DSHS ESH Community Nurse Specialist - RN

DSHS ESH - Community Nurse Specialist

Eastern State Hospital in Medical Lake, WA needs a Community Nurse Specialist to support patients in the Habilitative Mental Health (HMH) program. This program serves people with intellectual disabilities and mental health needs. In this role, you help patients build the skills they need to move from the hospital back into their community.

You will work closely with the treatment team to assess each patient's needs and put support plans into action. You will also plan and join community outings, where patients practice real skills like managing money, shopping, and eating in public. These outings help patients feel ready and confident before they leave the hospital.

This work directly shapes how well patients transition when leaving the hospital. Your assessments, your teaching, and your presence on outings all help build the bridge between hospital care and community life.

Opportunities performed on-site at this work location at least three days a week may be eligible for an additional 5% premium pay in addition to the advertised salary

Some of what you will do:

• Assess and evaluate HMH patients across multiple areas to support a successful move to community placement, including risk assessments at admission.
• Apply the Multimodal Habilitative Mental Health and Positive Behavior Support models of care for people with intellectual disabilities and mental health diagnoses, and carry out intervention strategies from each patient's individual behavior support plan.
• Meet with providers and patients inside the hospital, and visit community placement sites before discharge to help patients transition.
• Plan and join community outings during a patient's hospital stay to teach skills such as money management, shopping, eating in public, and interacting with others.
• Start and lead group and individual activities within the HMH program.
• Coordinate with other agency staff on referral information, and share it with the treatment team to help set admission priorities.
• Take part in team meetings, habilitation plan development, discharge meetings, and the patient complaint process, and help lead HMH cross-shift meetings.
• Work as a Registered Nurse on the HMH unit when needed, and respond to calls for assistance from the unit.
• Offer supportive counseling to patients and their families.
• Gather records and complete pre-admission paperwork for new admissions.

Who should apply? Professionals with a valid license to practice as a Registered Nurse (RN) in the State of Washington. AND either of the following: Two years of experience in community mental health nursing, a public health nursing program, or at a supervisory, consultant or teaching level in a psychiatric setting, community mental health facility, or public health program providing mental health services. OR A master's degree in nursing or a social science field.

Additional knowledge, skills, and abilities we are looking for:

• Group dynamics: Understands how groups behave and uses that knowledge to guide activities and interventions.
• Crisis response: Steps in to de-escalate crisis or dangerous situations in a calm, direct way.
• Regulatory knowledge: Applies hospital, state, and federal rules, policies, and procedures to daily work.
• Mental health knowledge: Uses an understanding of mental illness and recovery principles to guide patient support.
• Safety practices: Follows universal precautions and infection control standards.
• Patient care: Works with patients who may be upset or angry in a way that stays calm and avoids escalation.

Interested? Apply today! To learn more about DSHS, please visit

Questions? Please reach out to View email address on click.appcast.io and reference job number 06431. The Department of Social and Health Services' (DSHS) vision that people find human services to shape their own lives requires that we come together with a sense of belonging, common purpose, shared values, and meaningful work. It is crucial to our agency's vision that you bring a fairness, access, and social justice commitment to your work with DSHS. We strive to support all Washingtonians, including Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, people with physical, behavioral health, and intellectual disabilities, elders, LGBTQIA+ individuals, immigrants and refugees, and families building financial security.