Perioperative Education Specialist

Department: Nursing

Reports To: Director, Center for Perioperative Education

Position Summary:
Designs, consults and executes AORN education activities utilizing multiple education modalities. Serves as the education consultant and clinical expert in identifying and developing education programs pertinent to therapeutics in practice, outcomes management, interventions, and information-sharing activities to promote perioperative practice. The Perioperative Education Specialist assumes lead roles in education, clinical expertise, consultant, researcher, project management and collaborates with interdepartmental teams in promoting the mission, vision and values of AORN. Serves as staff consultant to committee and staff liaison to AORN partners.

Duties and Responsibilities:  

Leadership Role: The nurse assumes leadership functions for overall project management responsibilities of education program, budget and resource allocation to develop consult and create quality education programs relevant to perioperative nursing. Responsibilities include but not limited to:

• Supports the mission, vision and values of AORN.
• Provides leadership for customer segments such as governing councils and committees.
• Develops and is accountable for budget and managing expenses of education program and activities.
• Provides oversight to program manager, educational designers and administrative assistants for the administrative logistics function to ensure quality indicators for the successful execution of education activities and identifies areas for quality improvement.
• Provides leadership oversight for requests for proposal process, evaluates proposals and decisions based on meeting program goals.
• Serves as a reviewer of all education contracts related to all education activities.
• Evaluates quality indicators as they relate to cooperative business agreements and educational programming and identifies continuous quality improvement.
• Manages processes necessary to ensure compliance for ANCC accreditation and state provider unit.
• Assures confidentiality of sensitive information.
• Promotes partnerships and relationships with other healthcare associations and organizations related to education.
• Maintains open lines of communication with all members of AORN staff, AORN members and all partnerships, relationships to ensure the mission, vision and values of AORN.
• Provides guidance and mentorship to new employees.
• All other duties as assigned.

Education Consultant Role: As a nurse planner, plans, develops and consults to create quality education programs relevant to perioperative nursing as assigned. Responsibilities include but not limited to:

• Ensures compliance with ANCC's Commission on Accreditation requirements for AORN accredited units.
• Ensures that the association's accreditation status is maintained in relation to ANCC requirements.
• Designs education products and services based on identified member and non-member need, market demand and perioperative nursing care components to include AORN Strategic Plan.
• Evaluates quality indicators of education activity and identifies area for quality improvement for all education activities assigned.
• Primary Liaison between CEAC, approval process project manager, program manager, other committees as designed, and all levels of AORN leadership.
• Designs education products applicable to a culturally and professionally diverse international target audience meeting market demand and meeting the mission, vision and values of AORN.

Research Role: The nurse serves as a researcher to identify member needs based on environmental scanning to determine needs of the members. The nurse identifies via literature review and literature searches the latest in evidence based practice nursing content relevant to perioperative nursing to develop quality education programs. Responsibilities to include but not limited to:

• Conducts Environmental Scanning.
• Needs Assessment to determine needs of members for education programs, market trends, technological and therapeutic advances.
• Researches latest trends in learning modalities.
• Identifies latest Evidence-Based Practices related to perioperative practice.

Collaborative Role:

• Collaborates with marketing to develop the education component of marketing materials for education products to meet all ANCC requirements (i.e., disclosure of conflict of interest, commercial or gift-in-kind support, accreditation statement, objectives).
• Assists in the review of handouts, and program material to maintain record keeping satisfying ANCC requirements.
• Collaborates with the AORN Bookstore representative to determine appropriate materials for the Resources area, assist other AORN employees to understand available AORN resources, and responds to questions of customers onsite.
• Serves as a resource to volunteers in planning education activities and services.
• Responsible for actively participating in interdepartmental planning teams associated with education program event planning for activities assigned.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications: 

• Registered Nurse with Master's degree in related field.
• Baccalaureate degree or Master's degree must be in nursing (BSN or MSN).
• Clinical experience required in perioperative nursing.
• Minimum of five years experience in educational design and implementation desired with demonstrated expertise in adult continuing education.
• Knowledge of ANCC's continuing nursing education accreditation processes.
• Experience with developing multimedia education activities required.
• Experience in design and implementation of continuing education conferences is desired.
• Demonstrated project management skills.
• Excellent prioritization skills.
• Possess intermediate to advanced computer skills, proficient with Microsoft Office and internet usage.
• Able to work in groups and autonomously.
• Ability to demonstrate and hold others accountable for organizational values of: communication, quality, innovation and collaboration.

Working Conditions:
Non-smoking office environment, using a computer, telephone and other office equipment daily. Travel to conduct business of the Association.

To apply for this position, please forward your resume to hr@aorn.org.