Nurse Educator

Geisinger Behavioral Health Center Danville•Danville, PA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Acadia Healthcare and Geisinger Health have partnered to establish a state-of-the-art, 96-bed behavioral health hospital in Danville, PA. Geisinger Behavioral Health Center Danville will serve pediatric and adult patients, offering inpatient treatment, intensive outpatient programming, and ECT services. It will also serve as a teaching hospital for students and residents of Geisinger’s College of Health Sciences. This facility will help meet the urgent need for accessible, high-quality psychiatric care in the region, expanding capacity to support patients with diverse mental health needs. The Nurse Educator plays a critical role in ensuring that behavioral health staff are well-equipped to provide safe, high-quality patient care. This hands-on position is responsible for developing and implementing education plans, identifying learning needs, and leading new hire orientation from a clinical perspective. The Nurse Educator facilitates ongoing training programs, ensures compliance with regulatory guidelines, and fosters a culture of continuous learning. By modeling best practices and engaging staff in evidence-based education, this role directly contributes to enhancing professional competency and patient safety within the facility.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in nursing or commensurate experience required
Three years of registered nurse experience required.
Two years of behavioral health experience as an RN required.
Current state license is required for this position.
CPR and de-escalation/restraint certification required (training available upon hire and offered by facility).

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in nursing, Healthcare Administration, Education or other clinical field or equivalent combination of education and/or experience preferred.
Five + years strongly preferred
Inpatient psychiatry experience as an RN strongly preferred
1+ years experience in Clinical Education/Training and Development (Preferred)
Certification as an NPD Practitioner and/or clinical certification as recognized by American Nurse Credentialing Center. (Preferred)
First aid may be required based on state or facility.

Responsibilities

Facilitates orientation/onboarding program to promote employee retention.
Conducts orientation in a manner that fosters a positive learning environment.
Role models organizational and personal commitment to new employee success.
Participates in designing and identifying educational activities to address practice gaps for identified target audiences, which may include licensed and non-licensed healthcare personnel.
Identifies learning needs of staff and/or facility
Role models competent practice through demonstration or simulation activities
Assess practice gaps/Crosswalk competencies to practice
Collaborates with Corporate Nursing Director /Educator to review outcomes data to evaluate and refine competency management activities
Assist with development and/or instruction of didactic content and clinical skills for designated competencies
Develops education plan according to gap assessment or quality data/safety outcomes
Aligns educational programs with facility and/or organization policies and procedures
Implement and deliver educational curricula as required by regulatory agencies such as Joint Commission, CARF, CMS and State agencies.
Creates engaging, evidence-based educational content to meet the specific needs of the intended audience
Demonstrates exceptional instructional skills while maintaining learner engagement
Act a general resource for nursing staff.
Collaborate with medical practitioners and CNO/DON to incorporate nursing processes into the plan of care for patients.
Provide educational leadership to patients and care providers to enhance specialized patient care within established clinical protocol.
Promotes safe, quality, and compassionate patient care
Assist patient and caregivers with education needs, problem solution and health management across the continuum of care.
Educate direct patient care staff in the use of equipment, supplies, and coordinates in-service training for appropriate staff.
Supports new ideas and innovation in educational design
Provides staff with resources and “just-in-time” education to implement immediate changes
May serve in the role of infection preventionist for the facility with training.
May provide direct care as needed.
Provides expertise in identifying professional development needs of individual staff
Assists staff to identify areas for individual growth in current role
Identifies and provides opportunities for skill enhancement and mastery
Utilizes novice to expert continuum when developing staff
Promotes certification in areas of nursing specialty
Perform other functions and tasks as assigned.