Job Description

Overview

The Patient Care Assistant (PCA)/Clinical Assistant (CA) Educator is a member of Nursing and Patient Care Services (NPCS), Center for Clinical and Professional Development (CCPD) and is responsible for planning, delivering, and evaluating education and competency validation for PCA/CA staff in inpatient and outpatient settings. The role partners with nursing leadership, PCA/CA leaders, and professional development staff to ensure standardized onboarding, ongoing skills development, and practice aligned with DFCI policies, patient safety expectations, and regulatory requirements. The Educator develops and maintains training content, facilitates classroom and clinical instruction, and monitors competency completion and documentation. Institute-wide priorities and deployment are determined by NPCS leadership and strategic initiatives.

Located in Boston and the surrounding communities, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is a leader in life changing breakthroughs in cancer research and patient care. We are united in our mission of conquering cancer, HIV/AIDS, and related diseases. We strive to create an inclusive, diverse, and equitable environment where we provide compassionate and comprehensive care to patients of all backgrounds, and design programs to promote public health particularly among high-risk and underserved populations. We conduct groundbreaking research that advances treatment, we educate tomorrow's physician/researchers, and we work with amazing partners, including other Harvard Medical School-affiliated hospitals.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

• Education delivery (onboarding and ongoing): Facilitates classroom, simulation (as applicable), and clinical instruction for PCA/CA staff during onboarding and throughout employment; applies adult learning principles and adapts strategies for varied learner needs and practice settings.
• Competency management: Conducts and/or coordinates skills validation and competency assessment; tracks completion and maintains accurate competency documentation in required systems to support compliance, readiness, and practice standardization.
• Curriculum and content development: Develops, updates, and evaluates training materials (lesson plans, skills checklists, job aids) to ensure alignment with evidence-based practice, DFCI policies/procedures, and identified performance gaps.
• Stakeholder partnership and alignment: Collaborates with PCA/CA leadership, nursing leadership, and NPD/CCPD colleagues to assess needs, prioritize training requests, coordinate schedules, and align education with operational changes and strategic initiatives.
• Quality, safety, and practice improvement: Supports PCA/CA-related quality and safety initiatives (e.g., documentation quality, infection prevention practices, safe patient handling) and integrates improvement findings into training and reinforcement plans.
• Professional development and recruitment support: Coaches and mentors PCA/CAs, supports preceptors and student/learner experiences (as applicable), and partners with leadership on workforce development initiatives such as career ladder support and recruitment/retention activities.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Instructional/facilitation skills (group facilitation, coaching, feedback, remediation plans).
• Competency evaluation and documentation practices.
• Familiarity with typical tools (e.g., Learning management system, Microsoft Office, Epic).
• Change management and stakeholder management in a matrixed clinical environment.
• Communication skills for difficult performance/competency conversations (within role scope).
• Knowledge of safety/regulatory expectations that affect PCA/CA practice (infection prevention, patient identification, safe patient handling, etc).

Minimum Job Qualifications:

High School Diploma or GED required. Minimum of 3 years' recent experience as a PCA, CNA, CA, MA, or related field required. 5 years’ recent experience as a PCA, CNA, CA, MA, or related field preferred. Teaching, training, or precepting experience preferred. Knowledge of oncology patient care preferred.

License/Certification/Registration Required:

• Licensed/ Certified as a Medical Assistant, Certified Nursing Assistant, or related field.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

None

Patient Contact:

Yes, contact with patients is possible while educating staff members.

Special Working Conditions:

1. Clinic settings throughout the Institute with potential exposure to infectious diseases and hazardous drugs.  
2. Classroom and office settings.
3. Will need to travel to various inpatient hospital units, Longwood campus, regional campuses, and other off-site locations.

At Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, we work every day to create an innovative, caring, and inclusive environment where every patient, family, and staff member feels they belong. As relentless as we are in our mission to reduce the burden of cancer for all, we are committed to having faculty and staff who offer multifaceted experiences. Cancer knows no boundaries and when it comes to hiring the most dedicated and compassionate professionals, neither do we. If working in this kind of organization inspires you, we encourage you to apply.

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is an equal opportunity employer and affirms the right of every qualified applicant to receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, national origin, sexual orientation, genetic information, disability, age, ancestry, military service, protected veteran status, or other characteristics protected by law.  

Pay Transparency Statement

The hiring range is based on market pay structures, with individual salaries determined by factors such as business needs, market conditions, internal equity, and based on the candidate’s relevant experience, skills and qualifications.

For union positions, the pay range is determined by the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

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