards and Army Medical Department (AMEDD) guidelines. Requires familiarity with checklists based on TJC, AMEDD, and civilian personnel management regulations. Identifies general or systemic opportunities to improve training related to clinical competency for individual employees, occupational groups, or functional areas. Develops learning objectives for identified learning needs. Provides supplemental staff education when trends/needs are identified.

Facilitates essential educational and training activities in collaboration with various departments and agencies throughout the MEDDAC, the Fort Carson community, and the Fort Carson sub-region.

2. Coordinates with department of education to identify training requirements and deficiencies. Stays abreast of the latest developments in education and teaching methodologies to provide appropriate guidance to other instructors who assist in implementing training. Evaluates teaching strategies and effectiveness through attendance at courses, review of instructor’s curriculum vitae/resume, course objectives, lesson plans and outlines. Ensures consideration of established AMEDD and MEDDAC policies as they relate to employee safety, fire prevention, infection control, Equal Opportunity/Equal Employment Opportunity, and other related policies. Contributes to the development of the philosophy, mission, goals, and standard operating procedures and protocols of the MEDDAC hospital education office.

3. Functions as a clinical nurse in the Emergency Department providing the full range of professional nursing care and treatment to a wide variety of patients, from newborn to geriatrics, arriving in critical condition because of trauma, suicide attempts, cardiac arrest, respiratory distress, drug overdose, falls, etc. Provides continuous observation and monitoring and must intervene to prevent complications to restore hemodynamic stability within hospital and EMS transport to higher care. Provides coordination and management of patient care to patients and families within a continuum of care. Performs triage within the scope of practice. Delegates patient care activities as appropriate within a care management assignment. Functions within professional and hospital standards. (LPNs and Medics work under the supervision of a Clinical Nurse)

Assists the physician in the performance of Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ALS) and Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) and other specialized procedures to include insertion of chest drainage tubes, tracheotomies, emergency thoracotomies, gastric lavage, suturing lacerations, etc. Independently recognizes life threatening situations and acts to correct these. Administers oxygen, intravenous fluids, blood transfusions and all types of medications during emergent events to include intravenous, intraosseous, subcutaneous, intramuscular, by mouth and rectal routes. Operates specialized medical equipment such as resuscitators, defibrillators, electrocardiographs, oxygen apparatus, intravenous pumps, rapid intravenous infusers, and infant warmer. Implements physician orders and initiates a nursing plan of care for individual patients. Assesses patient status and documents appropriately. Keeps physician informed of any changes or need for additional treatment. Changes dressings, prep wounds, removes sutures, inserts urinary catheters, inserts oro and nasogastric tubes, and applies splints and dressings. Collects urine, stool, sputum, genital, and blood specimens. Prepares specimens for lab and transports as required. Arranges transfer of patients to appropriate inpatient care areas upon release by physician. Arranges transfer of patients to higher levels of care.Maintains Joint Commission, OSHA, federal, state and community standards, laws, and regulations to ensure a safe, accessible, effective, and efficient environment of care in accordance with the mission and services for patients, staff, and visitors. Ensures compliance with policies that delineate the use of universal precautions to prevent the spread of infection, monitors implementation of these policies.Identifies and reports opportunities for improvement in health care delivery to include accessibility and safety of the environment for patients, family, staff, and visitors. Makes recommendations for structural, environmental, and system changes to facilitate accessibility for those patients, family, staff, and visitors with physical or mental challenges.

PERFORMS OTHER DUTIES AS ASSIGNED.

Qualifications

Who May Apply: US Citizens

Basic Requirement :Degree: A graduate or higher level degree, bachelor's degree, associate degree, or diploma from an accredited professional nursing educational program is required. This education must have been accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs, Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education, or an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained. (Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts.).Licensure: A current, active, full, and unrestricted license or registration as a professional nurse from a State, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or a territory of the United States; and you must have passed the National Council Licensure Examination.Foreign Degree: A degree from a Foreign Nursing School. Official certification from the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools is required for individuals who graduated from foreign nursing schools.