Ambulatory Professional Practice Specialist (RN) - Nursing Administration - Days

vcuhealth; Richmond (VA); On-site; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

VCU Health seeks an Ambulatory Professional Practice Specialist to advance nursing practice across ambulatory clinics, partnering with divisions, service lines, and leadership to implement evidence‑based standards and regulatory requirements.

The role focuses on education, competency management, onboarding, and ongoing professional development, driving patient‑centered care, quality initiatives, and safe medication practices within a Magnet‑recognized system.

Qualifications

• Systematic learning needs assessments across ambulatory clinics to identify competency gaps and ensure regulatory readiness.
• Develop competency-based pathways for clinical support roles aligned with ambulatory standards.
• Translate quality and safety data into targeted learning and process improvements.

Responsibilities

• Provide expert consult on guideline development and setting practice standards within the ambulatory clinics' mission and goals.
• Collaborate with clinic leaders on standing orders, clinical protocols, policies, and practice guidelines to ensure consistent, evidence-based care.
• Assist with onboarding documentation, education records, competency attestations, and regulatory compliance across sites.

Job description

The Ambulatory Professional Practice Specialist supports Division/Department/Service Line initiatives utilizing the Association for Nursing Professional Development (ANPD) framework such as Research/EBP/QI, Role Development, Education, Competency Management, Onboarding/Orientation and Regulatory standards, while promoting professional development and enhancing clinical competencies across the care continuum. This role fosters a culture of nursing excellence and promotes the guidance, principles, and best practices outlined by the American Academy of Ambulatory Care (AAACN) and supports continued recognition as a Magnet® organization by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Through collaboration with interdisciplinary teams, medical directors and executive leadership, the role drives evidence-based practice, mitigates systemic risks, and fosters a culture of continuous improvement in healthcare delivery. The Ambulatory Professional Practice Specialist plays a pivotal role in ensuring the effective implementation of organizational policies, procedures, and guidelines within ambulatory clinic settings. The Ambulatory Professional Practice Specialist serves as the clinical and educational subject matter expert for ambulatory clinical practice, ensuring consistent care delivery, competency assurance, regulatory compliance, medication safety, emergency readiness, and scope‑of‑practice integrity. This position supports staff development and empowerment through structured onboarding, orientation, and ongoing professional growth initiatives. Additionally, the Ambulatory Professional Practice Specialist oversees resource management to drive optimal clinical outcomes, with a strong focus on quality, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness.

Essential Job Statements

• Provides expert consult of Division/Department/Service Line guideline development, setting of practice standards within the confines of organizations/divisions/clinics' mission, goals and objectives.
• Conduct systematic learning needs assessments across ambulatory clinics to identify competency gaps, emerging practice trends, and ensure regulatory requirement preparedness.
• Build competency‑based pathways for clinical support roles to align with national ambulatory standards and internal credentialing.
• Serve as the ambulatory clinical subject matter expert for the service line; reduce practice variation while allowing for site‑specific operational needs.
• Translate quality and safety data (patient experience, harm events) into targeted learning and process interventions; track trends to identify opportunities and show improvement.
• Provides strategic oversight of multiple ambulatory clinics across division/department/service line and geographic regions, maintaining a consistent and visible presence to foster staff engagement, assess clinical workflows, and ensure compliance with organizational policies and regulatory standards.
• Collaborates with clinic leaders on the development and implementation of standing orders, clinical protocols, policies, and practice guidelines that support and advance nursing practice. Facilitates education, dissemination, and integration of these standards to ensure consistent, evidence‑based care across clinical settings.
• Partners with local leadership to develop and maintain organization‑wide documentation that promotes clinical excellence and empowers all team members to practice at the highest level of their licensure and scope.
• Serve as a resource to shared governance councils and various committees to align educational and practice priorities.
• Partners with site clinic leaders and Ambulatory Emergency Response Committee to support emergency readiness requirements and staff competency expectations to include medical emergency response standards, equipment, and emergency medications.
• Participate in regulatory surveys and readiness activities; support corrective action plans related to nursing practice and education.
• Partners with local leadership to manage and monitor onboarding documentation and progress for new team members. Maintain accurate education records, competency attestations, and regulatory compliance documentation.
• Partner with Division/Department/Service Line stakeholders to support standardization of evidence‑based patient education practices across sites to ensure accuracy, consistency, health literacy, and cultural responsiveness. Educate nursing staff on effective teach‑back techniques and documentation standards.
• Collaborates in the development and execution of ambulatory clinical initiatives that align with and advance the VCU Health System's mission and long‑term goals.
• Actively contributes to enterprise‑wide and interdepartmental committees to promote consistent standards of clinical practice and effective communication.
• Fosters a culture of continuous learning by supporting nursing staff in professional advancement through programs such as Professional Advancement Program, specialty certifica