LVN/LPN - PRN, residential

Casa Palmera

Casa Palmera is a nationally recognized subacute residential treatment center offering drug rehabilitation, treatment for alcohol addiction as well as treatment for mood disorders and anxiety and trauma disorders. Casa Palmera is staffed with a diverse team of psychiatrists, psychologists and therapists who work together to help each patient move forward within a caring community.


If you are looking for an organization that thrives on growth, celebrates diversity of thought, and rewards passionate execution, you've come to the right place. Because we put clients first, it is our honor to support and reward those who serve them.


Position Summary:

The LVN/LPN will provide patient care and assist in the collection of data during the assessment process, within their scope of practice, under the direction of an RN, mid-level practitioner, licensed physician, or supervisor at all times.


Essential Job Functions:

• Informing personnel (i.e. UR, psychiatry, dietician) of new admissions when appropriate.
• Administering and documenting vital signs, CIWAs, COWS (SUD only), collects data for fall assessments/precautions, seizure precautions, suicidal/homicidal assessments, pain scales, anxiety scales, craving scales, standard and infection control precautions adding co-signers as necessary.
• Observation, documentation, audit functions, education, and record keeping of all observed/inventoried/destroyed/prescribed medications.
• Assessment of patients with addiction and mental health conditions and assisting in ascertaining clinical medication management with Registered Nurses, Nurse Practitioner, Physician Assistant, Psychiatrist, and Medical Doctor.
• Administering medications via oral, sublingual, inhalation, auricular, topical, intramuscular, subcutaneous, vaginal, and rectal routes as ordered.
• Entering medication orders into the electronic medical record.
• Manages the Medication Administration Record, documenting administration, efficacy, and first response.
• Collaborate with staff in assessing patient, family age-specific nursing needs and develops plan of care for complex high-risk patients.
• Help Utilization Review in communicating pertinent nursing information.
• Designs teaching programs for patients/families and helps staff in program implementation.
• Work closely with physicians to provide education and counseling for clients and other organizational health care providers on optimal use of medicines (e.g., proper use, avoidance of over medication).
• Provide nursing care adapted to the individual patient needs based on the nursing process, which includes data collection, planning, implementation and evaluation.
• Direct patient care, including the reporting of observed changes in mental status and/or physical condition, response to emergencies, safety risks.
• Documents nursing incidents and medication errors.
• Oversee the medication management system that includes but not limited to, medication planning, storage, ordering and transcribing, administration, monitoring and evaluation.
• Verifies the integrity of and controls medications brought into the organization by the client, their families, and licensed independent practitioners.
• Systemically collect, record and analyze data and other relevant interactive social systems, including mental status, special precautions (suicidality, homicidally, elopement); physical problems/medical acuity (withdrawal and nutritional needs); and ethnic concerns (social, religious, or cultural needs).
• Uses assessment data to identify problem list and other interactive social systems.
• Intervenes as guided by the treatment plan to implement appropriate interventions that promote, maintain, or restore physical and mental health, prevent illness effect rehabilitation, and restore developmental progression.
• Provides health education for patients through individual and group interactions.
• Recommends special precautions, as needed.
• Evaluates the response of the patients to interventions to revise the plan, including discharge criteria.

Knowledge, Education, Experience:

• Must be a graduate of an approved vocational nursing program with a current licensure from an appropriate state licensing board in good standing.
• Preferred: Experience as a staff nurse, preferably in the field of chemical dependency and/or behavioral health.
• Knowledge of industry standards: organization, theory, principles, and research processes, accreditation and regulatory standards, ability to assess clinical care requirements based on nursing principles, scope of practice.
• One year experience preferred working in mental health, substance use, or eating disorders field.
• Familiar with behavior change, recovery models, and treatment methods
• Knowledge of medications, indications, dosage ranges, side effects, and potential toxicity.

Employment Status: on-call, PRN

Schedule: as needed,7pm-7:30am coverage

Work Location: Del Mar, CA

Compensation: Pay Range: $28-37 hourly

Discovery Behavioral Health seeks to build a diverse staff that is reflective of the patients we serve and the communities where we work. DBH encourages multiple perspectives, experiences, and strives to hire and retain a diverse workforce.


We are proud to be an EEO employer M/F/D/V. We maintain a drug-free workplace and perform pre-employment substance abuse testing. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.