Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS/RN License Required), Pulmonary ICU - VUH

Discover Vanderbilt University Medical Center:  Located in Nashville, Tennessee, and operating at a global crossroads of teaching, discovery, and patient care, VUMC is a community of individuals who come to work each day with the simple aim of changing the world. It is a place where your expertise will be valued, your knowledge expanded, and your abilities challenged. Vanderbilt Health is committed to an environment where everyone has the chance to thrive and where your uniqueness is sought and celebrated. It is a place where employees know they are part of something that is bigger than themselves, take exceptional pride in their work and never settle for what was good enough yesterday. Vanderbilt’s mission is to advance health and wellness through preeminent programs in patient care, education, and research.

Organization:

VUH Medical ICU/Medical PCU

Job Summary:

Performs a wide range of nursing clinical, consultative, educational and research activities with established expertise. Serves as a mentor and leader in the development of standards and in the training and monitoring of practice to achieve and maintain those standards.

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Schedule: Monday - Friday business hours with flexibility to support clinical operations across night shifts, as needed.

Join Our Pulmonary ICU Team!

Join Vanderbilt University Hospital’s Pulmonary Intensive Care Unit and make a lasting impact as a Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS). As the clinical expert for the Pulmonary ICU, you’ll partner with nursing leadership, physicians, and interdisciplinary teams to advance evidence-based practice, improve quality outcomes, mentor nursing staff, and promote clinical excellence.

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced Clinical Nurse Specialist who is passionate about improving patient outcomes, advancing nursing practice, and supporting one of the nation’s leading academic medical centers.

Why Join the Pulmonary ICU?

• Lead Clinical Excellence: Drive evidence-based practice and quality initiatives that improve patient outcomes.
• Influence Nursing Practice: Mentor, educate, and support nursing staff while advancing professional practice across the ICU.
• Collaborative Leadership: Partner with nursing leadership, physicians, and interdisciplinary teams to implement best practices and improve care delivery.
• Academic Medical Center: Participate in research, professional development, and scholarly initiatives that shape the future of critical care nursing.
• Meaningful Impact: Help strengthen the Pulmonary ICU Clinical Nurse Specialist program while improving outcomes for patients, families, and the care team.

Qualifications

Required:

• Current Registered Nurse (RN) license.
• Current Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) certification/licensure as required.
• Master’s or Doctoral degree in Nursing with Clinical Nurse Specialist preparation.
• Adult critical care nursing experience.
• Strong knowledge of evidence-based practice, quality improvement, nursing education, and professional practice.

Preferred:

• Experience in a Pulmonary ICU, Medical ICU, or other adult critical care setting.
• Experience leading evidence-based practice or quality improvement initiatives.
• Experience mentoring nurses and collaborating across interdisciplinary teams.
• Experience practicing in a large academic medical center or teaching hospital with a complex adult critical care patient population.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Acts as an internal and external consultant and liaison to promote agreed upon clinical enterprise or Patient Care Center goals.
• reviews nursing care plans for selected patients and serves as a resource to the nursing staff
• teaches and models new skills/care modalities for the health care team
• serves as a mentor to nursing staff on clinical, professional and research practices that support high quality, satisfying and cost beneficial care across the continuum.
• Fosters individual and corporate staff development in the area of specialty
• directs and/or conducts needs assessments for individuals or groups
• develops, coordinates, implements and evaluates orientation and continuing education systems
• Participates in scholarly and/or research activities in area of expertise.
• maintains current knowledge of professional literature
• conducts, coordinates or participates in research studies
• writes for publication
• teaches, precepts or mentors nursing students
• participates in community projects
• Assists in designing tools and systems to facilitate and optimize nursing care.
• uses continuous improvement techniques (Plan, Do, Study, Act) to select or target areas/processes for improvement
• mentors others in the continuous improvement cycle
• shares results of process improvement with others on a timely basis either through verbal or written presentations
• Provides expert nursing care to selected patients in area of specialty.
• plans and manages patient care
• provides patient and family education
• prepares patient for the next level of care
• addresses problems
• communicates/collaborates effectively to meet patient and team goals
• Under the direction of the PCC Administrative Director, participates in program development.
• coordinates or directs program development
• implements program(s)
• evaluates program results and processes

TECHNICAL CAPABILITIES

 Our Nursing Philosophy:  

We believe highly skilled and specialized nursing care is essential to Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s mission of quality in patient care, education and research. We believe nursing is an applied art and science focused on helping people, families and communities reach excellent health and well-being. 

As a Vanderbilt University Medical Center employee, you make a difference to our patients and their families by bringing compassion and care to those in need of hope and healing. Please see our current employee benefits offered:

• Affordable High Quality Health Plan Options
• Dental and /or vision plan
• 403 (b) retirement plan
• Paid Time off (flex PTO)
• Tuition Reimbursement and adoption assistance (maximums applied)
• Short-Long term disability
• Subsidized backup childcare
• And many more... Ask us about our current inpatient nursing supplemental Pay Program!

Achieve the Remarkable: 

Learn more about VUMC Nursing here.

Core Accountabilities:

Organizational Impact: Executes job responsibilities with the understanding of how output would affect and impact other areas related to own job area/team with occasional guidance. Problem Solving/ Complexity of work: Analyzes moderately complex problems using technical experience and judgment. Breadth of Knowledge: Has expanded knowledge gained through experience within a professional area. Team Interaction: Provides informal guidance and support to team members.

Core Capabilities :

Supporting Colleagues:- Develops Self and Others: Invests time, energy, and enthusiasm in developing self/others to help improve performance e and gain knowledge in new areas.- Builds and Maintains Relationships: Maintains regular contact with key colleagues and stakeholders using formal and informal opportunities to expand and strengthen relationships.- Communicates Effectively: Recognizes group interactions and modifies one's own communication style to suit different situations and audiences. Delivering Excellent Services:- Serves Others with Compassion: Seeks to understand current and future needs of relevant stakeholders and customizes services to better address them.- Solves Complex Problems: Approaches problems from different angles; Identifies new possibilities to interpret opportunities and develop concrete solutions.- Offers Meaningful Advice and Support: Provides ongoing support and coaching in a constructive manner to increase employees' effectiveness. Ensuring High Quality: - Performs Excellent Work: Engages regularly in formal and informal dialogue about quality; directly addresses quality issues promptly.- Ensures Continuous Improvement: Applies various learning experiences by looking beyond symptoms to uncover underlying causes of problems and identifies ways to resolve them. - Fulfills Safety and Regulatory Requirements: Understands all aspects of providing a safe environment and performs routine safety checks to prevent safety hazards from occurring. Managing Resources Effectively: - Demonstrates Accountability: Demonstrates a sense of ownership, focusing on and driving critical issues to closure.- Stewards Organizational Resources: Applies understanding of the departmental work to effectively manage resources for a department/area.- Makes Data Driven Decisions: Demonstrates strong understanding of the information or data to identify and elevate opportunities. Fostering Innovation:- Generates New Ideas: Proactively identifies new ideas/opportunities from multiple sources or methods to improve processes beyond conventional approaches.- Applies Technology: Demonstrates an enthusiasm for learning new technologies, tools, and procedures to address short-term challenges.- Adapts to Change: Views difficult situations and/or problems as opportunities for improvement; actively embraces change instead of emphasizing negative elements.

Position Qualifications:

Responsibilities:

Certifications:

LIC-Registered Nurse - Licensure-OthersLicensure-Others

Work Experience:

Relevant Work Experience

Experience Level:

2 years

Education:

Master's

This role offers the opportunity to make a meaningful impact within Vanderbilt Health, supported by a comprehensive benefits package which may include health, disability, retirement and/or wellness offerings to enhance your well-being and professional growth.

Vanderbilt Health is committed to fostering an environment where everyone has the chance to thrive and is committed to the principles of equal opportunity.  EOE/Vets/Disabled.