Patient Education Specialist - Middle School Math/Science

Texas Children's Hospital•Houston, TX

About The Position

The Patient Education Specialist provides individualized educational instruction to help patients maintain academic continuity during treatment or hospitalization. The specialist adapts curriculum, learning tools, and educational support to each patient’s cognitive, emotional, physical, and academic needs. Instruction may take place at the bedside, one-on-one, virtually, or in a classroom. The role develops and delivers educational services and programs, assesses academic and learning needs, tracks progress, and coordinates with families, schools, and the interdisciplinary care team.

Requirements

Master’s degree in education, special education, or a related field.
Texas Standard Teaching Certificate.
Three years of instructional experience, including interpreting neuropsychological evaluations.

Nice To Haves

Educational Diagnostician certification from the Texas Education Agency, or Special Education Teaching Certification.
Three years of teaching experience in a hospital or specialized school setting.

Responsibilities

Provide individualized instruction through bedside, one-on-one, virtual, and classroom-based educational sessions.
Develop lesson plans and materials aligned with patients’ curricula, Individualized Education Programs, Admission Review and Dismissal plans, academic levels, learning styles, and physical or cognitive needs.
Administer, review, and interpret neuropsychological, academic, behavioral, and learning-style assessments.
Develop Individualized Education Programs and 504 accommodations for qualifying pre-kindergarten through high school patients.
Recommend appropriate academic placement and collaborate with families to support school enrollment and instruction.
Use instructional strategies such as phonetics, multisensory learning, and repetition to reinforce learning.
Track and document patient attendance, engagement, academic progress, grades, educational interventions, and goal achievement.
Coordinate with home-school professionals to obtain assignments, books, materials, and expectations for completed work.
Use virtual learning platforms, SMART Boards, teleconferencing tools, and adaptive equipment to support engaging instruction.
Collaborate with the interdisciplinary care team to align educational services with patient care needs.
Educate school personnel and families about the impact of serious illness or injury on learning, academic programming, and psychosocial support needs.
Develop and implement patient-centered educational, summer, supplemental, vocational, and quality-improvement programs.
Maintain current knowledge of educational laws, advocacy strategies, and the impact of chronic illness and injury on learning.