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Welcome to the Nurse Educator Resource Center. This site is a central point of information for Nurse Educators at Vanderbilt. It provides key information for orientation to the role and also serves as an ongoing resource for educators.


Roles and Expectations of Nurse Educators:

The role of the Nurse Educator may vary depending on departmental needs and expectations. Points to be discussed and negotiated with the educators hiring manager include:

  1. What is the nurse educators role within the leadership team of the department?
  2. Are there expectations for the nurse educator for clinical staffing?
  3. What are the expectations related to hours of work?
  4. What are the current priorities for the unit/Patient Care Center (PCC)?
  5. What are the expectations related to support of work from outside the department of hire (i.e., organizational or PCC initiatives, community or outreach activities, etc.?
  6. What specific clinical, quality, safety, and/or operational issues will the educator have a key role in addressing?

A Nurse Educator Orientation Pathway has been developed to guide the orientation phase of the nurse educator to their role. This template can be viewed by clicking here.

To view the job description for a Nurse Educator, please click here.


Committees and Meetings

Meetings to Attend:

  • Unit/Clinic Board This is a unit based meeting where staff members and management discuss issues pertinent to that department. Times and dates of unit/clinic board vary from unit to unit. For unit/clinic board tools click here. For unit/clinic board FAQ, click here.
  • Nursing Staff Council - Want to be an active member of a dynamic group of your peers as well as work side-by-side with your nursing administrators? For information on Nursing Staff Councils click here.
  • Nurse Educator Council a meeting of VUMC nurse educators occurs the third Wednesday of every month from 1000-1130.
  • Patient Care Center (PCC) specific meetings there will be meetings specific to your PCC. Inquire as to when these meeting occur and their purpose from the manager.
  • Elevate Town Hall Series - The town halls are a component of the renewed focus on Elevate, a Medical Center cultural touchstone. Presentations will include important updates on the Medical Center's progress and goals. Each presentation will close with a brief question and answer session. Dates, time, and locations for the Elevate Town Hall presentations can be found on the Elevate website.

 

Meetings to Schedule:

It would be beneficial to schedule meetings with the following:

  • Your management team to review expectations, PCC and unit indicators and outcome measures.    
  • Your PCC Administrator to review PCC priorities, quality initiatives and practice standards.
  • A quality consultant within the Center for Clinical Improvement to review your area's quality plan.
  • One or both of the co-chairs of the Nurse Educator Council.
  • The Director from Nursing Education and Professional Development to discuss centralized resources including but not limited to leader development opportunities, contact hours, preceptor workshops, clinical orientations, ongoing nursing education and the Nurse Residency Program.
  • A leadership member of the Vanderbilt Resuscitation Program related to their core programs. Check out www.vanderbiltcpr.com to find out more about our resuscitation department.
  • The Eskind Biomedical Librarian for orientation to library and services. The Annette and Irwin Eskind Biomedical Library (EBL), a unit of Vanderbilt University Medical Center's Informatics Center, is the hub of the medical center's information services and resources.
  • A team member from Risk and Insurance Management to clarify roles and support services.
  • A representative from the Vanderbilt Professional Nursing Practice Program (VPNPP) Steering Committee to learn about RN/LPN advancement programs.
  • The Director of Nursing Research to discuss opportunities for nursing research activities.
  • Your unit's Local Area Network (LAN) manager as they play a key role in granting you access to shared drives and folders that are key to your role.