Clinical Instructor (RN) - Heart and Kidney Unit

Only in pediatrics can you save a lifetime.®

3E-Heart and Kidney Unit (HKU): is a 20-bed unit which focuses on family-centered care for children with cardiac and renal diseases. On the HKU, patients range in age from neonates through adults. Patients may be receiving care for:

• Heart surgery
• Diagnostic or interventional cardiac catheterizations
• Dialysis
• Acute or chronic renal failure
• Nephrotic or nephritic disorders
• Organ transplantation
  
  

All patient beds have cardiac and respiratory monitoring. The HKU primarily admits patients from the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit, Ambulatory Clinic, PACU and EMTC. The unit also admits 23-hour patients with cardiac and renal disease.

To learn more about the Heart and Kidney Unit, please check out this video.

https://childrensnational.org/news-and-events/video-gallery/welcome-to-the-heart-and-kidney-unit

All nursing practice is based on the legal scope of practice, national and specialty nursing standards, CNMC Policies and Procedures, and in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations. The Professional Model of Care requires registered professional nurses to be responsible and accountable for their own practice. CNMC supports the development of RN relationships within the community; specifically those relationships associated with the health and well being of the community at large. Directs, oversees, and maintains responsibility for clinical orientation for nursing clinical fellows. Serves as a "hands-on" direct care giving and teaching role with patients, families and nursing clinical fellows. Directly supervises activities of nursing clinical fellows.

Minimum Education

BSN (Required)

Minimum Work Experience

5 years Nursing experience required; experience in care of children preferred. (Required)

Functional Accountabilities

Professional Practice/Research

• Discuss with each orientee the role expectations of orientee, Clinical Instructor, Advanced Practice Specialist and Staff Development
• Specialist related to orientation and ongoing education.
• Review individual orientee learning needs and develop an individualized education plan for orientee; Communicate orientation outcomes to
• all involved.
• Use teaching methods that facilitate education using adult learning principles.
• Participate in competency training for Unit.
• Identify patient and family educational needs with orientees.
  
  

Education

• Discuss with each orientee the role expectations of orientee, Clinical Instructor, Advanced Practice Specialist and Staff Development
• Specialist related to orientation and ongoing education.
• Review individual orientee learning needs and develop an individualized education plan for orientee; Communicate orientation outcomes to all involved.
• Use teaching methods that facilitate education using adult learning principles.
• Participate in competency training for Unit.
• Identify patient and family educational needs with orientees.
  
  

Clinical Instruction

• Provide direct patient care in area of specialty independently or in the role of a preceptor.
• Identify weekly clinical experience goals with each orientee in conjunction with Manager, Coordinator, Advanced Practice Specialist, and/or Staff Development Specialist; plan appropriate assignments and learning experiences according to didactic sequence and needs of each orientee.
• Plan patient care assignments - select experiences a day ahead and be flexible with changes; communicate w/ manager and charge nurse.
• Use individual & dual assignments. Individual – assign orientee to one or more clients–the orientee may be responsible for only certain aspects of care or total care. Dual –the orientee work along w/a staff member or CI to care for one or more clients; define role expectations of the orientee & specific objectives for the assignment (a very directed experience); dual assignments may also be two orientees assigned to one patient (important for clear communication re: aspects of care each will do).
• Develop follow-up activities with orientee after patient care experience.
• Arrange for “other” clinical experience - i.e. clinics, ORs, cath lab, etc., as appropriate for fellows and direct these experiences.
  
  

Patient Care Instruction

• Participate in planning patient and family education, in collaboration with orientee and nursing staff; select teaching/learning methods appropriate to content and families learning preference.
• Participate in planning patient and family discharge needs, in collaboration with orientee, case manager, nursing staff, and physicians.
• Allow orientee to prepare for the patient care assignment by reviewing the patient's diagnosis, status of the patient, current management plan (meds and nursing care). Prior to patient care the orientee should be able to describe pathophysiology and explain nursing care; develop med cards; describe med action, desired effect, dosage range, side effects; major nursing implications and explain related diagnostic tests (if any had been done).
• Help orientee organize their patient care priorities; role play possible scenarios and provide support to the orientee by asking questions to encourage critical thinking.
• Post Clinical Conference – Facilitate patient care discussions at a post conference; have orientee record experiences related to the case history of the patient in their clinical log, care given, personal response to clinical encounters, and questions for follow-up; document achievement of competencies of each orientee.
• Participate in teaching content in the didactic and lab setting; facilitate socialization of the orientee to the work place; serve as a role model to the orientee in terms of patient care provider, teacher, and leader.
• Participate in providing direct patient care through: assignment with orientee; teaching patients and families utilizing selected teaching/learning methods; implement discharge activities as appropriate to patients and families; what must be done on schedule; what must be done sometime during the shift.
  
  

Safety

• Speak up when team members appear to exhibit unsafe behavior or performance
• Continuously validate and verify information needed for decision making or documentation
• Stop in the face of uncertainty and takes time to resolve the situation
• Demonstrate accurate, clear and timely verbal and written communication
• Actively promote safety for patients, families, visitors and co-workers
• Attend carefully to important details - practicing Stop, Think, Act and Review in order to self-check behavior and performance
  
  

Primary Location

District of Columbia-Washington

Work Locations

CN Hospital (Main Campus)

Job

Nursing

Organization

Patient Services

Position Status

R (Regular)

Shift

Day

Work Schedule

40 hrs/week

Job Posting

Feb 6, 2026, 10:49:29 PM

Full-Time Salary Range

89752