Clinical Education Specialist | Western Psychiatric Hospital

The Clinical Education Specialist at Western Psychiatric Hospital is a leadership role focusing on designing, implementing, and evaluating education and training programs for nursing staff, interdisciplinary teams, and support personnel. The Clinical Education Specialist ensures that education aligns with evidence-based psychiatric practices, regulatory standards, and the hospital’s mission to provide high-quality mental health care. 

The role emphasizes fostering clinical excellence through competency development, professional growth, and mentoring, while supporting the unique challenges and specialized needs of psychiatric nursing in an acute care environment.   Behavioral Health experience is preferred.  This role will support 10 inpatient units, Psychiatric Emergency Services (PES), Center for Interventional Psychiatry, and others.

Responsibilities:

• Actively participates in department or practice-specific quality improvement efforts. Identifies opportunity for quality improvement to colleagues and management. Utilizes research and evidence-based practice to support improvement in clinical care: identifies research issues or articles related to clinical specialty or areas of interest Facilitates/mentors staff for projects/EBP/research activities. Promotes best practice dissemination (presentations, publications, etc.)
• Receive feedback and direction constructively. Serve as a formal and informal mentor for new staff members and mentor new preceptors to be successful in their role. Serve as a resource/consultant for patients, nursing staff and other disciplines in area of specialty. Participate in department-based Performance Improvement projects. Participate in self-review. Improve knowledge, skills and performance based on feedback or on self-identified developmental needs. Demonstrate a high level of initiative, work independently, and establish priorities to meet department and organizational goals. Obtain and maintain appropriate certifications. Participate in professional and community organizations. Supports educational needs assessments. Demonstrates professional coaching and feedback skills.
• Facilitates orientation and general continuing education programs. Utilize nursing process in teaching staff how to manage the care of patients including assessment, interdisciplinary planning, implementation, evaluation of patient care, teaching and discharge planning. Lead in the development of standards of nursing care and nursing policies. Identify, communicate and respond to meet the learning needs of nursing staff. Develop, implement and evaluate orientation and continuing education programs based on learning needs, clinical priorities and organizational resources. Facilitate staff initiatives to improve patient care. Comply with safety policies and procedures including standard precautions. Promotes patient education. Serve as a clinical practice resource.
• Demonstrate awareness of the impact of behavior on the efficient functioning of the department and organization. Take a leading role in major hospital-wide projects. Assume responsibility for complex assignments and view problems as challenges. Apply creative and innovative strategies in problem solving to achieve desired goals. Facilitates student experiences as appropriate. Develops clinical specialty courses to meet nursing needs. Provides council or specialty project leadership.
• Develops and maintains productive working relationships internally and externally by building teams and relationships through mentoring and modeling uplifting and positive communication. Extends trust by acknowledging the contributions of others; listens first, creates transparency in communications, confronts reality, and clarifies expectations. Conveys information and ideas clearly through a variety of media to individuals or groups in a manner that engages the audience and helps them understand and retain the message. Perform related duties as required
• Assist with verifying knowledge and skills/attitude-based competencies of direct care staff; assist with ensuring that all direct care providers and direct care staff have received training to address gaps in knowledge and/or skills/attitude-based competencies; assist with planning, implementing, and verifying that all direct care providers/staff have all required skills.