ACT Psychiatric Nurse

Job Title

Essential Duties and Responsibilities Include the Following:

• Provide service coordination (case management) for an assigned group of clients including coordination and monitoring the activities of the individual treatment team (ITT).
• Assume primary responsibility for developing, writing, implementing, evaluating, and revising overall treatment goals and plans in collaboration with the client and the ITT.
• Providing individual supportive therapy and symptom management, ensuring immediate changes are made in the treatment plans as clients' needs change.
• Educating and supporting clients' families.
• Advocating for clients' rights and preferences.
• Participate in and conduct parts of the client-centered comprehensive assessment of psychiatric history (e.g., onset, course and effect of illness, past treatment and responses, and risk behaviors), mental status, and diagnosis; physical health and dental health; use of drugs and alcohol; education and employment; social development and functioning activities of daily living (e.g., self-care, living situation, nutrition, money management); and family structure and relationships.
• Consult with community agencies and families to maintain coordination in the treatment process.
• Perform shift management in coordination with other ACT shift managers according to established policies and procedures.
• Provide on-call crisis intervention covering nighttime hours and serve as a backup to evening and weekend staff.
• Document client progress to maintain a permanent record of client activity according to established methods and procedures.
• Participate in daily staff organizational meetings and treatment planning review meetings.
• Take the lead role or participate in providing medication administration and medical services.
• Under the direction of the team psychiatrist and in collaboration with other registered nurses on the team; develop, revise, maintain, and supervise team psychopharmacologic and medical treatment and medication policies and procedures including transcribing, administering, evaluating, and recording psychotropic medications prescribed by the team psychiatrist; evaluate and chart psychotropic medication effectiveness, complications, and side effects; and arrange for required lab work according to protocol.
• Under the direction of the team psychiatrist and in collaboration with other registered nurses on the team, organize and manage the system of getting medication to clients and integrating medication administration tightly into clients' individual treatment plans.
• Under the direction of the team psychiatrist and in collaboration with other registered nurses on the team, manage pharmaceuticals and medical supplies.
• In collaboration with the team psychiatrist, coordinate, schedule, and administer medical assessments of client physical health, making appropriate referrals to community physicians for further assessment and treatment, and coordinate psychiatric treatment with medical treatment.
• Participate in treatment, rehabilitation, and support services.

Required Job Skills:

• Oral and Written Communication Skills
• Interpersonal Skills
• Ability to exercise good judgment, tact, diplomacy, and compassion when problem solving, handling conflict or in a crisis situation.
• Ability to complete record keeping in a timely fashion
• Ability to formulate treatment objectives for the person served
• Ability to get along with diverse personalities and maintain effective working relationships
• Ability to work well with people of all races, backgrounds, and needs
• Knowledgeable of Behavioral Health Concepts and how to incorporate concepts into practical application

Additional Responsibilities:

• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations must be made in order to enable the individual with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• Physically able to reach, push, pull, stoop, bend, stand, walk and lift up to 20 pounds.
• Possess a valid Driver's License and maintain a safe driving record if required for job performance.

Work Environment:

• The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee occasionally works in outside weather conditions, may be off-site from normal office location or placed at a Residential Program.
• The noise level in the work environment is mild to moderate.

Environmental Data and Job Hazards:

• Hours of work are structured 7.5 to 8.0 hour blocks of time but may be subject to irregular and/or flexible hours based on needs or demands.
• Position may require duties to include routine or reasonable anticipated tasks or procedures where there is a degree of actual or potential exposure to blood or other infectious materials.
• All staff is required to participate in yearly trainings regarding infection control and safety in the environment including hazardous waste and blood borne pathogens.
• All new staff must attend training regarding handling physical, verbal threats, acts of violence, or other escalating and potential dangerous situations including when police need to be summoned.

Required Job Performance:

• Provides an average of 18-25 billable hours of service per week as established by Agency. (Ranges vary based on type of services provided.)
• Successful Performance Evaluation rating of 3 or above. A Performance Improvement Plan will be initiated on all scores below a 3 rating. An employee will be terminated if the Performance Improvement Plan is viewed as unsuccessful

Requirements:

• Qualifications: The psychiatric nurse may have a master's, bachelor's or associate degree in nursing, must be licensed as a registered nurse, and should have at least one year of work experience in an inpatient or outpatient psychiatric setting. Must have a strong commitment to the right and ability of each person with a severe and persistent mental illness to live in normal community residences; work in market jobs; and have access to helpful, adequate, competent, and continuous supports and services. Skills and competence to establish supportive trusting relationships with persons with severe and persistent illnesses mental illnesses and respect for client rights and personal preferences in treatment are essential. Must have a valid driver's license for the state in which the program operates.
• Hours: Monday through Friday 8:00 am until 4:30 pm. Other times may be required with the job or adjusted by your supervisor.