Job Description

Clinical Educator Lead (RN)

Join Our Mission

At Deaconess Health System, our mission is simple:

To advance the health and wellbeing of our community with a compassionate and caring spirit.

Are you passionate about developing others and advancing clinical excellence? As a Clinical Educator Lead, you'll combine your clinical expertise with your passion for teaching to support nursing staff, enhance patient care, and foster a culture of continuous learning.

This role is ideal for an experienced Registered Nurse who enjoys mentoring, leading educational initiatives, and serving as a clinical resource for multidisciplinary teams.

The Clinical Educator Lead is a clinically competent Registered Nurse who facilitates learning, staff development, and professional growth across the organization. Working collaboratively with department leadership, you'll develop and deliver education programs, support orientation and competency validation, and promote evidence-based nursing practice.

This is a lead role that partners closely with department leadership. While it provides guidance and support to staff, it does not include formal supervisory responsibilities.

What You'll Do

As a Clinical Educator Lead, you will:

• Plan, coordinate, implement, and evaluate educational programs, orientation, and continuing education activities.
• Develop learning opportunities that support clinical excellence and evidence-based nursing practice.
• Serve as a clinical expert and mentor for nursing staff and interdisciplinary teams.
• Facilitate onboarding, competency validation, and ongoing professional development.
• Collaborate with leaders to identify educational needs and support department goals.
• Participate in the development and revision of nursing policies, procedures, and clinical standards.
• Provide consultation to hospital departments, community partners, and schools of nursing regarding patient care and nursing practice.
• Maintain clinical expertise by providing direct patient care as needed in outpatient and perioperative settings.
• Promote quality improvement initiatives through staff education and performance improvement activities.

Clinical Educator Lead Responsibilities

In partnership with the department manager, you will:

• Assist with quality improvement and performance improvement initiatives.
• Help identify department educational needs.
• Support staffing planning and assignments.
• Facilitate team communication and collaborative problem-solving.
• Serve as a resource and mentor for clinical staff.

This position is a lead role and does not include formal supervisory responsibilities.

Compensation:

Hourly: $31.25-$46.88

Required Qualifications

Education

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Nursing or Education

Experience

Required

• Minimum of two (2) years of clinical nursing experience
• Previous experience in clinical education, staff development, or nursing education

Preferred Skills

Successful candidates will demonstrate:

• Expertise in clinical nursing practice.
• Knowledge of adult and pediatric learning principles.
• Experience developing and delivering educational programs.
• Strong coaching, mentoring, and presentation skills.
• Excellent interpersonal and relationship-building abilities.
• Strong organizational, time management, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with multidisciplinary healthcare teams.
• Experience using data to evaluate educational outcomes and improve performance.
• Proficiency with electronic health records and Microsoft Office applications.

Licensure & Certifications

Required

• Current Illinois Registered Nurse (RN) license
• AHA Basic Life Support (BLS) certification within six months of hire

Preferred

• AHA Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)
• AHA Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS)

Why Join Deaconess?

At Deaconess, you'll have the opportunity to shape the future of nursing by developing caregivers, improving patient outcomes, and supporting a culture of lifelong learning.

You'll enjoy:

• Opportunities to lead educational initiatives
• Collaborative and supportive leadership
• Professional growth and career advancement
• Continuing education and development opportunities
• The ability to make a lasting impact on patients, caregivers, and the community

Keywords

Clinical Educator • Clinical Nurse Educator • Registered Nurse • RN • Nursing Education • Staff Development • Clinical Education • Nursing Professional Development • Clinical Lead • Healthcare Education • Evidence-Based Practice • Nurse Mentor • Leadership • Quality Improvement • Illinois RN