Clinical Coordinator of Nursing

Bemidji State University (BSU) invites applicants to join our team as the Clinical Coordinator of Nursing.  BSU’s vision is to educate people to lead inspired lives. To accomplish BSU’s vision, the University prioritizes creating a culture in which diversity is embraced and all people are safe, welcome, and validated. BSU also prioritizes increasing engagement with Indigenous communities to become a destination university.

BSU is located amid the lakes and forests of northern Minnesota and occupies a wooded campus along the shore of Lake Bemidji.  BSU balances rigorous academia with the opportunity to enjoy a fun, robust, outdoor culture.  The proximity to the lake and the surrounding north woods allows easy access to an assortment of recreation.  Major campus facilities are connected by all-season underground passages for safe and warm travel during the cold, winter months. 

Enrolling more than 5,000 students, BSU offers more than 70 undergraduate majors and eight graduate degrees encompassing arts, sciences and select professional programs. BSU is a member of the Minnesota State system of colleges and universities and has a faculty and staff of more than 550. BSU’s Shared Fundamental Values include civic engagement and leadership, international and multicultural understanding, belief in the power of the liberal arts, and environmental stewardship.

The Clinical Coordinator is responsible for negotiating and arranging clinical experience placements in multiple healthcare settings which meet the educational requirements for students in the prelicensure program and the RN-BS program within the Department of Nursing. These settings include a variety of acute, long-term, and public health settings within the area and around MN and neighboring states. This work is completed in collaboration with Department Chair, Program, and Course Coordinators. The Clinical Coordinator serves as the first point of contact with clinical agency representatives, and directly persuades and negotiates with them to arrange students’ clinical experiences.  Candidates must possess a valid driver’s license and be able to pass a driving history background check.

Responsibilities of the Clinical Coordinator include:

1. Assessing, developing, overseeing, and managing clinical placement processes within the Department of Nursing. (35%)
   
   • Researches and recommends appropriate clinical agencies while understanding the accreditation and curricular needs of students. Negotiates with department faculty, facility education colleagues, and administrators to ensure quality clinical learning opportunities. Facilities include acute care, long term care, school districts, non-profits providing health care services, and public health providers throughout Minnesota and in Wisconsin and North Dakota.
   • Acts as a liaison for BSU Nursing to establish and maintain relationships at clinical agencies and negotiate within the health care system to acquire clinical placements. Relationships may be long-term requiring on-going development or short-term to meet the clinical experience needs of a small number of students in one geographic area.
   • Prepares, updates, and maintains contracts with up to 70 different clinical partners.
     • Initiates and ensures completion of contract renewals with facilities at the appropriate times.
     • Negotiates contractual agreements that meet both party’s needs, using appropriate MinnState templates and communicating changes required throughout the review and signature process.
     • Works with the appropriate university personnel to establish new contracts as requested by the faculty.
     • Manages contracts through review processes that involve each clinical agency and MinnState system legal office when changes to contract templates are required. Ensures that contracts get proper signatures and that copies are sent to all parties.
     • Contracts may be initiated at any point in the academic year to meet specific student needs and may be renewed annually or up to every 3 years.
     • To meet the clinical experience needs of up to 400 nursing students in two nursing programs, the clinical sites are many and varied.
     • Completes contract training/education as needed.
   • Annually solicits feedback from faculty to assess and evaluate the appropriateness of clinical placements and their ability to meet learning outcomes; also solicits feedback from students and clinical sites as part of this evaluation process.
   • Arranges meetings as needed with pre-licensure clinical agencies to discuss clinical placements. Participates with faculty, as needed, in meetings with clinical agencies to discuss student performance, faculty (full-time and adjunct) roles and expectations.
   • Attends other required meetings at clinical affiliation agencies and participates in the BSU Nursing Advisory Board twice yearly.
   • Submits clinical placement requests through appropriate agency systems (e.g., The Clinical Coordination Partnership, TCCP). Requires knowledge of multiple individual or corporate request systems, timelines, eligibility requirements, and clinical experience limitations and availability.
   • Communicates with agencies regarding specific plans for student placements (dates, student numbers, units available, etc.)
   • Works with State Boards of Nursing (MN, ND, WI, perhaps others) to meet legal requirements and eligibility in states of clinical placement.

• Establishes and implements policies and procedures for clinical placement, coordinating and integrating within the Department of Nursing.
• Develops and implements a retrievable database of clinical sites and preceptors, including preceptor and student qualifications. Database reflects up to 70 clinical sites throughout MN and in WI and ND.
• Collaborates and effectively communicates with respective Program Coordinators, Course Coordinators, Adjunct Coordinators, other campus clinical coordinators, and outside clinical agencies.
• Communicates with faculty and course coordinators the agency rules regarding student ID badges, electronic medical records (EMR) orientation, parking privileges, health and safety requirements, confidentiality, competencies, etc. As these differ among clinical agencies, directs accurate information specific to the placements of each student to appropriate clinical faculty.
• Collaborates with Course Coordinators and other Department of Nursing staff to establish clinical orientation dates and clinical make-up dates, to develop clinical groups, schedule, and clearly communicate to students and clinical faculty dates for clinical orientation, clinical experiences, and make-up dates for each student clinical group each semester.
• Schedules pre- and post-conference rooms at multiple clinical sites each semester.
• Communicates with appropriate agency staff regarding the expectations of the students during the clinical experience at multiple clinical sites each semester.
• Assists with student orientation to lab, multiple clinical agencies, and clinical processes.
• Assists with scheduling of student “make-up” time at multiple clinical facility sites each semester.
• Provides accurate and current information to other university departments regarding processes involved in clinical, field experience, or internship eligibility, such as background checks.
• Maintains current knowledge of state, system, and agency requirements for clinical, field experience, and internship eligibility in MN, WI, ND, and other states, as needed.

• Manages, maintains, and audits clinical requirements including, but not limited to: Immunization status (e.g. in Passport), CPR status, background studies, and RN licensure for up to 400 students annually.
• Establishes and implements evidence-based policies and procedures for clinical eligibility, coordinating and integrating within the Department of Nursing. Policies include immunization requirements (long-term and annual), background check requirements and processes, and license and certification requirements such as RN and CPR.  Procedures describe submission and maintenance of current documentation, and implications of non-compliance.
• Acts as a resource to the rest of the University for clinical, field experience, & internship eligibility needs.
• Communicates with students regarding clinical eligibility requirements including immunizations, background studies, RN licensure, or drug screening when applicable.
• Communicates with faculty, students, and clinical agencies if clinical eligibility requirements are not met, and ensures students re-establish compliance as soon as possible. Ensures compliance with eligibility requirements before placement in a clinical setting for all students each clinical course semester.

• Supports the collection and analysis of program data tracking.
• Manages, explores and maintains program eligibility with state boards of nursing (e.g. collecting agency survey data).
• Other duties as assigned.

Minimum qualifications for this position include:

• Bachelor’s degree in nursing, health care, human services, education, business, or related field.
• Database management skills sufficient to develop and accurately enter information into a database and produce queries and reports.
• Demonstrated knowledge and interest in diverse cultures and populations.
• At least two years working in a healthcare related field.
• Valid driver’s license.

Preferred qualifications include:

• Master’s degree in nursing, health care, human services, education, business, or related field.
• Experience working in nursing, health care, human services, education, or business.
• Experience as a registered nurse.
• Demonstrated organizational, collaboration, and leadership skills.
• Demonstrated interpersonal skills with the ability to effectively interpret, negotiate, organize, and communicate information via phone, in person, and online.
• Experience working with nursing students.
• Experience working with contracts.

Apply online:    https://bemidjistate.peopleadmin.com/

A complete application will include the following attachments:

• Cover letter, which addresses the required qualifications and your specific interest in working at Bemidji State University.
• Resume / Curriculum Vitae.

Inquiries about the position:

Dr. Nancy Hall, Interim Associate Dean of Nursing

Phone: (218) 755-2101

Email: nancy.hall@bemidjistate.edu

If you have general questions about this posting or submitting an application, contact Teresa Hanson at teresa.hanson@bemidjistate.edu.

UNIVERSITY / COMMUNITY

WHY BEMIDJI:

Bemidji State University is nestled among the pines along the shores of Lake Bemidji, just blocks from a thriving downtown community. In this Northwoods setting, students, staff, and faculty have a variety of activities at their fingertips. Possessing all the charm and character of a college town, Bemidji remains a tight-knit community of good neighbors and engaged citizens who always come out to cheer for the Bemidji State Beavers. While the city of Bemidji — named after the Ojibwe Chief Shaynowishkung (nicknamed Bemidji) — is home to a diverse population of more than 15,000 people, it serves a regional population of more than 100,000.

Located between three American Indian reservations – Leech Lake, Red Lake and White Earth, students at Bemidji State University have the opportunity to experience a dynamic local culture and history. Bemidji also sits at the center of the legends of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox. The famous statues of Paul and Babe greet students as they drive in from the south along Lake Bemidji.

Though quaint and historic, the city offers the urban conveniences upon which college students rely. Bemidji State is conveniently located minutes away from affordable restaurants, cozy coffee shops, grocery stores, city parks and more. Small, locally owned shops and art sculptures line the streets of downtown Bemidji, while national chains can be found in and around the Bemidji area, including an uptown selection of department stores and restaurants.

The thriving downtown community presents ample opportunities for engagement off-campus. Among other things, there are fine-dining restaurants, cafes, and a natural foods co-op in downtown Bemidji. The historic Paul Bunyan Playhouse has a calendar of classic shows; restaurants and lounges offer weekly live music performances; the First Friday Art Walk provides a tour of new monthly art exhibits; and annual events such as the Loop the Lake Festival, the Dragon Boat Festival, the Blue Ox Marathon, Bemidji Winterfest, and The Minnesota Finlandia bring the community together.

For those who love the outdoors, there are wooded, multi-use trail systems within minutes of campus and community parks with walking trails, playgrounds and a skate park. Lake Bemidji State Park and its miles of navigable trails is located directly across the lake from BSU, and the Buena Vista Ski Area — just 12 miles north of campus — offers downhill skiing and BSU-sponsored student transportation in the winter months. Further, the Mississippi River Headwaters is a mere 45 minutes from Bemidji.

For further information, visit our website at: http://www.bemidjistate.edu

Review a "special report on how this former lumber town has rebuilt itself as a high-speed, regional center of enterprise" at Bemidji 2.0