Nursing Practice Specialist, Oncology

PRINCIPLE DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Clinical Practice - provides expert-level consultation and advises clinical and research staff on the formulation of diagnoses and treatment plans for patients on clinical trials. Demonstrates excellence in providing direct and indirect nursing care to patients and their families.

* Provides expert consultation within their specialty area at the unit, program, service, administrative, and community level(s).

o Oversee implementation of Phase 1 Clinical Trials in the Termeer Center

o Serve as a consult to Research and Infusion nurses when reading and interpreting clinical trial protocol

o Oversight of iRIS Protocol Management System and delegation of tasks from this platform to Research Nursing team when necessary

o Work collaboratively with The Nurse Director of Termeer, the Medical Director of the Phase 1 Program and Protocol Office Management team in all steps necessary to open clinical trials smoothly and efficiently

o Facilitate protocol tutorials offered by the research team for Termeer Infusion nurse, maintain the Sharepoint website where these tutorials and other guidelines for Termeer operations are stored

o Oversee safe administration of clinical trials in Termeer

o Clarify and source hospital policies in reference to standard of care infusion and research nurse practice when applicable

o Oversee and advocate for special training for Termeer and Research Nursing when unique trials call for such training

o Together with Termeer Nurse Director, develop new processes to streamline all functions of Termeer and Phase 1 Research Nursing

o Trouble shoot new methods of implementation for novel protocols.

o Together with Termeer Nurse Director and other Cancer Center Protocol Office leadership, develop a practice model for Phase 1 Research Nurses and an orientation program to fit that model.

o Work collaboratively with other CNS/NPS teams, particularly in oncology and in the ambulatory setting to design and implement education for nurses across the hematology/oncology spectrum but in particular for clinical trial activity.

* Expert level consultation

o Supports independent nursing practice of professional nurses through collaborative, consultative, and role modeling activities.

o Analyzes clinical and non-clinical variables to influence, supervise, manage or oversee patient care needs and predict and manage responses

o Identifies current trends in health care and their implication for nursing practice.

o Promotes the attainment of the goals of the patient/family plan of care.

o Applies new technology, nursing theories, research findings and experiential knowledge to improve patient/family health care outcomes and to assist in the development of nursing practice as applicable.

o Responds to change in clinical practice by planning, designing, implementing and evaluating guidelines, protocols and standards in collaboration with clinicians and other members of the health care team.

o Identifies and recommends interventions regarding ethical issues in patient/family care and guides staff and other providers in application of ethical concepts to address patient care issues.

o Applies innovative approaches to solving complex problems.

o Acts as a content resource to colleagues, patient/families, and others as identified.

o Analyzes and evaluates the effectiveness of the consultative process.

* Provide direct patient care

o Initiates, facilitates, coordinates, and manages interdisciplinary collaboration for the purposes providing direct care of the patient and family.

o Participates in the attainment of the goals of the patient and family.

Education - Plans and delivers relevant staff and patient education to nurses and other members of the health care team on matters regarding plan of care of the patient and family.

* Identifies learning needs and develops and implements programs for patient education within the area of specialization.

* Supports, participates, and contributes to educational programs for clinical and support staff both locally, across the larger organization as well as oncology facilities in the wider community.

* Facilitates the acquisition of advanced clinical skills in staff nurses and students through role modeling, practice, and consultation in the clinical setting.

* Fosters and supports projects initiated by nurses through poster presentations, attendance at conferences and possible publication

* Encourages nurses to advance their careers by pursuing advanced degrees and the clinical ladder program.

Research and Evidence-Based Practice - Actively participates in research and evidence-based practice activities that will positively affect patient care and patient care outcomes.

* Uses nursing theories, research findings and evidence-based practice to plan, design, evaluate nursing practice and to generate researchable clinical problems.

* Promotes staff and student utilization of the research process.

* Participates in and supports research

* Utilizes scientific method in collecting data on clinical practice issues

* Initiates, participates in and continually evaluates quality assurance and performance improvement activities for evaluation of structure, process and outcome criteria as it relates to clinical practice. Identifies improvement opportunities, designs and plans programs for improvement and implements programs in the clinical environment.

Professional Development - Demonstrates accountability for ongoing personal/professional development.

* Maintains and updates clinical knowledge and skills based on current nursing and health care practices.

* Identifies own learning needs and goals, and designs a plan to meet them

* Takes responsibilities for leadership and participation on committees and task forces of the Department of Nursing, The Cancer Center, The Cancer Center Protocol Office, PCS, MGH at large, across MGB and nationally.

* Participates in activities that foster peer support and networking.

* Fulfills professional role through involvement in professional organization activities, presentations, and publications.

QUALIFICATIONS:

* Master's Degree in Nursing or equivalent years in a matriculated PhD program

* Current licensure as a registered nurse in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

* Relevant professional experience in clinical nursing specialty and preferably in oncology research

* Certification in a specialty area, if available, is desired

SKILLS/ABILITIES/COMPETENCIES REQUIRED:

* Exceptional verbal and written language skills