Assistant Director of Nursing Professional Development Simulation, Lab, and Clinical

Position Summary

The Assistant Director of Nursing Professional Development - Simulation, Lab, and Clinical is responsible for the development, delivery, and continuous improvement of professional development for on-ground nursing faculty across all Education Affiliates (EA) ADN and PN programs. This role supports new and existing faculty, simulation and lab staff, and clinical instructors through structured onboarding, ongoing instructional coaching, and hands-on guidance grounded in simulation, skills lab, and clinical education best practices.

The Assistant Director designs and delivers training materials and learning experiences that ensure faculty are prepared to provide consistent, evidence-based experiential learning that develops student clinical judgment, supports student success, and strengthens NCLEX readiness. With approximately up to 50% travel, this position spends significant time on campus modeling, co-teaching, and observing faculty in simulation, lab, and clinical settings.

This position collaborates closely with the Vice President of Nursing, campus Deans of Nursing, Regional Deans, the Dean of Student Success, campus clinical coordinators, and other Nursing Shared Services and Academic Affairs leadership to promote consistency, quality, instructional excellence, and regulatory compliance across all campuses.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Simulation Training & Support

• Leads simulation-related faculty development aligned with the INACSL Healthcare Simulation Standards of Best Practice, including prebriefing, facilitation, structured debriefing techniques, and evaluation of student performance.
• Develops, validates, and maintains standardized simulation scenarios mapped to ADN and PN curricula, the NCLEX-RN and NCLEX-PN test plans, and the NCSBN Clinical Judgment Measurement Model.
• Provides hands-on guidance to faculty on simulation pedagogy, scenario implementation, documentation systems, and the use of simulation equipment and technology across varied levels of fidelity.
• Guides campuses on the appropriate use of simulation to meet clinical hour requirements, consistent with Board of Nursing regulations and NCSBN guidance.

Skills Lab Instruction & Competency Validation

• Establishes and disseminates best practices for skills lab instruction, guided practice, remediation, and competency validation.
• Standardizes skills checklists and check-off processes across campuses while honoring program-specific and state requirements.
• Advises campus leadership on lab setup, supplies, and equipment needs to support consistent student learning.

Clinical Teaching & Instructional Coaching

• Provides ongoing instructional coaching and guidance to clinical faculty on best practices in clinical teaching, including student assignments, supervision, pre- and post-conference, clinical reasoning development, and student evaluation.
• Conducts observations in simulation, lab, and clinical settings, provides constructive feedback, and develops individualized professional development plans in collaboration with campus leadership.
• Supports the consistent use of clinical evaluation tools and documentation of student performance.
• Guides faculty in addressing unsafe or unprofessional clinical performance, including timely remediation and documentation.

Faculty Onboarding & Professional Development

• Develops and delivers a standardized onboarding pathway for faculty new to simulation, lab, or clinical instruction.
• Designs and facilitates workshops, term-based training, and microlearning for new and experienced faculty, delivered both on campus and virtually.
• Develops and maintains a shared library of resources, including scenario templates, debriefing guides, skills checklists, job aids, and clinical teaching tools.
• Updates training materials as needed to reflect curriculum revisions, regulatory changes, and emerging evidence in nursing education.

Compliance & Regulatory Support

• Partners with the Nursing Compliance and Academic Affairs teams to ensure simulation, lab, and clinical practices meet federal, state, and accreditation requirements, including Board of Nursing regulations and programmatic accreditation standards (ACEN, CNEA).
• Maintains documentation of training activities and tracks faculty participation to support audit readiness and accreditation processes.

Training Coordination & Campus Support

• Maintains a structured campus visit and training schedule, including recurring, term-based, and ad hoc sessions, ensuring timely communication and documentation of activities.
• Travels to campuses approximately up to 50% of the time to provide on-site faculty support, with priority given to campuses with identified needs in student outcomes, attrition, or NCLEX performance when appropriate.
• Collaborates with Regional Deans, campus clinical coordinators, and campus Deans of Nursing to align development activities with Education Affiliates priorities and campus-specific needs.
• Serves on relevant committees and other working groups to support faculty development.

Continuous Improvement & Collaboration

• Uses student performance, attrition, and NCLEX outcome data to identify faculty development needs and measure the impact of training activities.
• Collaborates with Nursing Shared Services colleagues, including student success, NCLEX, curriculum, and compliance, to align experiential learning with program outcomes.
• Establishes effective relationships with academic leaders, faculty, clinical partners, and cross-functional teams across multiple campuses to promote a culture of excellence and continuous learning.
• Performs other work-related tasks assigned by the immediate supervisor.

Skills/Competencies/Qualifications

• Master's degree in nursing required; graduate coursework in education, simulation, or adult learning preferred; doctorate (PhD, DNP, or EdD) preferred.
• Active, unencumbered RN license, with the ability to obtain licensure in additional states or hold a multistate compact license as needed.
• Minimum of three years of nursing faculty experience in prelicensure ADN, PN, or BSN programs, including simulation, skills lab, or clinical instruction.
• Minimum of three years of direct patient care experience as an RN.
• Certified Healthcare Simulation Educator (CHSE) or CHSE-A preferred;

Certified Nurse Educator (CNE), Certified Academic Clinical Nurse Educator (CNEcl), or Nursing Professional Development Certification (NPD-BC) preferred.

• Demonstrated experience designing and facilitating simulation using structured debriefing methods.
• Expert knowledge of simulation pedagogy, experiential learning theory, and adult learning principles.
• Working knowledge of the NCSBN Clinical Judgment Measurement Model and the NCLEX-RN and NCLEX-PN test plans.
• Knowledge of Board of Nursing regulations governing clinical education and simulation, as well as programmatic accreditation standards.
• Strong facilitation, coaching, and instructional skills, with the ability to educate adult learners in both in-person and virtual environments.
• Ability to build trust and influence campus faculty and leaders without direct supervisory authority.
• Ability to use data to identify needs and measure the impact of professional development.
• Strong organizational and time management skills, with the ability to manage priorities across multiple campuses.
• Excellent written, oral, presentation, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Proficiency with learning management systems, web conferencing platforms, simulation technology, and collaboration tools.
• Experience delivering professional development across multiple campuses or supporting programs through Board of Nursing or accreditation reviews preferred.

Working Environment: Interior/Office, simulation lab, skills lab, and clinical agency settings. Requires approximately up to 50% travel to campuses nationwide, including overnight and multi-day visits that may involve early mornings, evenings, or weekends to align with lab and clinical schedules.

Must meet clinical agency requirements (such as immunizations, background checks, and drug screening) for site access. Must be able to stand and walk for extended periods and to lift and move simulation equipment and manikins up to 50 pounds with assistance.