Sr Patient Educator

The Senior Patient Educator at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital plays a vital role in advancing patient and family education to enhance clinical care, improve medical outcomes, and strengthen communication and support for patients and caregivers.

The primary responsibility of this role is to assess, plan, develop, implement, and evaluate patient education programs, initiatives, and projects within a multidisciplinary care environment. This includes collaborating with diverse healthcare and research professionals across St. Jude to design and deliver educational materials and strategies that align with our patient- and family-centered care philosophy.

This position emphasizes the integration of scientific research and evidence-based practices to continually innovate patient education. By applying rapid development and continuous evaluation methods, the Senior Patient Educator ensures that learning interventions are both effective and adaptable to the evolving needs of our patient population.

At St. Jude, we believe that caring for our patients requires dedication, intentionality, and compassion—placing the needs of patients and families at the forefront of everything we do. Our vision is to extend beyond traditional healthcare approaches, ensuring that more patients, families, and caregivers benefit from our research discoveries and life-changing therapies.

Note: Candidates with experience in Epic, Information Services (IS), and Clinical Information Systems (Clinical IS) are strongly preferred.

Job Responsibilities

• Assess patient learning needs and develop educational interventions for specific populations served in collaboration with patients, families/primary caregivers, healthcare professionals, and scientific staff.

• Assess learning needs and preferences based on current health issues, knowledge, and skills. Preferences may include, but are not limited to, verbal, written, visual, multimedia, technology-based, and simulation instruction.

• Evaluate individual health literacy and sociodemographic factors, including knowledge, skills, support systems, culture, values, beliefs, and barriers to learning.

• Assess patient engagement in learning, including goals, priorities, and motivation.

• Review patient education resources for clinical relevance, accuracy, and appropriate use of health literacy principles and learning strategies (e.g., print, video, classes).

• Identify and develop educational resources for patients and family caregivers based on learning needs and goals.

• Develop teaching plans using evidence-based strategies with a focus on patients’ needs, priorities, and behaviors.

• Identify and develop educational resources, sessions, in-services, and presentations for staff to address knowledge or skill gaps related to patient education.

• Develop and maintain healthcare professional teaching guides, including testing and delivery of content.

• Develop and maintain healthcare professional teaching competencies and partner with clinical training programs to ensure competency validation.

Implementation and Collaboration

• Implement education programs and plans designed for specific populations in collaboration with patients, families, caregivers, healthcare professionals, and other stakeholders.

• Partner with clinical care teams and research staff to ensure patient education needs are addressed appropriately.

• Assist patients in understanding their illness and adhering to medical advice and treatment plans.

• Collaborate with multidisciplinary healthcare professionals to develop and refine patient education plans.

• Adjust teaching methods based on patient response or changing learning needs, and re-teach using alternative approaches as needed.

• Educate patients on effective strategies to understand their diagnoses and prescribed treatments/therapies, including the teach-back method.

• Educate healthcare professionals on effective patient education strategies.

• Meet with patients to discuss education materials, gather feedback, and implement improvements.

• Conduct patient education sessions using appropriate formats (e.g., in-person, virtual, simulation).

• Prescribe and document patient education in the electronic health record (EHR) as appropriate.

• Promote and maintain a safe, clean, and resource-ready environment for patients and staff.

• Ensure care plan education is accurate, appropriate, and functional for healthcare professionals, patients, and caregivers.

• Partner with institutional stakeholders to ensure patient education is evidence-based, s