27-37 Tenure-Track Assistant Professor of Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing

27-37 Tenure-Track Assistant Professor of Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing

Location

West Chester University, PA

Job Type

Regular / Full-Time

Job Number

27-37

Department

College of Health Sciences

Division

Nursing

Opening Date

09/11/2026

• Description
• Benefits
• Questions

Position Summary

Join a vibrant equity-minded campus community whose excellence is reflected in its community, cultural engagement, and student success. The School of Nursing invites applicants for a Full-time, 9-month, Tenure-Track, Assistant Professor of Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing. We seek an enthusiastic nurse educator with expertise in psychiatric-mental health and behavioral health nursing to contribute primarily to our undergraduate prelicensure nursing programs. This position is specifically focused on undergraduate/prelicensure psychiatric-mental health nursing education and is not an advanced practice or nurse practitioner faculty position. The position begins in August 2027.

West Chester University (WCU), a member of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, is a public, comprehensive institution committed to offering high-quality undergraduate education, selected post-baccalaureate and graduate programs, and a variety of educational and cultural resources for its students, alumni, and citizens of southeastern Pennsylvania. The University offers more than 100 graduate and undergraduate programs in the sciences and mathematics, business and public management, arts and humanities, health sciences, education and social work, music, and interdisciplinary studies. We are a community of educators dedicated to developing graduates who succeed personally and professionally and contribute to the common good.

The mission of the School of Nursing, part of the College of Health Sciences, is to provide high-quality undergraduate and graduate nursing education to students from diverse populations. The School of Nursing is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education and approved by the State Board of Nursing of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Faculty balance excellence in teaching with active scholarship and service. Learn more about the School of Nursing.

The successful candidate will contribute to the design, implementation, evaluation, and continuous improvement of the undergraduate nursing curriculum and demonstrate attention to the learning and teaching needs of students. The faculty member will collaborate with School of Nursing and College faculty and staff, as well as clinical and community partners, to promote student success. The appointment will include working with affiliated agencies and clinical partners and will necessitate satisfying contractual obligations such as health requirements, physical guidelines, clinical hours, codes of conduct, and other agency-specific requirements. The typical course load involves teaching twelve credits per semester.

Responsibilities include:

• Contribute to the instructional program in the Traditional BSN and accelerated second-degree prelicensure nursing programs.
• Provide didactic and clinical teaching in undergraduate psychiatric-mental health nursing.
• Facilitate learning in classroom, clinical, simulation, community-based, and other experiential learning environments.
• Prepare students to apply therapeutic communication, clinical judgment, evidence-based practice, patient safety, trauma-informed approaches, and person-centered care when caring for individuals experiencing mental and behavioral health conditions.
• Participate in the development, implementation, evaluation, and continuous improvement of the undergraduate nursing curriculum.
• Collaborate with healthcare systems, behavioral health organizations, community agencies, and other clinical partners to provide high-quality learning experiences.
• Demonstrate a commitment to student success through teaching, advising, mentoring, and academic support.
• Maintain an active research and scholarly agenda.
• Demonstrate continuing scholarly growth compatible with the teacher-scholar model.
• Serve the School of Nursing, College of Health Sciences, University, profession, and community through participation in committees and other service activities.
• Advise and mentor students.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• Masters degree in Nursing or a closely related field
• Evidence of matriculation and significant progress in a doctoral program of study, with the expectation that the terminal degree will be completed by the end of the second year of appointment
• Eligibility for Registered Nurse licensure in Pennsylvania, with verification of licensure required at the start of employment
• At least two years of professional nursing experience in psychiatric-mental health and/or behavioral health nursing practice
• Ability to meet the requirements of contractual affiliation agreements with clinical partners. These requirements may include, but are not limited to, health requirements, physical guidelines, clinical hours, background clearances, and codes of conduct.

Preferred Qualifications

• Earned doctorate in nursing or a closely related field; and/or
• Didactic teaching experience; and/or
• Experience teaching undergraduate psychiatric-mental health nursing courses or curriculum.
• Recent (within the last 5 years) clinical experience in psychiatric-mental health or behavioral health nursing.
• Experience teaching undergraduate prelicensure nursing students; and/or
• Experience with psychiatric-mental health simulation, standardized patients, therapeutic communication activities, or other innovative experiential learning strategies; and/or
• Experience providing behavioral health services to a diverse population across multiple settings; and/or
• Experience using learning management systems such as D2L, Canvas, Blackboard, or similar platforms. This includes using the educational technology in mixed modalities (face-to-face, hybrid, and/or online); and/or
• Evidence of scholarly activity and/or potential for development of a sustained program of scholarship; and/or
• Experience teaching, advising, or mentoring students from diverse backgrounds.

Special Instructions

West Chester University of Pennsylvania offers highly competitive salaries and excellent benefits.

Apply online at https://www.schooljobs.com/careers/wcupa. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.

Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled. Compliant with applicable collective bargaining agreement, this advertisement may be closed without notice upon receipt of a sufficient pool of qualified candidates.

Applicants must successfully complete the application, interview process, research presentation, and teaching demonstration to be considered as a finalist.

Required Documents for Consideration

To be considered as an applicant for this position, in addition to the application form, please submit the following:

• Cover Letter
• Curriculum Vitae
• Unofficial transcript(s); official transcripts will be required for final consideration
• List of three (3) references. Provide name, email address, and phone number for each reference.
• Service Statement (see below):

West Chester University is a community of educators that develops graduates to succeed personally and professionally and contribute to the common good.

WCU GRADUATES WILL:

• Apply scientific reasoning and demonstrate quantitative and qualitative literacy
• Collaborate with others to solve problems and address societal needs
• Communicate effectively and participate in civic discourse
• Engage inclusively in a diverse society
• Understand the ethical implications of decisions and the world in which they live

INSTITUTIONAL GOALS:

To fulfill its mission as a public institution serving the Commonwealth, West Chester University will focus on student success and institutional improvement as measured by the degree to which WCU demonstrates:

• Access to learning
• Community and cultural engagement
• Continuous improvement
• Critical thinking
• Inclusion
• Scholarly and creative activities
• Sustainability

Given this, please select from one of the prompts below to create a service statement (no more than 1 page)

Engagement with the Campus Community

• Describe your efforts to create an inclusive and supportive campus environment for all students, faculty, and staff. How have you contributed to fostering a sense of belonging in your department or institution?

Mentorship and Student Support

• How have you worked to support and mentor students with a wide range of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives? Share specific examples of how you have helped students navigate challenges in their academic or professional journeys.

Outreach and Community Involvement

• Discuss your experiences working with community organizations, schools, or educational programs that aim to expand access to higher education. How have you helped ensure broader participation in your field?

Pedagogical and Curricular Contributions

• How have you contributed to developing curricula, programs, or initiatives that are accessible and relevant to a broad range of students? Provide examples of how you have designed or implemented courses that engage with multiple perspectives.

Professional Development and Collaboration

• Reflect on your participation in initiatives, committees, or professional development activities that aim to create a welcoming academic environment. How have you collaborated with colleagues to enhance student success and engagement?

Research and Scholarship Impact

• In what ways has your research or scholarly work contributed to increasing opportunities, perspectives, and voices in your field? Describe any projects or initiatives aimed at broadening participation, access or engagement.

All offers of employment are subject to and contingent upon satisfactory completion of all preemployment criminal background checks.

Developing and sustaining a diverse faculty and staff advances West Chester University's educational mission. West Chester University is an Affirmative Action - Equal Opportunity Employer.

CAMPUS SECURITY CRIME STATISTICS

Pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Act and Act 73 of 1988, West Chester University publishes a combined Annual Security and Fire Safety Report (ASFSR). The ASFSR includes crime statistics and institutional policies concerning campus security, such as those concerning alcohol and drug use, crime prevention, the reporting of crimes, sexual assault, and other matters. The ASFSR is available for review on the Public Safety website.

Application Questions?

Email hrs@wcupa.edu for questions regarding the application process.

WCU proudly offers comprehensive employee benefits including health, vision, and dental insurance, generous retirement plans, many wellness programs, a tuition waiver for self and family members, and training, development and advancement opportunities.

• On the first working day, new employees are eligible to enroll in medical, prescription, dental and vision benefit plans. Medical and prescription drug coverage includes PPO health, prescription drug, and hearing coverage.
• Dental and vision coverage is offered at no cost to employees.
• The Healthy U Wellness program rewards participants with reduced health care premiums and provides tools and resources to maintain good health.
• Flexible spending accounts allow employees to withhold income from their paychecks before taxes for reimbursement of approved medical and dependent care expenses.
• A University mission to support employee personal and professional growth.
• PASSHE tuition waiver lowers the cost of college expenses.
• Leave and time-off benefits include generous paid vacation, paid sick time, military leave and paid time off for most major holidays.
• Choice of two group retirement plans with generous employer contributions.
• Voluntary retirement plans offer two additional options to save and invest money for retirement and are available to all employees upon their date of hire.
• Group life insurance is provided at no cost to all permanent employees.
• Voluntary long-term disability insurance (LTD) and voluntary group life and personal accident insurance (VGLIP/AD&D) are available to employees.
• State Employee Assistance Program (SEAP) provides a wide range of free services including counseling, legal, and financial services.

The employee group for this position is Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties (APSCUF).

For additional benefit details please see the PASSHE EMPLOYEE BENEFITS PAGE .

The information is provided for general purposes only. Legal Plan Documents will govern any discrepancies that may arise. Benefits, benefit levels, and eligibility rules are subject to change. The benefits described are available to most employees; however, certain eligibility requirements must be met.

01

Do you have a Masters degree in Nursing or a closely related field?

• Yes
• No

02

Do you have evidence of matriculation and significant progress in a doctoral program of study, with the expectation that the terminal degree will be completed by the end of the second year of appointment?

• Yes
• No

03

Do you have eligibility for Registered Nurse licensure in Pennsylvania, with verification of licensure required at the start of employment?

• Yes
• No

04

Do you have at least two years of professional nursing experience in psychiatric-mental health and/or behavioral health nursing practice?

• Yes
• No

Required Question

Employer West Chester University

Address 201 Carter Drive, Suite 100

West Chester, Pennsylvania, 19383

Website http://www.wcupa.edu