Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner

Job Description

Job Description

Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner

Position Summary

The Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) provides comprehensive behavioral health services to residents in a long-term care setting, including skilled nursing, assisted living, memory care, and rehabilitation environments. This role is responsible for assessing, diagnosing, treating, and managing psychiatric and behavioral health conditions among older adults and medically complex residents. The PMHNP works collaboratively with physicians, nursing staff, social services, therapy teams, residents, and families to support emotional well-being, safety, quality of life, and continuity of care.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Conduct comprehensive psychiatric evaluations, mental health assessments, and ongoing clinical reassessments for residents.
• Diagnose psychiatric, behavioral, cognitive, and substance-use-related conditions within the PMHNP scope of practice.
• Develop, implement, and update individualized behavioral health treatment plans in collaboration with the interdisciplinary care team.
• Prescribe, monitor, and adjust psychotropic medications in accordance with applicable state laws, facility policies, and evidence-based standards of care.
• Evaluate medication effectiveness, potential side effects, drug interactions, and risks associated with polypharmacy, especially in geriatric and medically fragile residents.
• Provide supportive psychotherapy, crisis intervention, behavioral consultation, and resident-centered counseling as appropriate.
• Collaborate with attending physicians, medical directors, nurses, social workers, therapists, pharmacists, and family members to coordinate care.
• Participate in care plan meetings, behavioral health reviews, risk assessments, discharge planning, and transitions of care.
• Support dementia-related behavioral management, including assessment of agitation, depression, anxiety, psychosis, sleep disturbance, and other behavioral symptoms.
• Educate residents, families, and facility staff regarding psychiatric diagnoses, treatment options, medication use, behavioral interventions, and safety planning.
• Respond to psychiatric emergencies, acute behavioral changes, suicidal ideation, severe agitation, or other urgent mental health concerns.
• Maintain timely, accurate, and compliant documentation in the medical record, including evaluations, progress notes, treatment plans, and medication changes.
• Promote trauma-informed, person-centered, culturally respectful care for all residents.
• Maintain compliance with HIPAA, state and federal regulations, facility policies, professional standards, and long-term care documentation requirements.

Minimum Qualifications

• Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) or Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) from an accredited Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner program.
• Current, unrestricted Registered Nurse (RN) and Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN/NP) license in the state of practice.
• Current Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner board certification, such as PMHNP-BC.
• Current DEA registration and prescriptive authority, as required by state and federal regulations.
• Experience providing psychiatric or behavioral health care to adults or older adults; long-term care, geriatric psychiatry, memory care, or skilled nursing experience preferred.
• Knowledge of psychiatric assessment, psychopharmacology, behavioral interventions, dementia care, and geriatric mental health needs.
• Ability to work collaboratively within an interdisciplinary long-term care team.
• Current CPR/BLS certification or ability to obtain within the required timeframe.

Preferred Qualifications

• Two or more years of PMHNP experience in long-term care, geriatric psychiatry, behavioral health, or integrated care.
• Experience with residents living with dementia, serious mental illness, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, psychosis, trauma histories, or co-occurring medical conditions.
• Familiarity with CMS long-term care requirements, gradual dose reduction processes, psychotropic medication review, and survey readiness practices.
• Experience using electronic health records and documenting to support regulatory compliance and continuity of care.

Required Skills and Competencies

• Strong clinical judgment and ability to manage complex psychiatric and medical presentations.
• Excellent communication skills with residents, families, facility staff, and external providers.
• Ability to build therapeutic rapport with older adults and individuals with cognitive impairment.
• Knowledge of psychotropic medication management, side-effect monitoring, and risk-benefit decision-making.
• Ability to manage crisis situations calmly, professionally, and in alignment with facility protocols.
• Commitment to resident dignity, autonomy, confidentiality, and person-centered care.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage caseloads across multiple units or facilities, if applicable.

Work Environment

This position is performed primarily in a long-term care or post-acute care environment and may include resident rooms, nursing units, care conference areas, and telehealth platforms where permitted. The PMHNP may be required to travel between facilities, respond to urgent behavioral health needs, and collaborate with facility leadership regarding resident safety and behavioral health programming.

Physical and Professional Requirements

• Ability to sit, stand, walk, and move throughout the facility as needed.
• Ability to communicate effectively in person, by phone, and through electronic documentation systems.
• Ability to maintain professional boundaries and confidentiality in accordance with HIPAA and facility standards.
• Ability to complete required training, credentialing, background checks, and health screenings.

Employment Status

Employment may be full-time, part-time, contract, or per diem depending on organizational need. Schedule expectations, on-call requirements, travel between facilities, productivity standards, and compensation structure should be defined by the employer.

This position is for PRN on site work in the post-acute setting located in the state of Virginia. We are excited to broaden our services by building a pool of staff for this great state.