Registered Nurse (Nights)

Registered Nurse (Nights)

Registered nurses report directly to the nurse supervisor they work collaboratively with the health care team to provide holistic care to the acute or transitional mental health patient and their families. Responsibilities include maintenance of the therapeutic environment through proper use of the Teaching-Family model of care and implementation of the treatment plan. They maintain a therapeutic milieu and a safe environment by continual assessment, engage the patient in therapeutic communications, complete bio-psychosocial physical assessments, develop an age-specific and developmentally appropriate plan of care at admission, assess patient/family education and discharge needs, develop and lead interdisciplinary care conferences, communicate plan of care to other members of the health care team, document assessments, interventions and responses to care, utilize leadership skills through mentoring, preempting, teaching, delegating and coaching members of the health care team, develop, organize and facilitate group sessions, utilize positive interpersonal skills, conflict management, problem solving and crisis management critical thinking to promote development of the health care team, participate in quality improvement processes, attend regularly scheduled in-services to total 12 per year, responsible for keeping all employment requirements current, attend mandatory nursing meetings, verify and interpret pathology reports and consults, activate the plan of care, carry out physician orders regarding diet, medication and treatment, obtain physician orders and authorize implementation of seclusion/restraints according to hospital policy, critically evaluate the clinical status of patients using the nursing process, demonstrate, supervise, and assess competency for waived testing or for phlebotomy, demonstrate knowledge and care of the mental health patient, utilize Crisis Prevention Intervention techniques, care of the patient related to the DSMV behavior diagnoses, knowledge of all psychotropic medications, provide education to patients/families based on their identified needs and limitations, provide opportunities for patients and families to question, discuss and explore their feelings about prescribed therapies/interventions/diagnoses, document in progress notes accurate and detailed descriptions of patients' behaviors relative to treatment plan and diagnoses.

Qualifications include Arkansas Licensed Graduate of an Accredited School of Nursing, current Arkansas Registered Nurse license, experience with adolescents and children in a psychiatric setting preferred, lift and hold at least 50 pounds for one minute, requires the strength and stamina to perform clinical duties, must be physically capable to receive verbal and written directions, must be physically capable of sitting and standing for several hours at a time, must have good auditory, visual and olfactory ability, ability to use hands and fingers to handle or feel objects, tools or controls, must be able to maintain effective audio, visual discrimination and perception needed for making observations, communicating with others, reading and writing, operating office equipment and other treatment equipment, must be willing and able to work with all patients of Methodist Family Health, flu shot is mandatory and required for all positions (subject only to qualified exemptions).