RN​/Nurse Educator

Overview

Summit Oaks Hospital, a 126-bed private acute care hospital and chemical dependency treatment center, located in a picturesque suburban setting, fully accredited by the Joint Commission, has been providing quality health care to adult, child and adolescent residents of northeastern USA since 1902. Summit Oaks has repeatedly been recognized in U.S. News & World Report as one of the nation's best behavioral health hospitals.

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RN/Nursing Educator serves as a clinical and professional development expert responsible for advancing nursing practice, supporting clinical competency, and promoting a culture of continuous performance improvement across the organization. This role partners closely with the Director of Clinical Education to ensure the delivery of safe, high‑quality patient care through target education, competency validation, performance analysis, and individualized staff development.

The RN/Nursing Educator provides hands‑on clinical mentorship and preceptorship to nursing staff following initial orientation, reinforces evidence‑based practice standards, and utilizes performance improvement data to identify gaps in practice and implement focused re‑education and development strategies. This role serves as a key resource supporting nursing excellence, clinical accountability, and organizational quality initiatives.

Current New Jersey Registered Professional Nurse (RN) license. Graduate of an NLN‑accredited nursing program required. BSN preferred; candidates currently enrolled in a BSN program will be considered.

Minimum of three years of hospital‑based nursing. Minimum of two years’ experience in psychiatric nursing required. Past experience should include supervision of staff.

ANCC certification in the field of mental health and psychiatric nursing preferred. Current CPR certification mandatory.

• Provide direct clinical mentorship, coaching, and preceptorship to nursing staff.
• Support the transition of new and existing staff into clinical practice by reinforcing standards of care, critical thinking, and safe clinical decision‑making.
• Serve as a clinical resource and subject matter expert to promote best practices and adherence to organizational policies, procedures, and regulatory standards.
• Facilitate individual and unit‑based competency development to strengthen clinical performance and confidence.
• Assist with orientation and annual recertifications for staff including but not limited to Handle With Care, Verbal De‑Escalation, Skills Fair, Trauma Informed Care, and Suicide Prevention.
• Assist in monitoring staff compliance with Health Stream modules.
• Support the rollout of new clinical programs, workflows, policies, technologies, and practice standards.
• Partner with the Director of Clinical Education to support departmental initiatives, strategic priorities, and organizational goals.
• Serve as a backup resource to support educational operations and initiatives.
• Collaborate with nursing leadership, clinical managers, and interdisciplinary teams to promote consistent standards of practice.
• Support regulatory readiness, accreditation standards, and compliance with organizational policies and external regulatory requirements.
• Assist Director of Education with quality improvement activities, and support overall efficiency of the nursing department.
• Assist with staff development to ensure optimum quality patient care provided by nursing staff on a 24‑hour basis.
• Schedule flexibility required; must be available to work weekends and off‑shifts as needed to support departmental operations.
• Participate in the orientation and educational development of all nursing staff.
• Monitor the delivery of patient care of new employees.
• Use an understanding of the principles of growth and development to assess each adolescent/geriatric patient’s age‑specific needs and provide age‑specific treatment and care.
• Promote a positive work environment that supports professional accountability, engagement, and clinical excellence.
• Perform other duties as assigned consistent with the scope and intent of the role.
• Work collaboratively with…