CON Specialty Coordinator for Professional Graduate Track

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Faculty Policies

UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA MEDICAL CENTER COLLEGE OF NURSING
Specialty Coordinator for Professional Graduate Track	Subsection: 4.4.8
Section 4.0 - Faculty Policies	Originating Date: January 2018
Responsible Reviewing Agency: Professional Graduate Nursing Affairs Committee Final Approval: Executive Council	Revised: November 2022 (changes) Revised: December 2024 (changes) Revised: March 2025 (changes)

General Position Description

The specialty coordinator position is primarily responsible for planning and facilitating implementation of the curriculum relative to the program objectives and outcomes. The specialty coordinator communicates with the Professional Graduate Program Director, specialty faculty team members, students, administrators, and agency personnel as appropriate to facilitate the effective implementation of the specialty courses in the MSN, BSN-DNP, or PGC programs. In addition to facilitating the current curriculum the specialty coordinator maintains and expands knowledge of national trends within the specialty, helping to lead changes that can be approved through appropriate channels. Further this individual leads the rest of the team to ensure adherence to processes (e.g., admissions) within their sphere of influence and may be asked to provide input into team members’ ongoing performance and development.

The workload allocation for this position is determined by the assistant dean at each division in consultation with the Professional Graduate Director as outlined in the College’s workload policy.

Organizational Relationships

The specialty coordinator reports to the assistant dean of the division (direct) and has a collaborative reporting to the Professional Graduate Program Director (indirect) who maintains open communication with the assistant deans on each campus. The specialty coordinator collaborates with other specialty coordinators and faculty to coordinate course offerings and program improvement.

Curriculum and Instruction

Curriculum Implementation and Oversight

• Lead and facilitate the implementation of the specialty curriculum in collaboration with other specialty coordinators as approved by curriculum committee.
• Ensure certification and accreditation requirements are met.
• Coordinate student plans of study and maintain record of student along with students' academic advisor.
• Coordinate with course coordinators and faculty to optimize resource use (classrooms, labs, clinical sites).
• Assign each student upon admission to their specialty a faculty academic advisor.

Curriculum Development and Revision

• Drive curriculum development and revisions to enhance program quality.

Clinical Course Management

• Collect and maintain clinical evaluations for all students at the end of each semester in collaboration with course coordinators.
• Ensure completion of necessary forms for student certification exams upon program completion.

Collaboration and Resource Coordination

• Collaborate with the Director of Clinical Placement, the Graduate Clinical Placement Coordinator, clinical faculty, and community partners to secure appropriate clinical placements and ensure all clinical contracts are established, current, and compliant with institutional and accreditation standards.
• Work with program directors, Learning Resource Center (LRC) staff, and assistant deans to align teaching responsibilities and curriculum activities.
• Partner with other specialty coordinators and program directors to enhance resource efficiency and curriculum delivery.

Communication

Facilitate Team Communication

• Establish and maintain effective communication channels within the faculty team.
• Promote a positive working environment by sharing relevant information and fostering open dialogue.

Information Sharing and Discussion

• Provide updates and facilitate discussions on:
  • Student advising and issues.
  • Course changes based on evaluations and national recommendations (e.g., NONPF, NTF, CCNE, AONL, CNL).
  • Teaching methods and system updates
• Manage and update student plans of study within the student success software system, ensuring accurate documentation of meetings, academic progress, and any modifications to the student’s trajectory. Maintain thorough records to support student advising, compliance, and program requirements.

Faculty and Graduate Assistant Support

• Plan, present, and evaluate orientation activities for new faculty/graduate assistants regarding curriculum implementation and teaching strategies.
• Mentor new faculty or graduate assistants as needed.

Committee and Team Leadership

• Actively participate in program-level committees.
• Implement routine schedule of specialty faculty team meetings, identify and discuss issues, and develop solutions to improve program outcomes. Store meeting minutes in a designated specialty Teams site.
• Communicate with Professional Graduate program director and other specialty coordinators.

Evaluation

Evaluation and Assessment

• Ensure evaluation measures are appropriate and relevant within courses and across the specialty track.
• Assist faculty in evaluating student clinical performance and developing improvement plans.
• Track student outcomes to demonstrate competency and improvement.
• Implement remedial learning experiences for students as needed and utilized standardized evaluation tools.

Student Support and Remediation

• Serve as a resource for planning academic accommodations or remediation for students.
• Utilize Student Success Platform to flag, record, and store any academic support needs of the students.
• Collaborate with faculty to review student academic and clinical performance upon request.
• Refer students to appropriate resources for counseling or academic assistance.
• Actively engage in critical thinking, judgement, and decision-making with all specialty coordinators on system processes and changes.

Policy and Collaboration

• Work with the Professional Graduate Student Services coordinator, Assistant Dean for Enrollment Management and Student Success, Professional Graduate Program Director, and assistant deans to ensure policies and procedures are followed.

Resources

Admissions and Enrollment Planning

• Collaborate with team members to determine student admissions based on faculty availability, preceptors, and clinical sites.
• Work with student services and/or marketing on recruitment events/materials for specialty area.
• Work with student services on admission process and interviews of applicants.

Resource Identification and Allocation

• Coordinate with faculty, other specialty coordinators, LRC directors, program directors, and assistant deans to identify necessary faculty and material resources for curriculum implementation.

Contracts and Agreements

• Work with academic program personnel to establish contracts and agreements with clinical partners.

Terms of Service

The specialty coordinator serves a three-year term. The specialty coordinator may be reappointed for a second or subsequent term.

Appointment Requirements

• An earned doctorate (PhD or DNP) in nursing or a related field
• Certification in APRN specialty and an APRN license to practice in Nebraska (if the position is for an NP specialty)
• For LEAD program: leadership certificate preferrable, but not required
• Experience in professional graduate teaching and curriculum development
• Demonstrated leadership abilities, managerial skills, creativity, ability to make timely decisions, effective collaboration skills, and the ability to be open to the ideas of others and to constructive feedback
• Evidence of academic scholarship
• Demonstrates clinical expertise and specialty emphasis evidenced by current and/or previous practice site(s) and scholarship.
• Clinical and academic-track faculty are eligible for this role. The ranks of associate and full professor are preferred.

Other Skills

• Ability build and manage budgets or willingness to learn
• Well organized and efficient in time management
• Creative problem solver
• Ability to work collaboratively with faculty, staff, students, and external constituents
• Demonstrate excellent oral/written communication, and interpersonal skills
• Must be self-directed, exercise strong independent judgement, and function with minimal supervision
• Ability to work independently as well as effectively in teams
• Autonomous in initiating desired work product
• Ability to articulate ideas and communicate with potential clinical partners
• Must maintain and respect confidentiality of information
• Interpersonal skills that support an environment of respect, transparency, and sense of belonging
• Working knowledge of applicable university policies and procedures and CON policies and procedures in student services settings
• Proficient in Microsoft Office, data visualization tools, and performance evaluation platforms