Clinical Nurse Educator - Psychiatric Services
County of San Mateo
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Job summary
Qualifications
- California license as a Registered Nurse is required.
- BLS certification must be maintained.
- CPI certificate required within three months of hire.
- Minimum two years of psychiatric nursing experience or two years in education/mentoring roles.
- Experience with nursing education, competency validation, and continuing education.
Responsibilities
- Coordinate nursing education and competency documentation.
- Provide clinical education and guidance.
- Participate in quality improvement activities.
- Apply clinical experience in psychiatric emergency and inpatient settings to education and safe practice.
- Lead classroom and skills-based trainings, crisis prevention, and de-escalation programs.
- Maintain education records, contribute to quality improvement efforts, and report outcomes.
Skills
Education
Tools
Job description
San Mateo Medical Center, part of San Mateo County Health, is a public hospital and clinic system fully accredited by The Joint Commission. The Medical Center operates outpatient clinics throughout San Mateo County and an acute-care hospital in San Mateo. Our vision is that every patient will live the healthiest life possible. As a county health department, San Mateo County Health provides public health programs and clinical and supportive services to the community, with a mission to help everyone in San Mateo County live longer and better lives.
The Department of Psychiatry is seeking a Psychiatric Nurse Educator committed to patient safety, equity, and the professional development of psychiatric nursing staff. This role supports Psychiatric Emergency Services (PES) and Adult Inpatient Psychiatric Services through education, competency support, and collaboration to promote safe, evidence-based care.
There is one full-time position supporting both Psychiatric Emergency Services and Adult Inpatient Psychiatric Services.
The successful hire in this position will:
- Coordinate and maintain nursing education and competency documentation and participate in hospital and departmental committees related to nursing practice, quality, and patient safety.
- Collaborate with Department of Psychiatry leadership and frontline staff to support quality and safety initiatives aligned with regulatory and professional standards.
- Provide direct patient care as needed while supporting staff orientation, onboarding, and education within established role boundaries.
- Apply clinical experience in psychiatric emergency and inpatient settings to support education, consultation, and safe clinical practice.
- Demonstrate strong assessment, critical thinking, technical nursing, communication, and teaching skills.
The position includes approximately 20% direct patient care and 80% indirect care focused on education, competency support, and quality activities. Time allocation may vary based on operational needs; flexibility is required.
- Strong clinical judgment, assessment, and psychiatric nursing skills.
- Effective communication, collaboration, and teaching abilities.
- Experience educating or mentoring staff in formal or informal settings.
- Ability to translate regulatory requirements and best practices into practical bedside education.
- Proficiency with the electronic medical record (Epic) for reporting, auditing, and education.
- ANCC Psychiatric Nursing Certification.
- Associate Degree in Nursing with five (5) years of psychiatric nursing experience, OR
- Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing with two (2) to five (5) years of psychiatric nursing experience, OR
- Master’s Degree in Nursing with two (2) years of psychiatric nursing experience.
NOTE: The eligible list generated from this recruitment may be used to fill future extra-help, term, unclassified, and regular classified vacancies.
- Perform direct and indirect psychiatric nursing duties consistent with licensure, scope of practice, and operational needs.
- Support Nursing Education through orientation, onboarding, competency validation, and continuing education activities.
- Provide clinical education, consultation, and guidance to support safe, evidence-based patient care.
- Assist staff in addressing complex patient care situations using analytical and problem-solving skills, referring issues through appropriate channels.
- Assess learning and competency needs and develop education plans, procedures, and materials.
- Provide education related to nursing assessment, care planning, implementation, documentation, and evaluation.
- Collaborate with nursing management and interdisciplinary partners to support staff development and continuing education.
- Participate in staff meetings, education forums, and interdisciplinary discussions related to patient care and quality improvement.
- Maintain and analyze education, competency, and quality-related records and documentation.
- Conduct classroom and skills-based training in complex areas of psychiatric nursing, including crisis prevention and de-escalation.
- Review and summarize nursing and psychiatric research to support evidence-based practice.
- Share education and quality improvement outcomes through reports, presentations, or professional forums.
- Serve as a clinical role model and educational resource for nursing staff and interdisciplinary team members.
- Participate in departmental quality monitoring and performance improvement activities.
- Provide psychiatric nursing education support to the medical center’s clinics, medical emergency, acute care, and skilled nursing units.
- Perform related duties as assigned.
- A California license as a Registered Nurse.
- Possession and maintenance of BLS certification.
- Possession and maintenance of a Crisis Prevention Intervention (CPI) certificate within three months of hire.
- Associate Degree in Nursing with two years clinical experience including one year in a clinical specialty area, OR
- Baccalaureate Degree in Nursing or a health related field with one year of clinical experience including six months in a clinical specialty area, OR
- Masters degree in Nursing.
- Advanced principles and practices in specialty areas.
- Nurse Practice Act.
- Current nursing and related medical theory and skills necessary to administer nursing care within assigned clinical setting.
- Safety and infection control practices.
- Clinical systems, supplies and equipment.
- Modern principles, techniques, and procedures of nursing.
- Medical terminology.
- Use and maintenance of medical instruments and equipment.
- Use and effects of medicines.
- Public health principles.
- Health promotion and disease prevention.
- Medical research principles and practices.
- Principles of training and education.
- Lean principles and methodologies.
- Data abstraction and utilization.
- Basic statistics for reporting purposes.
- Report writing.
- Regulatory and accreditation requirements for assigned area.
- Provide leadership and direction to multi-disciplinary medical teams.
- Give direction to staff.
- Evaluate the work of others.
- Develop and present training and continuing education programs.
- Design, evaluate, construct and modify research models; carry out research and present findings.
- Perform the full range of nursing duties and responsibilities.
- Prepare clear and concise medical record documentation.
- Write articles for publication on areas of specialty.
- Identify problems or discrepancies and make suggestions for corrective actions.
- Teach and orient staff.
- Establish and maintain effective working relationship with patients and staff members.
- Communicate effectively.
Specific qualifications are required beyond those specified above for the assignments listed below.
Nurse Educator - Must have knowledge of and verifiable experience in adult education curriculum development, program evaluation, and evidence-based and best practice implementation.
Open & Promotional. Anyone may apply. Current County of San Mateo and County of San Mateo Superior Court of California employees with at least six months (1040 hours) of continuous service in a classified regular, probationary, or extra-help/limited term position prior to the final filing date will receive five points added to their final passing score on this examination.
A supplemental application form must be submitted in addition to our regular employment application form.
The examination process will consist of an application screening (weight: pass/fail) based on the candidates' application and responses to the supplemental questions. Candidates who pass the application screening will be invited to a panel interview (weight: 100%). Depending on the number of applicants, an application appraisal of education and experience may be used in place of other examinations or further evaluation of work experience may be conducted to group applicants by level of qualification. All applicants who meet the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed advancement through any subsequent phase of the examination. All examinations will be given in San Mateo County, California and applicants must participate at their own expense.
IMPORTANT: Applications for this position will only be accepted online. If you are currently on the County's website, you may click the “Apply” button. If you are not on the County's website, please go to https://jobs.smcgov.org/ to apply. Responses to the Supplemental Questionnaire must be submitted in addition to the standard County employment application form. A resume will not be accepted as a substitute for the required application materials. Online applications must be received by the Human Resources Department before midnight on the final filing date.
TENTATIVE RECRUITMENT SCHEDULE
Deadline to Apply: Friday, February 27, 2026 11:59 PM PST
Application Screening: March 5, 2026
Combined Panel/Departmental Interviews: March 19, 2026
About The County
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