Head Nurse (40 Hour) (Office/On-site)

Introduction

Are you a Registered Nurse with two (2) years of experience looking to make a difference in the lives of children and their families in Connecticut? If so, we invite you to take this opportunity to join our team!

TheState of Connecticut, Department of Children and Families (DCF) – is currently recruiting for one (1) Head Nurse to join our Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility (PRTF) at our South Campus in Middletown, CT.

Are you an experienced nursing professional ready to take on a leadership role while making a meaningful difference in the lives of children and families? We are seeking dedicated and compassionate Head Nurses to lead nursing operations and provide high-quality, individualized care to those we serve.

In this vital role, you will lead professional and paraprofessional nursing staff, coordinate unit workflow, establish priorities, oversee assignments, and promote high standards of nursing practice. You will also play a key role in staff development by providing training, guidance, and clinical direction while supporting the delivery of safe, effective, and consistent care.

As a Head Nurse, you will remain engaged in direct clinical care by conducting comprehensive nursing assessments, developing and evaluating health care plans, managing an assigned caseload, providing nursing consultation, and collaborating with interdisciplinary teams to promote continuity of care. You will also help ensure compliance with applicable regulations and standards, oversee the safe management of medications and controlled substances, and respond to emergencies as needed.

If you are a confident nursing leader who is passionate about quality care, staff development, teamwork, and improving outcomes for children and families, we encourage you to bring your expertise to DCF and make an ImpaCT! Apply today and become part of a team dedicated to strengthening families and creating brighter futures.

Position Highlights

PCN 119612

Location: Lakota Unit, Middletown, CT

Full-time | 40 Hours per week

1st Shift | 7:00 am – 3:30 pm

Days Off:

Week One: Friday, Tuesday

Week Two: Saturday, Sunday

What we can offer you:

• View our State Employee Benefits Overview page!
• Professional growth and paid professional development opportunities.
• A healthy work-life balance to all employees!
• The State of Connecticut is an eligible Public Service Loan Forgiveness employer, meaning you may be eligible to have qualifying student loans forgiven after 10 years of service.
• Click here for more information.

We believe that:

Working together with families and communities to improve child safety, ensure that more children have permanent families, and advance the overall well-being of children is the central focus of the Department of Children and Families (DCF). DCF protects children who are being abused or neglected, strengthens families through support and advocacy, and builds on existing family and community strengths to help children who are facing emotional and behavioral challenges, including those committed to the Department by the juvenile justice system.

About the State of Connecticut

Living in Connecticut allows you to live with mountains, forests, ocean fronts, rivers, and a wonderful green countryside right at your doorstep. The state has charm, elegance, and a high standard of living. Our school systems offer an outstanding education, and our communities are among the safest in the country. Connecticut experiences all four seasons and gives you the option to choose living in sophisticated country-life or living in the center of a lively city.

We encourage you to come see all that Connecticut has to offer by joining the DCF team!

PURPOSE OF JOB CLASS (NATURE OF WORK)

In a state agency this class is accountable for administrative and clinical supervision of professional nurses, paraprofessionals and other staff involving direct nursing care of individuals or performing specialized professional nursing work in the areas of community or therapeutic nursing. At the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities or Connecticut Technical Education and Career System this class is accountable for providing primary nursing care for students and facility staff.

EXAMPLES OF DUTIES

WORKING LEAD

• Leads the planning of care and implementation of the nursing process;
• Plans unit workflow and determines priorities;
• Schedules, assigns, oversees and reviews work;
• Makes recommendations for personnel actions such as selection, discipline and performance;
• Conducts or assist in conducting performance evaluations;
• Leads professional and paraprofessional nursing staff in provision of patient/individual care;
• Maintains and promotes standards of nursing;
• Ensures controlled drugs are properly stored, administered and ordered;
• Identifies staff development needs;
• Provides staff training and assistance;
• Instructs staff regarding policies and procedures;
• Participates in interdisciplinary meetings to promote and ensure adjustment and continuity of patient/individual care programs;
• Responds to emergencies;
• May make recommendations on policies and standards;
• May prepare reports or correspondence;
• May serve as Qualified Intellectual Disability Professional (QIDP);
• Performs related duties as required.

DIRECT CARE

• Independently develops, implements and evaluates nursing and/or health care plans;
• Provides nursing consultation in the assigned specialty program;
• Conducts nursing assessments;
• Provides admission and discharge nursing assessments including plans for continuing care;
• Maintains records and makes reports;
• Provides for nursing services to comply with intermediate care facility (ICF) regulations and Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) standards;
• Maintains records of stored and secured medications;
• Ensures controlled drugs are properly stored, administered and ordered;
• Independently manages and provides direct care to patients/individuals;
• Participates in individual, group or family therapy;
• Participates as a member of an interdisciplinary team in the assessment, development, implementation and evaluation of patient/individual treatment or health care plans;
• Manages an assigned caseload of other appropriate clinical activities;
• Provides clinical direction and/or training to staff in individual, group and family service delivery programs;
• May participate in home visits and crisis intervention;
• May provide in-service training to nursing and paraprofessional staff with regard to signs and symptoms of illness, dysfunction, injury and prevention of same;
• May conduct patient/individual‑centered conferences with nursing personnel; may consult with and make recommendations to physicians concerning health needs;
• May make recommendations on policies or standards;
• May prepare reports or correspondence;
• May serve as Qualified Intellectual Disability Professional (QIDP);
• Performs related duties as required.

SCHOOL NURSE

• Independently provides counseling and health education services to students and staff;
• Serves as member of crisis intervention team;
• Provides assessment of medical problems;
• Determines need for physician or medical care;
• Performs basic evaluative procedures and tests;
• Performs primary first aid;
• Ensures that controlled drugs are properly stored;
• Makes referrals and follows up on health needs;
• Provides counseling on health‑related issues;
• Maintains accurate medical records;
• Writes reports;
• May administer medication;
• May administer routine tests or exams;
• Performs related duties as required.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILL AND ABILITY

Considerable knowledge of and ability to independently apply nursing principles, techniques and standards; specialized individual care applicable to nursing assignment; medications, their actions, interactions, uses and side effects;

Knowledge of general and mental health conditions and treatment interventions through utilization of assessment, nursing diagnosis, outcome identification, health planning, implementation and re‑evaluation; adult learning and family systems theory; and sensitivity to cultural and socio‑economic differences;

Considerable interpersonal skills; oral and written communication skills;

Ability to establish and maintain collaborative relationships with other professionals, community resources and providers; act as a role model to health care staff; Supervisory ability.

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH NURSING POSITIONS

Considerable knowledge of behavioral health of individuals; Skill working with individuals, groups and families; Ability to provide therapeutic treatment with a variety of individuals.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - GENERAL EXPERIENCE

Two (2) years of experience as a Registered Nurse

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - SUBSTITUTIONS ALLOWED

A Bachelor’s degree in nursing may be substituted for one (1) year of the General Experience.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

Experience working in a behavioral health hospital setting

Experience serving youth with complex psychiatric profiles

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

Incumbents in this class must possess and retain a license or temporary permit as a Registered Nurse in Connecticut OR hold a Multistate or Compact Registered Nurse license. Incumbents in this class may be required to be fluent in a foreign language or proficient in the use of the American Sign Language in certain designated positions. Incumbents in this class may be required to travel.

CHARACTER REQUIREMENTS

In addition to the checking of references and of facts stated in the application, a thorough background investigation of each candidate may be made before persons are certified for permanent appointment.

WORKING CONDITIONS

Incumbents in this class may be required to lift and restrain individuals; may have exposure to communicable/infectious diseases and risk of injury from assaultive/abusive individuals; may be exposed to disagreeable conditions.

Conclusion

AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

The State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and strongly encouraging the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

As defined by Sec. 5-196 of the Connecticut General Statutes, a job class is a position or group of positions that share general characteristics and are categorized under a single title for administrative purposes. As such, a job class is not meant to be all-inclusive of every task and/or responsibility.