Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP)

Job Details Job Location: CEDAR PARK - AUSTIN, TX 78756 Position Type: Full Time Job Shift: Day Job Description Job Title: Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) Department: Medical / Clinical Services Location: Buda, Texas FLSA Status: Exempt SUMMARY The Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) provides compassionate, relationship-centered psychiatric care to clients receiving residential treatment for substance use disorders and co-occurring mental health conditions. Working in an integrated dual-diagnosis environment, the PMHNP evaluates, diagnoses, and treats psychiatric conditions; manages psychotropic medications; monitors stabilization during early recovery; and collaborates closely with medical, nursing, clinical, and operational team members. The position supports thoughtful clinical decision-making, manageable caseloads, continuity of care, and a culture grounded in respect, trauma-informed care, clinical excellence, and compassion. ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS Conduct comprehensive psychiatric evaluations and assessments for clients admitted to residential treatment. Assess, diagnose, and treat co-occurring psychiatric and substance use disorders within the PMHNP scope of practice. Evaluate suicide risk, self-harm risk, psychiatric instability, and other safety concerns; initiate appropriate interventions and communicate findings to the treatment team. Develop and update individualized psychiatric treatment plans based on the client's history, clinical presentation, recovery goals, response to treatment, and level-of-care needs. Prescribe, manage, and reconcile psychotropic medications in accordance with applicable laws, clinical standards, organizational policy, and granted privileges. Monitor medication effectiveness, adherence, contraindications, interactions, and potential side effects, and modify the medication plan as clinically indicated. Provide timely follow-up psychiatric visits for residential clients and monitor psychiatric stabilization throughout early recovery. Respond to clinically significant changes in mood, behavior, cognition, sleep, withdrawal-related symptoms, or safety risk and coordinate escalation of care when indicated. Apply trauma-informed, person-centered, and recovery-oriented principles when engaging clients and making treatment decisions. Provide psychiatric education to clients and, when appropriately authorized, their families or other support persons regarding diagnoses, medications, risks, benefits, and treatment recommendations. Provide clinical consultation and psychiatric guidance to therapists, nursing staff, medical providers, and other members of the multidisciplinary treatment team. Participate in treatment-team meetings, case consultation, care coordination, discharge planning, and transition-of-care activities as assigned. Collaborate with external providers, pharmacies, hospitals, and referral partners when needed to support safe, coordinated care and continuity of treatment. Complete psychiatric evaluations, medication-management notes, orders, treatment-plan contributions, risk assessments, and other required documentation clearly, accurately, and within required timeframes in the electronic medical record (EMR). Ensure documentation supports medical necessity and meets organizational, payer, licensing, accreditation, privacy, and regulatory requirements. Maintain appropriate professional boundaries, client confidentiality, and compliance with HIPAA and all organizational policies and procedures. Participate in quality-improvement activities, peer review, required training, credentialing, privileging, and audit or accreditation readiness activities. Maintain current clinical knowledge related to psychopharmacology, addiction medicine, dual-diagnosis treatment, trauma-informed care, suicide prevention, and evidence-based psychiatric practice. Perform other duties within the scope of the position as assigned by the supervisor. The job duties listed in this job description may not be inclusive of all requirements of this position. Other duties may be assigned by the supervisor. SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES No direct supervisory responsibilities unless specifically assigned. The PMHNP provides clinical consultation and direction within the scope of practice but does not independently exercise employment-related supervisory authority unless formally designated. COMPETENCIES Clinical Judgment - Synthesizes complex clinical information; identifies psychiatric and safety risks; makes timely, evidence-informed decisions; and escalates care appropriately. Trauma-Informed Client Care - Approaches clients with compassion, dignity, cultural humility, respect, and awareness of the impact of trauma and early recovery. Communication - Communicates psychiatric findings, recommendations, risks, and treatment decisions clearly and professionally in verbal and written form. Collaboration - Works effectively with therapists, nurses, medical providers, clinical leadership, and operations staff to support coordinated dual-diagnosis treatment. Organization and Accountability - Manages assigned caseload and priorities, completes documentation on time, follows through on clinical needs, and meets professional and regulatory obligations. Ethics and Professionalism - Maintains confidentiality, appropriate boundaries, integrity, reliable attendance, professional conduct, and compliance with organizational and clinical standards. Continuous Learning - Maintains current knowledge and actively develops skills in psychiatric care, psychopharmacology, addiction treatment, and co-occurring disorders. QUALIFICATIONS To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements below are representative of the education, credentials, knowledge, skills, and abilities required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. REQUIRED EDUCATION, LICENSURE, AND CREDENTIALS Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) or Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) from an accredited program. Current, unrestricted Texas licensure as a Registered Nurse and Advanced Practice Registered Nurse with authorization to practice as a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, as applicable. Current national board certification as a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP). Current DEA registration and all state prescriptive-authority requirements necessary to perform the assigned duties. Ability to satisfy organizational credentialing, privileging, background-screening, and health-compliance requirements. PREFERRED EXPERIENCE AND ATTRIBUTES Experience providing psychiatric care to individuals with substance use disorders and co-occurring mental health conditions. Experience in residential, inpatient, detoxification, or other structured behavioral health treatment settings. Comfort working with complex dual-diagnosis presentations and clients experiencing psychiatric instability during early recovery. Commitment to trauma-informed care, interdisciplinary collaboration, clinical learning, and professional growth. LANGUAGE AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS Ability to review and interpret clinical, scientific, technical, legal, and regulatory information; communicate effectively with clients, families, colleagues, pharmacies, and external providers; document clearly in the medical record; and present clinical information to multidisciplinary teams and leadership. REASONING ABILITY Ability to evaluate complex psychiatric presentations, identify and respond to safety concerns, interpret varied clinical information, prioritize competing needs, and exercise sound independent judgment within the PMHNP scope of practice and organizational protocols. COMPUTER SKILLS Proficiency with electronic medical records, electronic prescribing systems, Microsoft Office applications, secure communication platforms, and other technology required to complete assigned duties. PHYSICAL DEMANDS The physical demands described here are representative of those required to perform the essential functions of the job. The employee is regularly required to communicate verbally and hear; frequently required to sit, stand, and walk; and occasionally required to reach, stoop, kneel, crouch, or lift and move up to 10 pounds. Specific vision abilities include close and distance vision and the ability to review electronic and printed clinical information. WORK ENVIRONMENT The position works on site in a residential behavioral health treatment environment in Buda, Texas. The employee may encounter clients experiencing psychiatric distress, substance-related symptoms, emotional dysregulation, or urgent safety concerns and must be able to respond calmly and professionally. The noise level is generally moderate. The role requires adherence to infection-control, safety, privacy, and emergency-response procedures. #J-18808-Ljbffr