UPMC Mercy is currently hiring a full-time Clinical Professional Development Specialist to support its neuro units, 10E Neuro/Medical and 7F Neuro/Trauma Stepdown. Those with nursing experience in neurology are strongly preferred.
This position will work primarily daylight shifts with a flexible schedule to meet the needs of team members on 24/7 units.
Title and pay will be determined based off education level and years of clinical/teaching experience.
The Clinical Professional Development Specialist has the authority, responsibility and accountability for delivery of clinical education curriculum to clinical staff. Orientation and ongoing clinical education are the main objectives of this position. The Clinical Professional Development Specialist ensures clinical staff in assigned area of responsibility receive ongoing training/education to provide high quality patient care.
The Clinical Professional Development Team at UPMC Mercy is uniquely grounded in the hospital’s long‑standing mission of compassionate, patient‑centered care. We partner closely with frontline clinicians, leaders, and interprofessional teams to ensure professional development is not only evidence‑based, but practical, relevant, and immediately applicable at the bedside. Our work is shaped by the real needs of our caregivers and the diverse communities we serve.
What truly sets us apart is our commitment to developing the whole clinician. We support nurses and other healthcare professionals across the continuum—from onboarding and transition to practice, to specialty education, leadership development, and lifelong learning. Our team blends clinical expertise, adult learning principles, quality and safety priorities, and a culture of inquiry to foster confidence, competence, and professional growth.
Rooted in collaboration and continuous improvement, the department serves as a trusted resource and strategic partner. By aligning education with organizational goals, regulatory standards, and professional practice models, we help cultivate a resilient, skilled workforce dedicated to excellence, innovation, and service.
Responsibilities:
- Develops and maintains productive working relationships internally and externally by building teams and relationships through mentoring, support and positive communication working directly with frontline clinical staff
- 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.
- Serve as a formal and informal mentor for new clinical staff members and mentor new preceptors to be successful in their role.
- Responsible for unit-based onboarding and orientation.
- Teach staff how to manage the care of patients including assessment, interdisciplinary planning, implementation, evaluation of patient care, teaching and discharge planning.
- Identify, communicate and respond to meet the learning needs of clinical staff.
- Serves as a resource/consultant for patients, nursing staff and other disciplines in area of specialty.
- Promotes patient education needs for frontline clinical staff
- Participate in department-based Performance Improvement projects.
- Participate in professional and community organizations.
- Develops professional coaching and feedback skills to support and validate UPMC Experience initiatives not limited to Bedside Shift Report, Hourly Rounding, AIDET, etc.
- Training/education of clinical staff during non-traditional work hours may be required based on the needs of assigned unit
- Performs in accordance with system-wide competencies/behaviors.
- Performs other duties as assigned.
- Bachelor’s degree required
- Master’s degree preferred
- Neurology nursing experience preferred
- Minimum of 2 years of clinical experience required
- Relevant teaching experience preferred
Licensure, Certifications, and Clearances:
- CPR required based on AHA standards that include both a didactic and skills demonstration component within 30 days of hire
- UPMC approved certification preferred
- Basic Life Support (BLS) OR Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
- Registered Nurse (RN)
- Act 34
*Current licensure either in the state where the facility is located or, if the facility is in a state covered by the multistate Nursing Licensure Compact (NLC) agreement, a multistate license issued by a participating NLC state. Hires and current employees working on an out-of-state NLC license who later change their residency to the state where the facility is also located will have 60 days upon changing their residency to apply for licensure within that state.
UPMC is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Disability/Veteran