Clinical Practice Education Specialist (CPES) - Chemotherapy / Infusions

City of Hope; Irvine (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

City of Hope in Irvine seeks a Clinical Practice Education Specialist to serve as an expert resource, educator, and change agent enhancing nursing education and clinical practice across infusion and cancer-directed treatments.

The CPES will develop, implement, and evaluate education programs, mentor staff, and partner with multidisciplinary teams to advance patient safety and quality care. This role may float to other departments as needed.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Nursing.
• Current California RN license.
• Minimum of three (3) years oncology experience or applicable specialty.
• Specialty Nursing Certification (ANCC Magnet-recognized) as updated in DDCT.
• Minimum of one (1) year in education (preferred).

Responsibilities

• Develops, implements, coordinates, and evaluates orientation, onboarding, competency validation, and ongoing professional development programs for nursing staff across infusion and treatment settings.
• Identifies clinical education needs and practice gaps through data and collaboration with leadership; tailors educational strategies.
• Designs and delivers evidence-based education, including in-services, workshops, case-based learning, and simulation.
• Provides clinical mentorship, coaching, and bedside education to infusion nurses and staff.
• Leads clinical practice improvement initiatives focused on safe treatment delivery and quality outcomes.

Skills

Clinical education

Mentoring

Educational program development

Interdisciplinary collaboration

Education

Master’s degree in Nursing

California RN license

ANCC Magnet-recognized certification

Education experience (preferred)

Job description

City of Hope Orange County is transforming cancer treatment by bringing world-class expertise and specialized care closer to home. Supported by a regional network of care, our 11-acre academic cancer campus in Irvine is home to City of Hope Orange County Lennar Foundation Cancer Center, our outpatient cancer center, and Orange County’s only cancer specialty hospital.

With the opening of the hospital, the full continuum of advanced cancer care—from prevention through survivorship—will be available in Orange County for the first time, eliminating the need to travel for lifesaving treatment. Seamlessly connected to our outpatient cancer center, the new clinical research hospital features 73 inpatient beds, advanced surgical suites, groundbreaking clinical trials, and holistic services such as rehabilitative therapy and spiritual care. This isn’t standard cancer care. This is lifesaving cancer care. This is Hope.

Position Summary:

The Clinical Practice Education Specialist (CPES) serves as an expert resource, educator, and change agent supporting the professional development and clinical practice of nursing staff. The CPES is responsible for the planning, implementation, and evaluation of evidence-based educational programs and clinical competency activities that enhance patient outcomes, nursing practice, and the overall quality of care.

This position will float to and cover other departments as needed.

As a successful candidate, you will:

• Develops, implements, coordinates, and evaluates orientation, onboarding, competency validation, and ongoing professional development programs for nursing staff providing chemotherapy, immunotherapy, biotherapy, targeted therapy, cellular therapies, and other cancer-directed treatments across infusion and treatment settings.
• Identifies clinical education needs and practice gaps through direct observation, competency assessments, quality and safety data, adverse event trends, treatment-related outcomes, regulatory requirements, and collaboration with nursing leadership and frontline staff; tailors educational strategies to address identified needs.
• Designs and delivers evidence-based education, including in-services, workshops, case-based learning, simulation, skills validation, and other learning modalities, to promote safe and consistent oncology treatment administration and high-quality infusion nursing practice.
• Provides clinical mentorship, coaching, and bedside education to infusion nurses and other clinical staff to strengthen clinical judgment, assessment skills, critical thinking, treatment management, and professional growth.
• Serves as a subject matter expert and clinical resource for chemotherapy and infusion practice, including treatment administration, vascular access, medication safety, hazardous drug handling, infusion reactions, hypersensitivity reactions, extravasation management, oncologic emergencies, and treatment-related symptom and toxicity management.
• Partners with nursing leadership, medical oncology, pharmacy, advanced practice providers, physicians, and other interdisciplinary teams to advance patient safety, quality improvement, evidence-based practice, and adherence to regulatory and accreditation standards related to chemotherapy and infusion services.
• Leads or supports clinical practice improvement initiatives focused on safe treatment delivery, prevention and management of treatment-related complications, patient experience, operational effectiveness, staff competency, and quality outcomes within the chemotherapy and infusion environment.
• Supports the integration of current evidence, emerging cancer therapies, new treatment modalities, technology, and evolving professional standards into clinical practice, education, competency requirements, and patient care processes.
• Collaborates in the development, review, revision, implementation, and dissemination of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines, chemotherapy and infusion protocols, policies, procedures, competency tools, and educational resources.
• Promotes specialty certification, continuing education, and lifelong learning among chemotherapy and infusion nursing staff, supporting development of advanced oncology knowledge and clinical expertise.
• Develops and facilitates simulation-based education, mock codes, emergency preparedness training, and high-risk/low-frequency event education related to infusion reactions, anaphylaxis, extravasation, clinical deterioration, and other oncology treatment emergencies.
• Evaluates the effectiveness of educational programs and competency initiatives using learner performance, clinical outcomes, quality and safety metrics, and staff feedback; uses findings to drive continuous improvement.
• Participates in scholarly and professional activities, including evidence-based practice, quality improvement, research, conference presentations, professional education, and publication or dissemination of clinical and educational outcomes, as appropriate.

Your qualifications should include:

• Master’s degree in Nursing
• Current California RN license
• Minimum of three (3) years oncology experience or applicable experience in area of specialty
• Specialty Nursing Certification,ANCC Magnet-recognized certifications as updated in ANCC Demographic Data Collection Tool® (DDCT)
• Minimum of one (1) year in education (preferred)

City of Hope employees pay is based on the following criteria: work experience, qualifications, and work location.

City of Hope is an equal opportunity employer.

To learn more about our Comprehensive Benefits, please click here.