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Job Summary:

The Nursing Professional Development (NPD) Specialist is a registered nurse who advances nursing practice and professional growth through education, competency management, evidence-based practice, and practice change initiatives.  This role supports workforce readiness, quality outcomes, regulatory compliance, and professional excellence across the continuum.

The NPD Specialist practices in alignment with the Association for Nursing Professional Development (ANPD) Practice Model and serves as a learning facilitator, change agent, mentor, leader, champion for inquiry, and partner for practice.

Position Responsibilities:

Unit Based (On the unit working with and available to staff)

Learning & Professional Development

• Using the Donna Wright Competency Assessment Model, conducts learning needs assessment, including quality metrics, safety data, and regulatory requirements for orientation and annual competencies and education.
• Designs, implements, and evaluates orientation, onboarding, and continuing education.
• Applies adult learning theory and innovative instructional strategies.
• Supports role transition programs for nurses and supportive staff.

Competency Management

• Leads competency assessment, validation, and remediation processes.
• Aligns competencies with scope of practice and regulatory standards.
• Collaborate with leaders to address performance gaps.

Leadership, Collaboration & Professional Governance

• Serves as consultant and subject-matter expert while assuming leadership roles in councils and committees.
• Participates in professional governance councils.
• Demonstrate leadership aligned with organizational values.
• Fosters a learning environment through the implementation of relationship-Based care principles. 
• Provides mentorship and cultivate professional development through research, knowledge, practice, and commitment to lifelong learning.
• Facilitates relationships with academic partners to promote the development of the future workforce.

Accreditation & Regulatory Support

• Ensure education meets accreditation and regulatory standards.
• Maintains documentation of education and competencies.
• Supports Magnet®, Joint Commission readiness and all other regulatory or certifying bodies.

Evidence-Based Practice & Inquiry

• Promotes inquiry and evidence-based practice through education and mentorship.
• Supports quality improvement and research initiatives.
• Integrates current evidence into educational programs.

Practice Change & Performance Improvement

• Interprets clinical, technical, and patient data to improve clinical quality and patient outcomes for the population of patients in the department.
• Partners with members of the interprofessional team to implement and evaluate practice changes.
• Communicate practice changes and cascades relevant information from councils and committees to ensure the implementation of new policies, procedures, and technologies.
• Use outcome data to assess education effectiveness.
• Supports organizational quality and workforce priorities.
• Supports patient throughput by facilitating individualized plans of care.

System Support

• System roll out education
• Participate in new program design and facilitation of courses.
• Calculate ROI of programs.
• Maintain a culture of resource stewardship.

Position Qualifications Required:

Required Experience: 3 to 5 years of recent clinical nursing experience in acute care, ambulatory, or specialty practice setting.  Experience in adult learning or professional education, such as staff education, precepting, or clinical instruction preferred. Experience collaborating with interprofessional teams.

Required Education: Master’s degree in nursing or completed within 2 years of hire.  Focus on Education preferred. Candidates with or pursuing DNP or PhD in Nursing will receive consideration.

Training / Certification / Licensure: Active Registered Nurse license in the state of New Jersey. NPD-BC® preferred or a nationally recognized advanced nursing certification required, for example CEN for the Emergency Department, MEDSURG-BC or CMSRN for Medical Surgical, CCRN or PCCN for critical care.

Annual Salary: $104,613 - $167,938 The actual salary/rate will vary based on applicant’s experience as well as internal equity and alignment with market data.

Virtua offers a comprehensive package of benefits for full-time and part-time colleagues, including, but not limited to: medical/prescription, dental and vision insurance; health and dependent care flexible spending accounts; 403(b) (401(k) subject to collective bargaining agreement); paid time off, paid sick leave as provided under state and local paid sick leave laws, short-term disability and optional long-term disability, colleague and dependent life insurance and supplemental life and AD&D insurance; tuition assistance, and an employee assistance program that includes free counseling sessions. Eligibility for benefits is governed by the applicable plan documents and policies.

For more benefits information click here.