Charge Nurse RN II - Colorado Mental Health Hospital in Fort Logan (Denver)

Job Posting

We are seeking an exceptional individual interested in joining our nursing team! Our ideal candidate is a caring leader who will provide professional skilled nursing activities in a mental health setting that include: acute care, chronic support, assessment, and interventions.

Location: 3520 W Oxford Avenue, Denver, CO 80236 Full-Time, On-Site

This posting will be used to fill multiple postings. Position shifts available for: Days, Nights, and Weekends. We offer shift differentials for Nights and Weekends between 14 20% above base pay! Most State of Colorado employees are eligible for a great benefit package! Please see the Supplemental Information section below for details!

About Fort Logan Colorado Mental Health Institute at Fort Logan (CMHHIFL) is one of two state hospitals serving our community. The vision of CMHHIFL is to provide the highest quality mental health services to person with complex, serious, and persistent mental health illness within the resources available. Our mission is to support those individuals in achieving their recovery goals and reaching their full potential. CMHHIFL provides inpatient treatment to adult patient, generally between the ages of 18-49. The hospital has 94 adult inpatient beds, over four treatment units and is scheduled to open an additional 44 beds (two units) in August 2022. These two forensic units will be dedicated to providing psychiatric stabilization and restoration treatment to individuals opined incompetent to proceed as a result of their mental illness. Medical services, occupational therapy, neuropsychological-rehabilitation services, and trauma-informed care services are available for all patients throughout the hospital.

Through our core values, CMHHIFL staff is committed to:

• Individual dignity and respect;
• Person-centered, evidence based care;
• Trauma informed recovery;
• Multidisciplinary collaboration;
• Diversity and inclusion;
• Strong family and community partnerships

Patient Care:

• Assesses, plans, coordinates, provides and evaluates nursing care of patients with psychiatric and medical conditions, documenting all pertinent data.
• Utilizes nursing theory and concepts to develop nursing plans of care and therapeutic interventions to support patients' recovery, such as individual counseling, psychoeducational and teaching groups, and milieu management.
• Communicates the nursing plan of care to the interdisciplinary team.
• Assures that appropriate documentation is completed.
• Assures that essential information is shared from shift to shift and makes rounds to assess patients' psychiatric and medical statuses.
• Notifies medical staff (physicians and licensed independent practitioners) of changes in patient condition and need for evaluations and orders.
• Reports patient care concerns to supervisor and physicians, as indicated.
• Directs, coordinates and implements medical and psychiatric crisis intervention in clinical emergencies assuring compliance with nursing standards and policies/procedures. (e.g., de-escalation, seclusion/restraint, cardiopulmonary resuscitation.)

Milieu Management:

• Assures a safe, therapeutic environment for patients using nursing theory and judgment by planning and implementing milieu management techniques such as pro-actively anticipating problems, planning interventions strategies and assigning responsibilities.
• Provides clinical and administrative supervision of nursing staff on duty.
• Assures that interventions are implemented and assures that the care provided meets or exceeds community and professional standards.
• Coordinates provision of replacement staff and extra staff for high acuity, as indicated

Medication Administration:

• Administers and/or provides back up to the nurse assigned to administer medication, including transcription and clarification of orders.
• Assures that medications are administered in terms of need, effectiveness, side effects and drug interactions using nursing judgment, standards of care and policy and procedure.
• Follows all policies and procedures for medical order transcription and medication administration documentation.

Supervision and Delegation to Licensed and Unlicensed Assistive Personnel:

• Accountable for the work of nursing staff, mental health clinicians, nursing students, orientees and others through delegation of work assignments, assuring timely completion of work, providing clinical leadership and teaching clinical interventions.
• Provides clinical and administrative supervision of 2-5 nursing staff on a continuous basis as well as supervision of all nursing staff on duty during specific shift.
• Orients new staff and serves as preceptor for students

Patient Teaching:

• Assesses and teaches preventative health care, illness management, coping skills, social skills, living skills, and indications/side effects of medications to patient and family.
• Supports patient in building skills and improving their sense of self-efficacy.

Interdisciplinary treatment planning and treatment implementation:

• Provides nursing input, as a member of the inter-disciplinary team, into treatment planning and unit programming.
• Serves as a liaison/communication link between patient, family, doctor, other health professionals, ancillary staff, and supervisors exchanging information and clarifying rationales for plans and interventions.

Other Duties as Assigned:

• Other duties as assigned

Work environment: Sometimes difficult customers/patients, locked units, interactive, fast-paced, dynamic, team-oriented, requirement to make immediate and critical decisions, and a high level of accountability for patient care. High level of professional responsibility for the employee to maintain updated skills, knowledge, abilities and competencies necessary to the position through continuing education, clinical supervision, literature review and participating in discipline and team development. This entry level position offers great opportunity for advancement! Ask us how!