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Professional Resources
Role Descriptions
The Rehabilitation Nurse Educator
Case Management
The rehabilitation nurse educator functions in a variety of settings
to develop and maintain the competency of nurses who care for
individuals and groups with physical disability and chronic illness.
The rehabilitation nurse educator assesses initial and ongoing learning
needs, plans and implements programs to meet these needs, and evaluates
the outcomes of plans on the learner, the organization, and patient
care. The rehabilitation nurse educator serves as a role model by
demonstrating how to apply theory and incorporate research findings
into clinical practice.
The rehabilitation nurse educator accomplishes many of these
functions through individual or collective activities of staff nurses,
managers, and other interdisciplinary team members. The rehabilitation
nurse educator recognizes that cultivating and maintaining collegial
relationships among nurses and other interdisciplinary team members is
important in achieving educational goals.
In many organizations, the rehabilitation nurse educator is
responsible for more than the educator�s role. A major challenge,
therefore, is to meet the demands associated with various other duties
while maintaining a commitment to the purpose and the expected outcomes
of this role.
Scope of practice of the rehabilitation nurse educator
The rehabilitation nurse educator uses the principles of
rehabilitation nursing as defined within the established scope of
rehabilitation nursing practice and standards developed by the
Association of Rehabilitation Nurses. The scope of the rehabilitation
nurse educator�s role encompasses the following activities:
- Orientation: Designs programs to assess and develop competencies to
equip the learner with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to
function in the rehabilitation setting
- Staff development: Assists the learner to apply theory to practice and to maintain and enhance competency
- Continuing education: Designs programs that enhance the practice of
rehabilitation nursing; assists the learner to comply with licensure
and certification requirements
- In-service education: Designs programs to increase competence in a
specific area of practice, such as training in the use of new equipment
and review of policies, procedures, and protocols that are required for
the learner to function within a specified setting
- Student affiliation: Coordinates student placement, orients
students, and organizes preceptorships for undergraduate and graduate
students
- Patient education: Organizes patient education activities,
instructs learners as to educational strategies, and/or assists in the
development of patient education materials
Roles of the rehabilitation nurse educator
The roles of the rehabilitation nurse educator include, but are not limited to, those outlined below:
Program planner
- Assesses learning needs through direct observation, formal needs
assessment, and program evaluation or other organizational activity
reports
- Evaluates the overall staff development needs of the organization and the consumer
- Develops programs consistent with organizational philosophy, purposes, and goals
- Designs programs to maximize outcomes and minimize costs
- Develops systems to measure the impact of programs and learning
activities on individuals, groups, consumers, and the organization
- Uses quality improvement techniques to evaluate the effectiveness of educational activities
Instructor
- Identifies and secures appropriate equipment and materials required to meet the learner’s needs effectively
- Addresses the staff development and in-service educational needs of individuals and groups
- Designs educational offerings and learning experiences based on
adult learning principles, current nursing theory, and the standards of
rehabilitation nursing practice
- Fosters a climate that promotes open communication and facilitates the professional growth of the learner
- Provides learning experiences that are consistent with expected educational outcomes
Record keeper
- Maintains educational records according to the requirements of organizational accrediting bodies and regulatory agencies
- Develops reports regarding the effectiveness of programs
- Provides a structure for disseminating appropriate educational
information to individual learners, management, accrediting bodies, and
regulating agencies
Role model
- Participates in the overall quality improvement process of the organization
- Demonstrates methods for gathering, evaluating, and applying research findings to rehabilitation nursing practice
- Demonstrates how to apply theoretical information to rehabilitation nursing practice
- Advocates for people with disabilities within the organization and the community at large
Patient advocate
- Provides educational offerings that positively influence patient care outcomes
- Prepares practitioners to meet evolving healthcare trends while ensuring that practice is consistent with patients’ rights
Team member
- Uses the consultation process to facilitate the achievement of the
goals of the individual learner, the department, and the organization
- Uses interdisciplinary collaboration to meet the entire
rehabilitation team’s educational needs and to ensure the appropriate
use of educational resources
Nursing leader
- Acts as an agent of change within the organization, the profession, and the community at large
- Contributes to the development of a department’s and/or an organization’s philosophy, purpose, and goals
- Offers an educational perspective in all endeavors that affect nursing practice and patient care outcomes
This role description was developed by the Association of Rehabilitation Nurses Educators Special Interest Group.
You may purchase copies of these brochures in packets of 25 for $10 each.
The Rehabilitation Nurse Educator
Item no: roleeduc
*Price: $10/pk of 25
Order form
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