Love + medicine is who we are, it's what we do, it's why people want to work here. If you’re looking for a job to love, apply today.

Schedule Weekly Hours:

Are you ready to take the next step in your nursing career? Gundersen Health System is seeking a full-time RN, Professional Development Nurse (Nurse Educator) supporting our Hospital Float Pool and IV Therapy teams, based in La Crosse, Wisconsin. 

What you will do: 

• Fulfill a 1.0 FTE; salaried position
• Typical work schedule is normal business hours; however, with supporting a 24/7 team, flexibility for off shift support is required
• Provide clinical expertise and practice guidance for RNs and CNAs in our Hospital Float Pool and IV Therapy departments
• Facilitate professional role development and growth of nursing staff along the continuum from novice to expert!
• Develop, implement, and evaluate the orientation and onboarding process for new staff
• Support nursing education, competency, and professional development while "guiding by the side" 
• Act as a change agent and advocate while participating in system-wide improvement work and projects
• Collaborate with department-based leadership teams as well as a large group of Acute Professional Development Nurses

What you will get: 

• Starting annual salary of $84,801.60 + MORE for experience
• With supporting these teams that serve all areas of the hospital, you can enjoy a change in scenery on a daily basis
• This position allows you to learn about the organization in a different way with the opportunity to connect with cross-functional teams, allowing you to see the bigger picture of healthcare
• Autonomy to create and deliver what's needed for staff development, unique to the specific department
• Support to grow in your career with access to our Career Development Center and Tuition Investment Program
• Top rated retirement plan and healthcare benefits

What you will need: 

• Bachelor's degree in nursing required + a master's degree in nursing required within five years of hire date
• Minimum of 3-4 years of relevant RN experience, IV Therapy and/or Medical-Surgical Nursing preferred
• The ideal candidate will have vascular access experience, as this PDN will be teaching classes related to inserting IVs.
• Skills that will help you be successful in this role include leadership, professionalism, organization, accountability, and collaboration
• RN licensure to practice in the state of Wisconsin upon hire
• Current Infant-Adult Basic Life Support for Health Care Providers

We're healthcare for neighbors, by neighbors. Inside our walls and our neighborhoods, we deliver world-class medical care and the right amount of love. We call it Love + Medicine and it’s more than our practice. It's who we are.

About Gundersen Health System:

Gundersen Health System is the leading provider of primary and specialized care in western Wisconsin, southeast Minnesota, and northeast Iowa; serving more than 500,000 residents throughout 19 counties annually. Our physician-led, not-for-profit healthcare system includes a 325-bed teaching hospital and Level II Trauma Center; community clinics; affiliate hospitals, clinics, and nursing homes; behavioral health services; vision centers; pharmacies; and air and ground ambulance services. Together, we inspire your best life by relentlessly caring, learning, and innovating. Together with our values — belonging, respect, excellence, accountability, teamwork and humility — our pillars set our foundation and our future.

Job Description:

The Professional Development Nurse facilitates professional role development and growth of nurses and other healthcare personnel along the continuum from novice to expert. They function as a change agent, mentor, facilitator of learning, leader, champion for scientific inquiry, partner for practice transitions, and advocate for the nursing professional development (NPD) specialty. 

Major Responsibilities

1. Onboarding/Orientation: Develops, implements and evaluates orientation and onboarding processes that lead to successful integration of the employee in the organization and effective job performance.

2. Clinical Guidance: Engages with staff to provide point in time guidance and/or applicable resources to support safe patient care.

3. Competency Management: Leads ongoing assessment and evaluation of practice. Responsible to develop, coordinate, facilitate, and evaluate competency assessment process to assure the delivery of safe patient care.

4. Education:

• Assesses issues, trends, and data to identify practice gaps and educational opportunities within the organization.  Plans, implements and evaluates educational programs according to the principles of adult learning to close the identified gap or opportunity.  
• Demonstrates the ability to utilize a variety of teaching/learning methodologies. 

5. Quality and Process Improvement/Change Management: 

• Acts as a change agent within all settings. Works with others to identify problems and solutions, develops goals for change processes, applies improvement processes to effect practice change, monitors effectiveness and progress throughout practice change, assists to sustain change.  
• Encourages, facilitates and participates in research, and evidence-based practice in patient care settings including the dissemination of findings.

6. Collaborative Partnership: Engages in collaborative relationships within and external to the organization to promote patient safety and population health within the community.

7. Professional role development/performance: Identifies and develops strategies to facilitate a continuous process of learning for staff to achieve professional role competence and growth. Supports staff in role transition, role integration, skill acquisition and mastery to advance from novice to expert in their profession.  Promotes and integrates the science of the NPD specialty to continuously improve practice, maintain competency and contribute to the GHS mission, vision, values and strategic plan.

8. Adheres to regular and predictable attendance.

9. Personally interacts, engages with and cares for patients.

10. Ensures patient safety.

Education and Learning:
REQUIRED Bachelor's degree in Nursing and a Master's degree in Nursing is required within five years of hire date.

Work Experience:
REQUIRED 3-4 years of relevant RN experience
DESIRED 1 year nursing management experience.

License and Certifications:
REQUIRED
Registered Nurse (RN) licensed minimally in the state of practice, some positions may require additional state RN licenses.
Current Infant-Adult Basic Life Support for Health Care Providers (with hands on learning) from one of the following programs; American Heart Association or American Red Cross.

Age Specific Population Served:
Infant (less than 1 year)
Pediatric (1 - 12 years)
Adolescent (13 - 17 years)
Adult (18 - 64 years)
Geriatric (65 years & older)
Unit/Department Specific

OSHA Category:
Category II - Some (but not all) employees in this job title may have a reasonably anticipated risk of occupational exposure to blood and/or other potentially infectious materials, usually by location or specific departments.

Environmental Conditions:
Exposed to infectious diseases.

Physical Requirements/Demands Of The Position:
Sitting Occasionally (6-33% or 3 hours)
Walking/Standing Frequently (34-66% or 5.5 hours)
Stooping/Bending Occasionally (6-33% or 3 hours)
Squatting Occasionally (6-33% or 3 hours)
Kneeling/Half Kneel Occasionally (6-33% or 3 hours)
Reaching - Shoulder Level Occasionally (6-33% or 3 hours)
Reaching - Below Shoulder Occasionally (6-33% or 3 hours)
Reaching - Above Shoulder Occasionally (6-33% or 3 hours)
Repetitive Actions - Pinch Forces Rarely (1-5% or .5 hours) Pounds of force 0-25
Repetitive Actions - Grip Forces Rarely (1-5% or .5 hours) Pounds of force 0-25
Repetitive Actions - Fine Manipulation Frequently (34-66% or 5.5 hours)
Lifting - Other Occasionally (6-33% or 3 hours) Number of lbs 0-25
Carrying - Short Carry Occasionally (6-33% or 3 hours) Number of lbs 0-25
Push/Pull (Static Force) Occasionally (6-33% or 3 hours) Number of lbs 0-25

If you need assistance with any portion of the application or have questions about the position, please contact [email protected] or call 608-775-0267

We inspire your best life by relentlessly caring, learning and innovating. This is our purpose. Together with our values — belonging, respect, excellence, accountability, teamwork and humility — our pillars set our foundation and our future.

Equal Opportunity Employer