Clinical Nurse Specialist RN NICU

Founded in 1955 Dignity Health – Northridge Hospital Medical Center is a 394-bed acute care nonprofit community hospital located in Northridge California. The hospital offers a full complement of award winning services including the Leavey Cancer Center a cardiovascular center stroke center the Center for Assault Treatment Services a pediatric medical center and the only pediatric trauma center in the San Fernando Valley. As a leading provider of compassionate high-quality and affordable patient-centered care we share a rich legacy with Dignity Health one of the nation’s five largest health care systems. We are part of a 21-state network of nearly 9000 physicians 62000 employees and more than 400 care centers. Visit dignityhealth.org/northridgehospital for more information.

Northridge Hospital Medical Center

Clinical Nurse Specialist 

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Few expectant parents consider the possibility that their baby may need special medical care after birth. Rest assured, that Northridge Hospital features a brand new Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) staffed by expert neonatologists and neonatal nurses. It’s twice the square footage as our previous unit, allowing for private rooms, double-sized rooms to accommodate twins, lactation areas and sleeping accommodations for a parent/care partner.  Intensive care for infants is provided at three levels. Level I NICUs treat normal newborns requiring a bit of additional nursing care, while Level II NICUs treat moderately ill babies.

A Level III NICU, like ours at Northridge Hospital, provides advanced treatment for seriously ill, low birth weight and premature babies, including micropreemies. This is a designation only given to hospitals that can care for the most complicated births and provide immediate surgery, if needed, for premature babies. Our NICU gives infants a greater chance to thrive. It’s designed to provide an atmosphere that limits stress to the infant and meets basic needs of warmth, nutrition and protection to assure proper growth and development.

As a Clinical Nurse Specialist  you will be responsible for a variety of tasks that lead to a high level of customer satisfaction in the most cost effective manner. The Neonatal Clinical Nurse Specialist is a registered nurse with advanced knowledge and clinical expertise in neonatal intensivecare nursing. The Neonatal Clinical Nurse Specialist assesses the needs of patients and family units within the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and assists in the planning, execution, and evaluation of nursing care.  The CNS is an expert practitioner whose goal is to realize optimum quality nursing practice through direct patient care, clinical staff development, consultation, and research. All employees are expected to perform their duties in alignment with the vision and values of the organization.

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• Utilizes expert nursing practice to promote quality patient care by developing standards of care, assessing patient care needs and planning their care with the nursing staff, conducting and participating in patient rounds, and providing direct care based on patient needs.
• Utilizes the theories and principles of adult education to foster the educational development of families and staff by identifying the educational needs of families and staff and planning for their education, assisting in the development of
  educational materials for staff and families, and coordinating and presenting educational programs and conferences.
• Acts as a preceptor and mentor for new employees and students. Provides for the dissemination of current information necessary for the advancement of patient care.
• Utilizes the principles of communication and change theory in providing health care consultation to facilitate the implementation of patient care and the professional growth of the staff by collaborating with the Medical Director or
  designee, the Department Manager, and the nursing staff. Identifies and researches equipment needed for the provision of patient care and communicates this information to the Department Manager.
• Participates in the review, development, revision, and implementation of policies and procedures, which are directly and indirectly related to his/her area of expertise.
• Utilizes research methods to support and advance nursing practice by identifying researchable clinical nursing problems with staff, disseminating information from current research in Neonatology, and evaluating the impact of programs and interventions upon patient care and nursing practice. Participates in the Quality Improvement Process in the unit.
• Functions in a leadership/administrative role in the NICU by participating in the development of NICU goals, coordinating and implementing assigned programs and projects, and providing input into the NICU budget development.
• Considers and reflects system-wide strategic goals in the goals and projects of the NICU.
• Performs other related duties as assigned within scope of practice.
• Directing the clinical nursing practice in the NICU 
• Coordinating and assessing critical care education development and clinical competency of the nursing staff in the NICU.

• Minimum 3 years full-time of clinical experience in neonatal nursing in a NICU that is equivalent to a Regional or Community NICU.
• RN licensed by the State of California holding a Master’s and/or doctoral degree in Nursing 
• CNS licensed by the State Board of Registered Nursing as a CNS.
• Current Registered Nurse (RN) license issued by the California Board of Registered Nursing (BRN)
• Have a Current certification in Neonatal Intensive Care Nursing from a nationally accredited organization i.e., NCC or the American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN) or certified by AACN as a Neonatal CNS required.
• Have evidence of current instructor status by the NRP of the American Academy of Pediatrics  (AAP) and the AHA.
• Current BLS ACLS  from the American Heart Association Required.
• Current NRP from the American Heart Association required

Knowledge of neonatal intensive care and the needs of neonatal patients and their families; knowledge of Developmental and Family Centered Care concepts; skill in providing care to critically ill neonates and their families; willingness/ability to understand and support the mission, vision, shared values, and philosophy