SENIOR REGISTERED NURSE

Senior Registered Nurse - 60010620

The Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) is the state of Florida's social services agency. The agency oversees services for child safety, fostering, adoption, domestic violence, adult protective services, refugees, homelessness, mental health, substance abuse, childcare providers, human trafficking and public assistance. The agency's mission is to work in partnership with local communities to protect the vulnerable, promote strong and economically self-sufficient families, and advance personal and family recovery and resiliency. Within DCF, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health (SAMH) Program office is recognized as the single state authority for substance abuse and mental health services. The Office of SAMH is statutorily responsible for the planning, evaluation, and implementation of a comprehensive statewide system of care for the prevention, treatment, and recovery of children and adults with serious mental illnesses or substance use disorders. Florida State Hospital (FSH) is a mental health treatment facility owned and operated by the State of Florida and is part of the Department of Children and Families. The department's mission is to "work in partnership with local communities to protect the vulnerable, promote strong and economically self-sufficient families, and advance personal and family recovery and resiliency."

Florida State Hospital is a tobacco free facility. To be considered for this position responses to the qualifying questions are required and must be verifiable based on your submitted application.

This is a highly responsible and professional position serving as the Senior Registered Nurse within the Nursing Services Unit. The ideal candidate will be a collaborative team player who works seamlessly across all sections within the program office. This role requires the use of independent judgment, a proactive approach to responsibilities, and exceptional attention to detail. If you are driven, organized, and thrive in a fast-paced environment, we encourage you to apply.

Specific duties and responsibilities include:

• This position requires lifting, pulling, and squatting.
• Duties of this position require the incumbent to be knowledgeable of and utilize the principles of Total Quality Management.
• Essential functions of this position are the ability to correctly pass medications, good nursing assessment skills, good documentation skills, good communication skills, recognition of medications and their effectiveness, ability to work well with others, ability to ambulate the campus, maintenance of licensure and all required CEUs.
• This also includes any and all nursing functions which may or may not be listed above that naturally fall under the purview of a registered nurse and are a requirement for licensure.
• Provide for physical well being, health and safety of persons served.
• Assess patient and determine extent of assistance needed in hygiene, feeding, etc.
• Establish and monitor standards of hygiene.
• Determine monitoring necessary for well being, i.e. weight, vital signs, medication reaction, sleeping, and eating habits.
• Arrange for x-rays and lab work as needed.
• Encourage proper nutrition.
• Within one hour after reporting for duty, make rounds on all assigned living areas.
• Make regular rounds on all assigned living areas.
• Identify physical symptoms and changes and initiates appropriate nursing intervention.
• Visually check all persons served who are in restraints and/or seclusion.
• Check orders, progress notes, and flow sheets.
• Administer or supervise administration of treatments.
• Demonstrate understanding of medical asepsis, practices principles of infection control and provides in-service to other health care personnel.
• Recognize hazards to safety and takes appropriate action to remedy the situation.
• Remain on assigned living areas.
• Participate in a comprehensive, multi-discipline, outcome oriented, treatment team approach to patient care.
• Evaluate and plan for individual treatment programs, including completing nursing care plan within twenty-four hours following admission assessment and to be reviewed and updated as per policy.
• Participate in multi-discipline treatment team in the evaluation and planning of the Service Implementation Plan (SIP) and/or Interdisciplinary Comprehensive Treatment Plan (ICTP). Provide input into the formulation of the plans.
• Encourage patient interactions.
• Administration of medication.
• Review patient response to medication and reports to the physician on a regular schedule.
• Assess individual's need for PRN medication.
• Administer prescribed medication and treatment.
• Administer all injectable medication as ordered.
• Properly document medication given.
• Responsible for ordering, administering, and count of controlled substances.
• Assist in providing in-service and reviewing all aspects of medication with staff on an ongoing basis.
• Maintain cleanliness of cart/cassettes.
• Ensure there are no extra or outdated medication on the ward.
• Check charts for new orders on a regular schedule.
• Transcribe physician orders.
• Order and receive prepackaged unit dose medications from the Pharmacy.
• Assist in providing for rehabilitation of persons served through health education and training, thereby reducing the length of stay.
• Teach individuals self-assistance skills as needed.
• Evaluate effectiveness of methods and revises plans when necessary.
• When assigned, conducts and participates in individual/group sessions including medication education groups.
• Observe and report behavior and illnesses of persons served.
• Counsel with individuals served on problems relating to health or well being.
• Ensure optimum customer satisfaction by communicating with others to provide for adequate care of individuals served.
• Inform Nurse Supervisor of but not limited to admissions; transfers; physically ill individuals; persons placed in and out of restraints; persons placed in and out of seclusion; unauthorized departures; persons served who receive injuries; rapes; discharges; suicidal and homicidal attempts; and deaths.
• Record this information in the Nurses Log Book in the Nursing Office.
• Participate in unit meetings, weekly nurse's meetings, designated hospital and service related meetings.
• Communicate with staff regarding unit problems affecting patient care.
• Nurses working on weekends, evenings, nights, and holidays will notify the Nurse Supervisor that they are on duty before the previous shift's nurses go off duty.
• Adequately document the care of persons served.
• Complete nursing progress notes as assigned.
• Record in progress notes all incidents, medication and treatment, and their effects.
• Complete administrative forms as required.
• Maintain professional accountability by knowing policies, procedures, and standards pertaining to patient care.
• Responsible for own growth, development, and refining of knowledge in both the nursing and mental health fields by participation in in-service programs, continuing education, and attendance at nurse's meetings.
• Maintain current registered nurse license.
• Arrange with the Nurse Supervisor for mandatory training.
• Perform related duties as requested.

Knowledge, skills and abilities required for the position:

• Knowledge of nursing principles, practices and techniques.
• Knowledge of human anatomy and physiology.
• Ability to administer prescribed medications.
• Ability to work with patients having a variety of physical problems.
• Ability to plan, organize and coordinate work assignments.
• Ability to communicate effectively.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with others.

Minimum qualifications:

• Licensure as a Registered Professional Nurse in accordance with Chapter 464, Florida Statutes and in accordance with Rule 64B9, Florida Administrative Code.
• One year of professional nursing experience.

Benefits of working for the State of Florida:

• Health insurance
• Life insurance; $25,000 policy is free plus option to purchase additional life insurance
• Dental, vision and supplemental insurance
• Retirement plan options, including employer contributions (For more information, please click ); Nine paid holidays and one Personal Holiday each year; Flexible Spending Accounts; Opportunities for career advancement
• Tuition waiver for public college courses

For a more complete list of benefits, visit

DCF employment disclosures:

• US CITIZEN REQUIREMENT: Only US citizens and lawfully authorized alien workers will be hired.
• SELECTIVE SERVICE SYSTEM REGISTRATION: All selected male candidates born on or after October 1, 1962, will not be eligible for hire or promotion