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

VCU Health; Richmond (VA); On-site; USD 78,000 - 134,000; Full time

Job summary

VCU Health seeks an Ambulatory Professional Practice Specialist to advance nursing practice across ambulatory clinics. You will lead guideline development, competency pathways, and education programs while ensuring regulatory compliance and quality improvement.

You will partner with clinical leaders to promote evidence-based care, staff development, and emergency readiness across care settings, supporting a Magnet-aligned culture of nursing excellence.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in nursing; enrolled in a master’s degree program and complete within 36 months.
• Master’s degree in nursing or related field preferred; if not in nursing, Baccalaureate in Nursing required.
• Current RN licensure in Virginia or eligible/compact state; AHA BLS certification or equivalent.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement guideline standards within ambulatory clinics.
• Conduct systematic learning needs assessments across ambulatory clinics.
• Create competency-based pathways for clinical support roles.
• Act as ambulatory clinical subject matter expert for the service line.
• Translate quality and safety data into targeted learning and process interventions.
• Provide strategic oversight of multiple ambulatory clinics across regions.
• Collaborate on standing orders, clinical protocols, and practice guidelines.
• Develop documentation to promote clinical excellence and regulatory compliance.
• Support emergency readiness requirements and competency expectations.
• Oversee onboarding documentation and education records.
• Standardize evidence-based patient education practices across sites.
• Contribute to enterprise-wide committees to promote standards of practice.
• Foster continuous learning through advancement programs and certifications.

Skills

Staff education

Nursing education

Regulatory compliance

Education program development

Leadership

Education

Bachelor’s degree in nursing

Master’s degree in nursing or related field

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 certifications, and academic progression.

Patient Population

Demonstrates the knowledge and skills necessary to provide equitable care appropriate to the age of the patients served on their assigned unit.

Employment Qualifications

Required Education

Bachelor’s degree in nursing. Must be enrolled in a master’s degree program at the time of application and must be complete within 36 months of hire. Special consideration will be given for applicants enrolled in Baccalaureate to Doctoral programs who will not attain. Master’s Degree and may require longer than 36 months to complete the terminal.

Preferred Education

Master’s degree in nursing or a related field. If the master’s degree is not in Nursing, then it is required to have a Baccalaureate Degree in Nursing.

Licensing/ Certification

Licensure/Certification Required

Current RN licensure in Virginia or eligible or compact state, AHA BLS certification or equivalent

Licensure/Certification Preferred

Certification in NPD or specialty area, AHA BLS Instructor or equivalent

Minimum Qualifications

Years and Type of Required Experience

5 years nursing experience required; Two (2) years of current staff development or health care education experience.

Other Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required

N/A

Other Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Preferred

Preferred Experience in staff education and professional development (orientation, preceptorship, in‑services education, etc.) Academic health care experience Education/training

Working Conditions

Periods of high stress and fluctuating workloads may occur. General office environment. May be exposed to adverse weather conditions; cold, hot, dust, wind, etc. Required to car travel to off‑site locations, occasionally in adverse weather conditions.

Long‑distance or air travel as needed- not to exceed 10% travel. May be exposed to high noise levels and bright lights. May be exposed to limited hazardous substances or body fluids. * May be exposed to human blood and other potentially infectious materials. * May have periods of constant interruptions. Prolonged periods of working alone.

• Individuals in this position are required to exercise universal precautions, use personal protective equipment and devices, and learn the policies concerning infection control.

Physical Requirements

Physical Demands: Lifting/ Carrying (0-50 lbs.), Push/ Pull (0-50 lbs.), Stoop, Kneel, Squat, Climbing, Bending

Work Position: Sitting, Walking, Standing

Additional Physical Requirements/ Hazards

Physical Requirements: Manual dexterity (eye/hand coordination), Hear alarms/telephone/tape recorder, Reach above shoulder, Repetitive arm/hand movements, Finger Dexterity, Color Vision, Acuity – far, Acuity – near

Hazards: Depth perception, Use of Latex Gloves, Exposure to toxic/caustic/chemicals/detergents, Exposure to moving mechanical parts, Exposure to dust/fumes, Exposure to potential electrical shock, Exposure to x ray/electromagnetic energy, Exposure to high pitched noises, Gaseous risk exposure

Mental/Sensory –Emotional

Mental/Sensory: Strong Recall, Reasoning, Problem Solving, Hearing, Speak Clearly, Write Legibly, Reading, Logical Thinking

Emotional: Fast pace environment, Steady Pace, Able to Handle Multiple Priorities, Frequent and Intense Customer Interactions, Noisy Environment, Able to Adapt to Frequent Change

Compensation Range

$78,250.00 - $133,578.00

Actual salary offers will be based on several key factors to include relevant work experience, credentials, and qualifications.

Days

EEO Employer/Disabled/Protected Veteran