Director of Education

At Houston Methodist, the Director Education and Clinical Support position is responsible for providing strategic direction and operations that advance the delivery of patient care, education, research and professional practice. This position fosters a continuous learning environment through periodic needs assessment, development, implementation, evaluation and revision based on outcomes of high quality, innovative, and timely educational programs that further the leadership and science of nursing for professional and nonprofessional staff and patients. The Director Education and Clinical Support position oversees clinical competency orientation, professional development of clinical staff, compliance and professional excellence through ongoing Magnet and DNV standard compliance. This position leads evidence-based practice initiatives and coordinates nursing research protocols, studies, and outcome dissemination. The Director Education and Clinical Support position may oversee other clinical support areas. This position also coordinates agreements and clinical affiliations with university schools of nursing.

The Director position responsibilities include overseeing the activities of the department staff, ensuring quality, productivity, functional excellence and efficiency to accomplish strategic and operational objectives. In addition, this position is accountable for employee engagement, adequate staffing levels, budget development and compliance, staffing decisions such as hiring and terminating employment, coaching and counseling employees on work related performance, and developing and implementing policies and procedures to ensure a safe and effective work environment. This position also ensures training, monitoring and operations initiatives are implemented which secure compliance with ethical and legal business practices and accreditation/regulatory/government regulations.

• Directs, develops and implements strategic and operational/high level projects and processes either through independent/highly autonomous work or through the facilitation of work teams to enable the effective and efficient completion of objectives.

• Oversees management of and ensures development for staff to meet overall objectives in terms of quality, service and cost effectiveness. Provides timely guidance and feedback to help others strengthen specific knowledge/skill areas needed to accomplish a task or solve a problem. Directs management responsibilities of selection, scheduling, supervision, retention, and evaluation of employees.

• Meets or exceeds threshold goal for department turnover and/or system metrics on employee engagement indicators.

• Provides leadership and communication to maintain a competent and engaged employee group by conducting regular department meetings to review policies and procedures and operational matters, rounding on all employees, completing performance appraisals, conducting new hire feedback sessions, coaching/corrective counseling, and providing recognition/commendations to achieve desired outcomes.

• Identifies opportunities and takes action to build strategic relationships between one's area and other areas, teams, departments, and units to achieve business goals. Drives the promotion of teamwork within and between departments; participates and/or leads and facilitates department process improvements as needed.

• Develops facility-wide Education vision and strategy. Generates shared educational goals in collaboration with department staff and hospital department leaders that improve clinical standards. Communicates the strategy and results to staff, administrators, board members, system level colleagues and physicians. Trends data in relation to goals and ongoing education issues.

• Oversees department operations, designated projects, schedules and activities as needed to ensure that goals or objectives are accomplished within the prescribed time frame. Sets priorities and functional standards, giving direction to staff as necessary to ensure the best possible delivery of service and high customer/patient satisfaction.

• Drives department service standards and activities to impact department and/or system score for patient/customer-based satisfaction, through role modeling and fostering accountability. Serves and actively participates on various entity committees as a voice for the department.

• Leads the development and execution of high quality, innovative, and timely educational programs in various formats and methods of delivery. Plans, implements, and evaluates programs for staff (clinical and non-clinical) in-services. ¿ Planning incorporates adult learning theory methodologies. ¿ Implementation includes but is not limited to these topics: P&P revisions, new techniques or technologies brought into the facility, customer service, orientation and competency and skills development and assessments, preceptor development and oversight. ¿ Evaluation includes trending achievement of goals and analysis of rationale for any variances noted.

• Performs periodic needs assessments of continuing education and professional development of staff members. Re-evaluates the status of existing educational programs, to determine needs for changes.

• Ensures a safe and effective working environment; monitors and/or revises the department safety plan and/or any specific accreditation/regulatory required safety guidelines. Responsible for staff maintenance of credentials and competencies, per accrediting/ licensing agency and/or department guidelines as applicable.

• Employs a proactive approach in the optimization of safe outcomes and information systems by monitoring and improving the department workflow and enhancing operations, using peer-to-peer accountability and identifying solutions via collaboration. Implements process improvements utilizing tools such as lean principles. Role models situational awareness, using teachable moments to improve safety.

• Responsible for employee compliance to policies and procedures and performs associated actions upon non-compliance (i.e., licensure/certification compliance, focal point review requirements, disaster plan, in-services, influenza immunization, wage and hour, standard hours, timely termination submission, timely timecard approval, etc.).

• Collaborates with nursing leadership and shared governance councils to design, coordinate and continually evaluate a planned program of orientation and ongoing education, ensuring that the educational program content aligns with the priorities of the organization and is targeted to fostering progressive changes in clinical and healthcare practice.

• Continuously evaluates an organized and integrated staff education program including orientation, in-services, continuing education and competency programs to further develop clinical expertise.

• In collaboration with Magnet Program Director, coordinates activities associated with the American Nurses' Credentialing Center's Magnet Program. Provides direction and mentorship of activities, functions and systems that support positive patient outcomes and staff competency.

• Supports and promotes nursing compliance with and participation in accreditation activities. Responsible for the ongoing maintenance of accreditation requirements relative to be a TNA provider of continuing education.