ANPD believes that no matter your role in the practice of nursing professional development (NPD), you belong to our community. That’s why our Specialty Spotlight series highlights members furthering NPD goals in unique and invaluable ways. Today, the spotlight is on Nicole Tunque, MSN-Ed, PMH-BC, who works as a psychiatry population-based nursing professional development specialist at UCLA Health.

Can you describe your career journey, and how you ended up in your current role?

I did not choose psychiatric nursing; psychiatric nursing chose me! While I was studying for my ADN at Mount Saint Mary’s University (MSMU) in Los Angeles, I worked at a standalone psychiatric facility as a nursing assistant. Once I received my ADN degree, I started working as a charge nurse for the child, adolescent, and adult units at a small, standalone, psychiatric hospital. In those roles, I witnessed how trauma, culture, and stigma shape patients’ experiences, and how education can transform that patient’s experience. Recognizing that education can reinforce those biases, or serve to dismantle those patterns, I was inspired to earn my BSN from MSMU while continuing to work full-time at the standalone psychiatric hospital.

In 2020, following the completion of my BSN, I took the opportunity to move to UCLA Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital. I wanted the chance to serve the inpatient adult population as a clinical nurse and move up the clinical ladder. Working at a larger urban hospital strengthened my experience in relationship-based care and professional governance while expanding my career aspirations. A mentor in our education department who believed in my clinical experience and dedication made me well-suited for an NPD role. Afraid of the challenge but excited to dive in, I then earned my master's degree in nursing education from Azusa Pacific University shortly after starting in the NPD role.

Is this a new role?

The NPD role was already established but was previously embedded within unit-based clinical nurse educator positions. As UCLA Health’s Center for Nursing Excellence became more centralized, those roles evolved into NPD practitioners and specialists. This transition expanded my impact beyond our psychiatric hospital: while I continue to support psychiatric populations, I can now bring behavioral health expertise to the broader UCLA Health system.

Collaboration with NPD colleagues supporting perinatal, medical-surgical, emergency services, relationship-based care, nurse residency, simulation, and orientation has created meaningful opportunities to address workplace violence and peer support on a larger scale. My reach has grown from supporting 100 nurses to nearly 6,000 across the health system. I am deeply grateful for a centralized NPD model that strengthens interdisciplinary connection, shares expertise across specialties, and extends the impact of psychiatric nursing education.

What does an average day in your position look like?

Like psychiatric nursing itself, no two days are the same for a psychiatric NPD specialist. My days combine direct education, collaboration, and program development. I may begin with orientation or transition-to-practice activities for clinicians, focusing on legal considerations in mental health nursing, crisis de-escalation, and the safe use of behavioral health interventions.

Throughout the day, I facilitate or support population-specific and systemwide education, develop and update learning materials, partner with unit leaders on performance-improvement initiatives, and collaborate with shared governance councils to identify practice gaps and evidence-based solutions. Above all, I try to model the well-being I encourage our nurses—make time for a laugh, a stretch, or a quick coffee or bubble tea break before returning to the work.

How do you apply the NPD Scope & Standards of Practice in your role?

I identify learning needs through an annual learning needs assessment, direct staff feedback, competency data, safety events, and collaboration with unit leaders. I then develop trauma-informed, evidence-based education with measurable outcomes and evaluate the impact on staff confidence, practice, and safety. Trauma-informed care involves acknowledging a person’s past and empowering them while making every person feel included and safe.

Standard 9, Respectful and Equitable Practice, is especially meaningful. I incorporate cultural humility, psychological safety, and stigma reduction into learning experiences. As a second-generation Filipino American, I am mindful of how culture and generational beliefs can influence mental health conversations, help-seeking, and patient care.

I also apply standard 12 of leadership through advocacy, collaboration, and attention to environmental health. In education related to crisis intervention and workplace violence, I partner with frontline staff and leaders to promote trauma-informed communication, safe learning environments, and staff well-being. The standards help ensure that education is not simply a one-time class, but a sustainable approach to safer, more equitable practice.

What is one thing you think NPDs in non-behavioral health areas need to know (or should be doing)?

Trauma-informed care is deeply connected to workplace incivility and violence. Increasing patient acuity, workplace stress, and repeated exposure to traumatic events require nurses to do more with fewer resources. Trauma is not limited to behavioral health patients; nurses care for patients, families, and colleagues whose experiences shape how they communicate, learn, cope, and respond to stress.

NPDs have a unique opportunity to embed trauma-informed principles throughout professional development. This can include incorporating de-escalation and psychologically safe communication strategies into orientation, using simulation to practice responding to aggressive behaviors, preparing leaders to support staff after difficult events, and integrating structured debriefing, peer support, and well-being resources into systemwide education and practice.

Psychologically safe working and learning environments are grounded in trust, collaboration, empowerment, and empathy. NPDs already equip nurses to provide compassionate, safer care but should also encourage them to protect and support their own well-being. Trauma-informed care should be a foundational competency for every nurse, regardless of specialty.

What is a professional achievement you are proud of?

I received the Educator of the Year Award at Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital at UCLA in May of 2026. This recognition was so meaningful because it reflected the impact of sustained collaboration with nursing staff, leadership, and shared governance councils to build better education and professional development. This award affirmed the work that we are continuously striving for, centering on staff empowerment, mental health advocacy, and safe, compassionate care. It also reaffirmed that the NPD impact extends beyond classroom evaluations to the lived experiences of the nurses and patients we serve.

What challenges do you navigate in this position?

One of the greatest challenges in my role is addressing mental health stigma within and beyond behavioral health settings. Generational attitudes and cultural beliefs can shape how people understand, discuss, and seek support for mental health concerns, particularly in diverse workforces and patient populations. Even among behavioral health clinicians, where conversations about mental health may be more familiar, misconceptions and implicit bias persist.

Although awareness of mental health has grown, stigma continues to affect patient care, workplace culture, and whether healthcare professionals feel safe seeking help themselves. As a psychiatric NPD specialist, I use education as a powerful tool to challenge harmful assumptions, promote trauma-informed care, and foster environments where mental health is valued with the same urgency and compassion as physical health.

What advice do you have for NPD professionals looking to find a similar career path?

For nurses considering being in NPD in psychiatric settings, speak up and keep speaking up! Embrace opportunities that allow you to teach, lead, and advocate—whether through professional governance, research, or presenting. Psychiatry and behavioral health interventions are forever evolving, and we always need people to advocate and research our field for new ways to care for our unique population. Behavioral health requires curiosity, compassion, and cultural humility. If you come from a community where mental health has been stigmatized, know that your perspective is needed. Being an NPD in psychiatry offers a powerful way to turn your lived experience into change—one learner, one unit, one conversation at a time.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the contributor and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of ANPD.