Running head: RESOURCE NURSE CLINICIAN

Resource Nurse Clinician: Leading Nursing by Education

Lindsay R. Vasquez
Ferris State University

RESOURCE NURSE CLINICIAN

Resource Nurse Clinician: Leading Nursing by Education

Graduation from an accredited nursing program is just the beginning in a nurses career;
there is far more education that takes place post commencement that makes a nurse efficient,
safe, and knowledgeable in his or her own practice. The leadership role of resource nurse
clinician (RNC) is critical in inspiring nurses to become certified, to learn new or specialized
treatments, to pursue higher education, or to get involved in nursing committees. There is a large
demand for nurse educators in the clinical field because the pace of medicine and the specialty of
nursing is continually advancing and changing; it is vital to have a leader dedicated to this
specific role. Education for health care professionals must now focus on the skills and services
needed by patients and clients. However, students who are in a supportive environment acquire
better practical skills (Lord, 2002, p. 38). Jeannette Reynolds currently fills this position on
Munson Medical Centers cardiothoracic unit. She started her collegial career with a bachelors of
business administration from the University of Michigan in 1988. Switching gears, she obtained
an ADN from Northwestern Michigan College in 2007, starting her nursing career in oncology
and moving to cardiothoracic critical care in 2008. She is currently a MSN student at the
University of Phoenix. She accepted the RNC position in 2013, which requires at least a
bachelors degree working towards an MSN.
Reynolds role within this complex department is primarily a nurse educator for all
nursing staff. The RNCs primary responsibilities are, Planning orientation for new staff,
attending organizational meetings on new processes, educating on new equipment or skills,
determining educational needs of the unit, formulating training on new procedures, developing
competencies on all nursing skills including high-risk/low frequency treatments such as IABP,
CRRT, ECMO, Impella, and so forth (J. Reynolds, personal communication, February 5, 2015).

RESOURCE NURSE CLINICIAN

This role can be extremely flexible and constantly changing to meet the needs of the unit at that
particular time; however, her primary focus is on education of acute direct bedside patient care.
Reynolds directly reports to the unit manager, but does not have any staff that directly reports to
her on a regular basis. She interacts and monitors the progress of new orientees on a regular
basis, but functions in more of a support role. Being an effective leader in nursing requires
demonstration of skills in communication and relationship-building, knowledge of health care
environments, leadership, professionalism, and business; all of which is demonstrated in the
RNC role Reynolds fulfills (American Organization of Nurse Executives [AONE], 2011).
Communication and Relationship-Building
It is apparent that Reynolds is highly engaged with her staff by all the correspondence
notes that are strewn across her desk, reminders of meetings and records of follow-up. According
to the AONE Nurse Executive Competencies (2011), Care about people as individuals and
demonstrate empathy and concern while ensuring that organizational goals and objectives are
met is important (p. 4). This competency was demonstrated when Reynolds addressed the lack
of progress with a new critical-care nurse; this orientee was simply having difficulties in
absorbing all the new information and skills and it was apparent her stress level was extremely
high. In order to make the best decision for the unit and the nurse, she found a more suitable
position for her in step-down care. This allowed her to gain experience at a more manageable
pace and was a safe decision for the unit. One of the main components of this competency that
an RNC achieves is, Identifying educational needs of existing and potential nursing staff
(AONE, 2011, p. 5). For example, she realized that a lot of the basic nursing tasks were not being
completed properly and there was a need to implement re-education. She stated, Basic to basics
tasks such as dressing changes, proper documentation, and keeping your environment clean for

RESOURCE NURSE CLINICIAN

example were not being completed and their was a need for an mediation (J. Reynolds, personal
communication, February 5, 2015). She developed a back-to-basics education piece that gets
circulated in the weekly unit newsletter that reminds staff of the importance of these tasks. This
not only keeps nursing staff compliant with standards of excellence, it provides more thorough
care for patients. Her most effective approach is, Showing them their own personal stake in
their education; how it affects their practice (J. Reynolds, personal communication, February 5,
2015). As Yoder-Wise (2015) comments, A primary role of the leader is to inspire and by
doing this she hopes to show them how improving these skills can benefit their own career (p.
45). Two other key competencies in relationship-building Reynolds attains is, Collaborate with
medical staff leaders in determining needed patient care services and Build credibility with
physicians as a champion for patient care, quality and nursing professionalism(AONE, 2011, p.
4). Reynolds is in constant communication with the cardiothoracic staff, which consists of four
cardiothoracic surgeons, four physician assistants, and two nurse practitioners. She ascertains the
educational topics they feel are essential to bring to the nursing staff. For example, when ECMO
became an option at Munson, it was a huge undertaking to organize and educate critical care staff
on this complex therapy, but the physicians thought it was essential, life saving treatment to offer
the patient population. Reynolds took on the detailed and demanding six month education for her
critical care nurses in order to advance the nursing staff forward with this new technology. The
impact was monumental and resulted in a successful stabilization and transfer of a highly acute
patient for heart transplant to a larger hospital.
Knowledge of the Health Care Environment
As the primary focus of an RNC is education, Reynolds has a great emphasis on
developing her own knowledge; she seeks educational opportunities on how to better serve her

RESOURCE NURSE CLINICIAN

unit. I am currently learning more about nursing research in order to integrate practice and
process changes on our unit. A great deal of her time is spent making sure that all staff members
are compliant with the Joint Commission, CMS, and cardiothoracic surgerys best practice. This
is inline with the competency, Articulate patient care standards as published by the Joint
Commission, CMS, and professional literature (AONE, 2011, p. 6). She completes this research
on a regular basis in order to ensure that the staff are providing the most up-to-date effective
care. Nurses are never done learning; so she keeps a solid foundation of knowledge about the
field in which she works in order to be effective in her role, meeting the competency, Maintain
knowledge of current nursing practice and the roles and functions of patient care team members
(AONE, 2011, p. 6). Reynolds is open to improvement and accepting of constructive criticism as,
Timely, appropriate and well-informed feedback is essential for nurse educators to reflect on,
and improve on their teaching to better meet contemporary learning needs (Cleary et al, 2013, p.
65). While improving herself, she is also responsible for a large number of competency checks
throughout the year. It is her sole responsibility to, Ensure staff is clinically competent and
trained on their role in patient safety (AONE, 2011, p. 7). She completes this by creating
competency check-offs that are to be completed annually by every staff member in order to
retain their position. In my interview, she highlighted that she places a lot of emphasis on
personal accountability in completing these steps; professional nurses need to take personal
responsibility for developing their own practice. The impetus for changing nursing in the future
lies in reinforcing accountability and scrutiny is increased at the frontline of care delivery
(McSherry et al, 2012, p. 13).
Leadership

RESOURCE NURSE CLINICIAN

Functioning as an effective leader takes considerable elf-reflection and awareness prior to

directing and guiding others. It is incumbent on educators to examine their own values,
beliefs and assumptions about teaching, before they can become effective role models for novice
teachers and students (Cleary et al, 2013, p. 64). As Reynolds commented, I had a strong
opinion that hands-on education is the best way to learn, but quickly identified that not every
nurse learns this way, some may need more structured materials (J. Reynolds, personal
communication, February 5, 2015). It can be very difficult when educating many nurses from
different cultural and educational backgrounds, so Reynolds takes an approachable, openminded, non-biased stance to each and every nurse. Many nurses often find comfort in discussing
their struggles and professional needs with her. With these qualities, she fulfills the competency,
Recognize ones own method of decision-making and the role of beliefs, values, and
inferences (AONE, 2011, p. 8). The staff has a sense of belonging and respect for Reynolds,
which has a substantial effect on nurse turnover and resignation, increasing the safety and
experience level on the entire unit.
One of Reynolds most powerful attributes is that she is a leader by example; she has
functioned in many of the roles she is educating. An effective leader knows the most effective
and visible way to influence people is to lead by example (Yoder-Wise, 2015, p. 41). She
remains a role model to many of the nurses that she leads, fulfilling the AONE (2011)
competency, Serve as a professional role model and mentor to the future nursing leaders (p. 8).
Reynolds is also a powerful advocate for the education of inexperienced nurses; for example,
preventing early removal from orientation because of staffing shortages. She realizes the success
of new staff is heavily reliant upon education and it is her duty to make sure that they have the
tools needed to function well. Reynolds leadership style is mostly supportive, but she can adopt a

RESOURCE NURSE CLINICIAN

directive leadership style when the situation calls for corrective action. For instance, when a
nurse failed to meet the standards of orientation, Reynolds had to lay out clear expectations in
order for her to retain the position. The main concern was that in this specialized area of nursing,
the unit is staffed with nurses that adequately meet the complex needs of the patients. This skill
demonstrates the AONE (2011) competency, Adapt leadership style to situational needs (p. 8).
Professionalism
The career of nursing demands respect; professionalism is an avenue to achieve such
respect. As a leader in education, Reynolds stresses the professional development of staff nurses
by advancing their careers. If you become stagnant, you become complacent (J. Reynolds,
personal communication, February 5, 2015). She frequently promotes certification in either
critical or cardiovascular care. Certified nurses are safer to have at the bedside and it brings a
sense of personal satisfaction to those who have completed it. There is an institutional
requirement in place for associate prepared nurses to obtain their bachelors within ten years and
she is the first to encourage and help nurses reinitiate their education. Reynolds meets the AONE
(2011) competency, Coach others in developing their own careers (p. 9). Furthermore, she is a
member of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, which allows her to collaborate
with a much larger group of professional nurses and bring back new and innovative ideas to the
unit. Her membership meets the AONE (2011) competency, Participate in at least one
professional organization (p. 9). With many important decisions being made on such a high
acuity unit, the shared governance committee is critical in reaching united decisions. Reynolds
coordinates and holds these meetings on a monthly basis to, Ensure that nurses are actively
involved in decisions that affect their practice (AONE, 2011, p. 9). When nurses are personally
invested in change they are more likely to follow through or comply with the decisions being

RESOURCE NURSE CLINICIAN

made. Nurses, nurse leaders, managers and educators cannot afford to loose focus or vision in
creating sustainable working quality and educational environments and cultures which provides
and evidences safe, compassionate quality nursing care because these essential skills illuminate
excellence in nursing care (McSherry et al, 2012, p. 13).
Business
The term budget is a constant in the field of nursing; there are continuous reminders on
how thin the healthcare dollar needs to be spread. This same struggle filters into nursing
education. Reynolds has a strict annual budget to work with and it often changes or decreases at
the drop of a hat (J. Reynolds, personal communication, February 5, 2015). She regularly
analyzes financial statements (AONE, 2011, p. 10) to ensure the funds are dispersed fairly. At
Munson Medical Center there is a unique critical care internship program that fosters freshly
graduated nurses and trains them in critical care. As a unit educator, Reynolds sits on the
interview panel to assure we are receiving motivated and scholarly applicants. This fulfills the
AONE (2011) competency, Select top talent, matching organizational needs with appropriate
skill sets (p. 10). By assuring the unit obtains good candidates its provides the patients better
care and strengthens the core nursing staff.
Conclusion
The responsibilities of a resource nurse clinician are endless and Reynolds does an
amazing job at hitting all levels of the AONE competencies. She is thorough in her
communication, knowledgeable in her own healthcare environment, didactic in her leadership,
passionate about her professionalism, and savvy in business. Through this interview, it was
astounding to learn the amount of responsibility that is placed on leaders like Reynolds. Not only
are they expected to lead by example, they are to do it will knowledge and charisma. Leaders

RESOURCE NURSE CLINICIAN

like Reynolds continue to mold and advance the nursing profession paving the way for future
nursing leaders.

RESOURCE NURSE CLINICIAN

10

References
Cleary, M., Happell, B., Tiang Lau, S., & Mackey, S. (2013). Student feedback on teaching:
some issues for consideration for nurse educators. International Journal of Nursing
Practice, 19(1), 62-66.
Lord, M. (2002). Making a difference: the implications for nurse education. Nursing Times,
98(20), 38.
McSherry, R., Pearce, P., Grimwood, K., & McSherry, W. (2012). The pivotal role of nurse
managers, leaders and educators in enabling excellence in nursing care. Journal of
Nursing Management, 20, 7-19.
The American Organization of Nurse Executives. (2011). The AONE Nurse Executive
Competencies. Retrieved from http://www.aone.org/resources/leadership
%20tools/PDFs/AONE_NEC.pdf
Yoder-Wise, P.S. (2015). Leading and Managing in Nursing. St.Louis, Missouri: Elsevier Mosby.

RESOURCE NURSE CLINICIAN

11

POINTS
POSSIBLE

Introduction Provide intro to what the

paper is about and the type of area of
expertise of the person you
interviewed. Background on this person
to include education, employment
history and current role, additional
qualifications for role, etc.
Describe the role and
responsibilities
1. What is the role of this person?
2. What are their responsibilities?
3. Describe the organizational
structure and philosophy from the
perspective of this leader/manager.
4. Where in the organizational chart
do they fall whom do they report
to? Who reports to them (if
anyone)?
Describe & analyze communication
and relationship-building (include
effect on patients and organization)
Describe & analyze knowledge of
the health care environment (include
effect on patients and organization)
Describe & analyze
leadership(include effect on patients
and organization)
Describe & analyze professionalism
(include effect on patients and
organization)
Describe & analyze business skills
(include effect on patients and
organization)
Conclusion: Summarizes main ideas
and reflects on impact of assignment
TOTAL POINTS
Deductions:
Sentence structure, spelling,
grammar & punctuation; APA Format

15

15
Evidence=7
Analysis=8

15
Evidence =7
Analysis = 8

15
Evidence = 7
Analysis = 8

15
Evidence = 7
Analysis = 8

15

POINTS
AWARDED

Comments

15

15
15
15
15

Evidence = 7
Analysis = 8

15

100

100

Up to
30 points

-5

Final Grade

95

Margins, and spacing

(justified alignment),
checklist #25 & 26