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Education Coordinator - Cardiac Cath Lab Full-time Days

Northwestern Medicine · Chicago, IL · Full time · Health Care Provider

Posted Sep 15, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026

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Likely interview questions for this role

Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.

About your past

This is an education coordinator role in the cardiac cath lab in Chicago, full-time days, and it stays partly at the bedside. How do you split your time between teaching and taking cases?

What they are checking: Whether they can hold both roles without one swallowing the other

Tell me about a practice change you rolled out and how you knew it stuck.

What they are checking: Whether they check that a practice change actually took hold on the unit, not just that staff signed an attendance sheet.

Describe a time you had to tell a manager that a staff member wasn't ready to be signed off.

What they are checking: Whether they will hold a competency standard even under pressure, because signing off an unready nurse puts patients at risk.

How do you work with the NM Academy and the practice department without duplicating what they already provide?

What they are checking: Whether they can work with the existing education structure without duplicating it, since overlap wastes staff time and causes confusion.

What would you do

How do you teach people who have been doing the job for fifteen years and don't think they need teaching?

What they are checking: Whether they can earn respect from experienced staff, because an educator without credibility gets politely ignored on the unit.

A heart attack activation comes in while you're mid-orientation with an unprepared new hire. How do you handle it?

What they are checking: Whether they put the patient first during an emergency and then use the experience to teach afterward through a calm debrief.

About the work

Walk me through how you'd build unit-specific orientation for a nurse new to the cath lab.

What they are checking: Whether they build structured, unit-specific orientation with clear goals, rather than relying on new nurses simply shadowing whoever is working.

What does a new cath lab nurse most often struggle with, and how do you get them past it?

What they are checking: Whether they truly understand where new cath lab nurses struggle, because good education starts from knowing the real learning curve.

How do you keep competency current on rhythm recognition and access site management across a whole staff?

What they are checking: Whether they validate competency in ways that reflect real practice, rather than relying on a yearly online module staff click through.

The posting asks you to integrate evidence-based practice into education. Where do you go for evidence, and how do you translate it for a busy lab?

What they are checking: Whether they know where to find good evidence and can turn it into practical changes a busy cath lab will actually use.

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The full job description

As published by Northwestern Medicine.

The Education Coordinator is a registered professional nurse demonstrates exemplary direct patient care and is accountable for formal and informal staff education and orientation. The Education Coordinator works collaboratively with the Interprofessional team, NMAcademy, peers, and the Shared Leadership Committee to identify learning needs, develop and implement educational strategies and participate in learning effectiveness evaluation. The Education Coordinator adheres to the ANA Scope and Standards of Practice of Professional Nursing and the Code of Ethics. The Education Coordinator reflects the mission, vision, and values of Northwestern Memorial, adheres to the organization’s Code of Ethics and Corporate Compliance Program, and complies with all relevant policies, procedures, guidelines and all other regulatory and accreditation standards. Responsibilities: • Coordinates and participates in unit specific orientation process in collaboration with the NM Academy, peers, managers, and the Department of Professional Practice and Development. • Integrates theoretical knowledge, evidence based practice principles, and clinical expertise in nursing practice into educational experiences. • Develops, coordinates, implements, and evaluates formal and informal education of the staff, including nurses, assistive personnel and student nurses including off shifts and weekends. • Develops, coordinates, implements, and evaluates annual unit-specific clinical skills validation and competency evaluation. • Coordinates mandatory education activities including off shifts and weekends. • Partners with unit leadership to develop educational learning plans for individual staff. • Maintains standards of practice relevant to specific clinical settings. • Collaborates with the NM Academy to identify educational needs and to develop and implement appropriate strategies to meet those needs. • Supports ongoing development of critical thinking skills of clinical nurses. • Provides direct patient care as needed, and acts as a clinical instructor during orientation and transition into practice of new hires. • Develops education plans around proposed practice changes to support the Nursing Practice and Quality and Safety Committees. • Uses established research critique guidelines when reviewing evidence based articles. • Understand the CMS and TJC standards as they relate to direct patient care. • Develop in-services in response to quality audits and CMS and TJC standard changes • Provides feedback to the manager regarding staff performance. Additional Functions • Participates in unit/departmental/divisional or hospital committees/task forces as assigned. • Remains clinically proficient within area of expertise. Required : • Current license as a Registered Nurse State of Illinois Professional Nurse. • Certification in area of clinical specialty. • BSN with a minimum of two years related clinical experience. Preferred : • MSN • Membership in Professional Nursing Organization • BLS Certification • ACLS Certification in clinical areas where required Additional Information Northwestern Medicine is an equal opportunity employer (disability, VETS) and does not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of age, sex, race, color, religion, national origin, gender identity, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation or any other protected status. Background Check Northwestern Medicine conducts a background check that includes criminal history on newly hired team members and, at times, internal transfers. If you are offered a position with us, you will be required to complete an authorization and disclosure form that gives Northwestern Medicine permission to run the background check. Results are evaluated on a case-by-case basis, and we follow all local, state, and federal laws, including the Illinois Health Care Worker Background Check Act. Artificial Intelligence Disclosure Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools may be used in some portions of the candidate review process for this position, however, all employment decisions will be made by a person. Benefits We offer a wide range of benefits that provide employees with tools and resources to improve their physical, emotional, and financial well-being while providing protection for unexpected life events. Click on or copy and paste URL to your browser to view detailed benefits information NorthwesternMedicine Career Page https://jobs.nm.org/benefits Please refer to the Benefits Eligibility by Employment Classification to determine benefits eligibility for job postings. If sign-on bonus is included in a job posting eligibility is as followed: Internal employees and rehires who left Northwestern Medicine within 1 year are not eligible for the sign-on bonus. Exception : New graduate internal employees seeking their first licensed clinical position as a Registered Nurse at NM may be eligible.

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