Clinical Nurse Improvement Coach - Pediatric Neonatology (50%)

To serve as a neonatal nurse consultant (part-time 50% FTE) to nurses and providers in the state of Iowa as part of the Statewide Perinatal Care Team and to develop and present educational programs concerning neonatal topics. This position is housed within Pediatrics Neonatology.

Duties to include:

Perform statewide neonatal case reviews

• Visit Iowa birthing hospitals, in person and occasionally virtually, with the perinatal team

• In partnership with the neonatal physician consultant, conduct comprehensive case reviews of adverse neonatal outcomes across Iowa birthing hospitals to evaluate alignment with national, state, and facility standards, with emphasis on resuscitation and stabilization interventions, neonatal transport, and standards of practice for the normal newborn that impact patient outcome.

• Identify systems-level opportunities for care improvement.

• Based on chart review findings, provide an educational program to nurses and providers that incorporates current neonatal nursing standards of practice, suggestions for improving patient care, and documentation supporting clinical suggestions.

• Provide a written summary of the neonatal nursing components of the educational program in conjunction with reference materials relevant to the educational content supporting nursing recommendations.

Serve as the state's neonatal nursing clinical practice consultant

• Provide expert consultation and technical assistance to hospital nursing leaders, clinicians, and multidisciplinary teams regarding evidence-based neonatal care, regulatory requirements, clinical standards, staff education, and implementation of best practices.

• Review professional literature and maintain an up-to-date reference file on neonatal topics.

• Maintain educational materials, including identifying and reviewing new resources for professional and patient education.

• Collaborate with nursing staff and other health care professionals within UI Health Care and across the state of Iowa in the development and review of standards of care for newborn patients.

• Participate in and attend regional and national meetings focused on neonatal topics and communicate information to appropriate health care providers.

• Participate in the planning and development of the annual Iowa Conference on Perinatal Medicine.

• Maintain nursing competencies as prescribed by Children and Women’s Services at UI Health Care, including certification in basic life support (BLS).

• Seek opportunities to enhance one’s own professional knowledge, skills, and abilities as they relate to one’s current position and/or prepare for potential future roles and overall career development. 

• Influence decisions on patient care by belonging to national organizations such as NANN/IANN.

• Maintain instructor status for the Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) and S.T.A.B.L.E. (Sugar, Temperature, Airway, Blood pressure, Lab work, and Emotional support) course and deliver courses to Iowa birthing hospital staff when requested and as fits within the schedule.

Support implementation of evidence-based neonatal care standards and continuous quality improvement

• Provide assistance to hospitals to identify areas for improvement, develop, revise, and operationalize neonatal clinical policies, procedures, protocols, and competency frameworks that reflect current evidence, national guidelines, and quality improvement priorities for the facility and the state.

• Provide virtual, in person, and/or email consultations to Iowa birthing hospital staff to support institutional quality and safety activities, including supporting their progress with statewide QI initiatives as delivered by the IPQCC.

Deliver specialized neonatal education to clinical teams

• Assess educational needs, provide coaching, and continuing education for nurses and perinatal care teams to strengthen clinical competency and promote consistent adoption of evidence-based neonatal practices statewide.

• Present formal lectures on specific topics in neonatal nursing when requested.

Provide statewide leadership for neonatal level of care verification

• Serve as the statewide nursing expert for neonatal level of care verification by guiding hospitals through preparation and the verification process.

• Review documents provided by Iowa perinatal facilities for the evaluation and determination of neonatal levels of care designation.

• Provide onsite verification of Iowa perinatal facilities in determination of neonatal levels of care designation.