Behavioral Health

Psychiatric Nurse

Boston Medical Center is seeking a Psychiatric Nurse for its 82-bed, behavioral health hospital, located in Brockton, MA. Brockton hospital operates as a behavioral health accountable care organization that provides cutting-edge, inpatient treatment and stabilization for individuals experiencing complex mental health and substance use needs. Inpatient Psychiatric Nurses are a critical part of a multi-disciplinary/multi-cultural team that possess unique expertise and focus on providing quality behavioral health care to acute populations.

Under general direction of the Nurse Manager, Psychiatric Nurses are dedicated team members responsible for providing direct patient care to psychiatric patients. The role encompasses nursing assessment, diagnosis, planning, intervention, evaluation, and coordination of care for patients and their families across the health care continuum. The Psychiatric Nurse is accountable for clinical, educational, quality and fiscal patient care outcomes using the model of care designed by the inpatient psychiatric unit and in accordance with established agency policies, procedures, protocols, guidelines and standards of practice. The Psychiatric Nurse works collaboratively with a multidisciplinary team to take care of the mental, emotional or behavioral disorders for those patients engaged in services.

Essential Responsibilities / Duties:

Standards of Care

Consistently and effectively utilizes all steps of the nursing process in the provision of timely, safe, efficient and appropriate patient/centered care.

• Assesses the patient and family in a systematic and ongoing manner for both overt and covert signs and symptoms in accordance with the standards of clinical nursing practice.
• Collects pertinent data using appropriate assessment techniques.
• Prioritizes data according to the patients immediate condition or needs.
• Involves the patient, family/significant others and appropriate behavioral health care providers in the collection of data when appropriate.
• Consistently uses clear, concise and effective written/oral communication and complies with departmental policies when sharing/documenting relevant patient care data.
• Identifies emergency/crisis situations, communicates such in a timely manner to appropriate behavioral health care team members, and responds appropriately when needed.

Analyzes the assessment data to determine appropriate nursing diagnoses.

• Demonstrates use of critical thinking skills, derives and documents appropriate diagnoses from patient and family assessment data.

Identifies expected outcomes individualized to the patient.

• Derives and documents realistic, appropriate clinical and educational patient-centered outcomes consistent with patients diagnoses, capabilities and expectations in accordance to the standards of clinical nursing practice.
• Develops outcomes as measurable goals which include a time estimate for attainment and provides direction for continuity of care.
• Mutually formulates outcomes with the patient, significant others and behavioral health care team when appropriate.

Develops a plan of care that prescribes interventions to attain expected outcomes.

• Develops and documents an individualized plan of care that reflects the patients condition, prioritizes his/her needs, and provides for continuity of care.
• Develops the plan with the client, significant others and appropriate behavioral health care providers.
• Develops a plan reflective of current nursing practice standards, policies, procedures, protocols and guidelines.
• Plan reflects effective use of available resources and appropriate internal/external referrals in order to provide comprehensive care to patients and families.

Implements interventions identified in the nursing and medical plan of care.

• Prioritizes patient care interventions based on fluctuating patient and Psychiatric unit needs.
• Effectively delegates appropriate patient care activities to co-workers with appropriate knowledge and skill level and ensures that co-workers have completed the delegated tasks in a timely manner.
• Provides for a safe, clean Psychiatric unit environment through use of appropriate risk management practices, e.g. labeling and removing broken/expired equipment/materials from service.
• Demonstrates safe technical competence based on patient needs, including but not limited to direct care skills, e.g., phlebotomy, IV insertion, etc., informatics, and equipment monitoring/utilization.
• Implements patient care interventions/treatments and administers medications in accordance with established practice standards, policies, and protocols.
• Educates patient and family regarding current illness, procedures, treatments, plan of care as well as health maintenance, promotion, and illness/injury prevention.
• In emergency/crisis situations, demonstrates effective decision making in accordance with standards of clinical nursing practice, re-prioritizes patient care needs, initiates appropriate response actions, and directs other team members to ensure a complete and coordinated response.
• Documents interventions according to departmental policy.

Evaluates the patients progress toward the attainment of clinical and educational outcomes.

• Conducts systematic and ongoing patient reassessments and evaluations.
• Evaluates the effectiveness of interventions in relation to desired outcomes and includes the patient, significant others and appropriate health care providers in the evaluation process as needed.
• Demonstrates use of critical thinking skills through the incorporation of ongoing assessment data in the revision of diagnoses, outcomes and the plan of care.
• Provides follow-up care in person via home visits and via telephone when needed and when appropriate.
• Documents patients response to interventions as well as revisions in diagnoses, outcomes and plan of care according to departmental policy.

Standards of Professional Performance

Systematically evaluates the quality, cost, and effectiveness of nursing practice.

• Participates/leads quality improvement and/or research activities as appropriate to the individuals position, education, skills, and practice environment.
• Uses the results of patient satisfaction, quality improvement and/or research data to initiate changes in practice.
• Accounts for completing daily patient classification data and incident reports in a timely manner.
• Participates in cost containment initiatives and practices.
• When two or more practice options exist that achieve the same quality of expected patient outcome, evaluates factors related to safety, effectiveness and cost when selecting the appropriate option.

Acts in a professional manner relative to practice standards, statutes, and regulations.

• Practices in compliance with established practice standards, policies, procedures, protocols, guidelines, statutes and regulations (example: DMH, DPH, JCAHO, Fire Code, OSHA, and DEA).
• Functions without supervision in a manner appropriate for level of experience and education.
• Responsible for seeing things through to completion and for informing appropriate staff of outcomes.
• Offers, seeks out and acts upon constructive feedback regarding professional practice to improve daily practice and to achieve goals identified during performance appraisal.
• Takes appropriate steps to effectively resolve peer conflicts or investigate questionable activities. Discusses such with individuals involved and seeks assistance from nurse manager when appropriate.
• Maintains accurate annual professional development record.
• Demonstrates flexibility and ability to positively adapt to changing staffing/clinical/patient census needs including but not limited to offering assistance to others, adjusting patient assignments, floating to other areas/units, etc.
• Demonstrates reliability in regard to attendance and punctuality standards.
• Maintains a presentable appearance in accordance with dress code requirements including wearing a visible identification badge that identifies ones self as a registered staff nurse.

The nurse acquires and maintains current knowledge in nursing practice.

• To maintain clinical competence in Psychiatric Nursing, participates in ongoing educational activities to enhance clinical knowledge and update requisite skills.
• Independently identifies need for in-service/educational sessions and seeks experience to meet such needs and to maintain clinical skills.
• Completes the following mandatory requirements: annual BLS certification, institutional mandatory education, e.g., safety regulations, infection control standards, etc., and departmental/unit specific competencies.
• Actively participates on unit or departmental based task forces, councils, or committees.

The nurse contributes to the professional development of peers, colleagues, and others.

• Takes initiative to share knowledge and skills willingly with colleagues, students, and novice practitioners in a collegial manner.
• Provides peers with constructive feedback regarding their practice and professional skills.
• Acts as a resource for new employees, float staff, and other unit team members.
• Assists in the orientation and/or acts as preceptor for new employees and/or nursing students.

The nurses decisions and actions on behalf of patients are determined in an ethical manner.

• Delivers care in a manner that preserves/protects client autonomy, dignity, confidentiality, and rights.
• Acts as a patient advocate in order to facilitate meeting identified patient needs.
• Delivers care in