Job Description
Job Description
M-F 8 am to 5 pm
Position Title: Nurse Educator
Department: Human Resources/Training
Reports to: Direct to VP, HR, indirect to CNO
Position Summary
The Nurse Educator is responsible for planning, developing, implementing, and evaluating nursing education programs that support safe, effective, evidence-based care. This role supports compliance with Joint Commission standards related to Human Resources (HR), Provision of Care, Treatment, and Services (PC), Leadership (LD), and Performance Improvement (PI), and ensures nursing staff competency, ongoing education, and survey readiness while advancing high-quality, compassionate mental healthcare.
Key Responsibilities
Education & Training
- Design, coordinate, and deliver orientation programs for new nursing staff.
- Develop and provide ongoing education, in-service training, and annual competency validation for nursing personnel.
- Educate staff on behavioral health–specific topics such as therapeutic communication, de-escalation, trauma-informed care, suicide risk assessment, restraint and seclusion, and management of aggressive behaviors.
- Support implementation of evidence-based practices and clinical standards.
- Identify learning needs through audits, staff feedback, quality indicators, and regulatory findings.
Clinical Competency & Professional Development
- Assess and validate clinical competencies to ensure safe and effective patient care.
- Serve as a clinical resource and mentor for nursing staff and nursing leadership.
- Support career development, preceptorships, and leadership development initiatives.
- Collaborate with nursing leadership to address performance gaps and support remediation plans.
Regulatory & Compliance
- Ensure nursing education programs meet Joint Commission standards and state regulatory requirements.
- Support Human Resources (HR) standards by ensuring staff competency, qualifications, and ongoing education are validated and documented.
- Maintain accurate, survey-ready documentation of orientation, education, competencies, and training.
- Participate in accreditation preparation activities, tracers, mock surveys, and corrective action plans.
- Collaborate with leadership to ensure policies, procedures, and education align with current standards of care and regulatory expectations.
Quality & Safety
- Support Joint Commission National Patient Safety Goals relevant to behavioral health settings.
- Collaborate with Quality, Risk Management, and Nursing Leadership to reduce adverse events, improve patient outcomes, and promote a culture of safety.
- Analyze trends related to incidents, restraint and seclusion, medication management, patient safety events, and staff injuries to inform targeted education.
- Support performance improvement initiatives by identifying educational interventions that address identified risks or gaps.
Collaboration & Leadership
- Partner with interdisciplinary teams to support coordinated, patient-centered care.
- Participate in committees related to education, nursing practice, safety, and performance improvement.
- Model professionalism, integrity, compassion, and ethical nursing practice.
Qualifications
Required
- Current, unrestricted Registered Nurse (RN) license in Texas.
- Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) required.
- Minimum of 3–5 years of nursing experience, preferably in behavioral health or psychiatric nursing.
- Demonstrated experience in staff education, training, or precepting.
- Strong knowledge of behavioral health nursing standards and best practices.
Preferred
- Master’s degree in Nursing, Education, or related field.
- Certification in Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing (PMH-BC) or Nursing Professional Development (NPD-BC).
- Experience with adult learning principles and curriculum development.
- Prior experience in an acute inpatient behavioral health setting.
Skills & Competencies
- Excellent communication, presentation, and facilitation skills.
- Strong organizational and time-management abilities.
- Ability to engage and educate adult learners.
- Skilled in conflict resolution and coaching.
- Proficient with learning management systems and basic data analysis.
- Commitment to trauma-informed, patient-centered care.