Behavioral Health Nurse

Behavioral Health Nurse

Salary may be negotiable within the range listed above, based on position requirements and successful candidate's qualifications, subject to appropriate authorization.

Premium Pay

In addition to the hourly salary, eligible applicants may receive premium pay for the items listed below.

• Bilingual pay: Qualified employees who meet the criteria found shall receive an additional seventy $0.70 cents per hour for all hours paid.
• Night Shift Differential pay: Employees assigned to a night shift shall be paid a night shift differential for each hour actually worked on the assigned night shift. Pay rate is determined by assigned shift hours found here.
• Nurse Hiring Incentive: Upon completion of new employee probation, eligible employees shall receive a one-time lump sum incentive of $1,000, within 2 pay periods.
• Nurse Retention: Upon completion of 10,400 service hours (approximately 5 years of service) in a Nurse classification, you will receive 3% of your annual base salary as a one-time lump sum payment.

Other Additional Premium Pays

This recruitment is open to the public, will remain open for a minimum of five (5) business days, and will remain open on a continuous basis until the needs of the County are met. Candidates who are placed on the eligible list will remain on the eligible list for six (6) months and may be considered/referred for selection/hiring interviews. After six (6) months, candidates must reapply to receive further consideration.

This recruitment is being held to establish an open eligible list that will be used to fill current and future Behavioral Health Nurse positions within the County of Orange. This recruitment may also be used to fill positions in similar and/or lower classifications.

The County of Orange, Health Care Agency (HCA) is a dynamic organization dedicated to creating and supporting an environment that promotes the achievement of optimal individual, family and community health. Under the leadership of the Agency Director, a dynamic executive team with an organizational structure comprised of five (5) service areas - Administrative Services, Behavioral Health Services, Correctional Health Services, Specialized Medical Services and Public Health Services - is committed to meeting the health needs of the diverse Orange County community.

The Behavioral Health Services Division consists of eight (8) service areas. This Division provides a culturally competent and client-centered system of behavioral health services for all eligible county residents in need of treatment for alcohol and other drug abuse and mental health care.

• Adult and Older Adult (AOA): Includes Veteran services, offers a full range of programs to adults with mental health conditions that are at risk of more serious issues without treatment and supportive services. These services range from Outpatient services, which provide psychiatric medications, therapeutic services, peer support and other supportive services; to our Full-Service Partnership (FSP) Programs which serve individuals with the most severe symptoms who need more intensive and focused services. These programs have a "whatever it takes" approach to treatment and often work in the field and in client homes to ensure needed treatment is being provided. AOA also offers Housing and Supportive Services for individuals with serious mental illness, Peer-run Wellness Centers, Transportation Services and Supported Employment Programs.
• Crisis and Acute Care Services: Provides responsive services to adults and youth in a behavioral health crisis. Services include mobile mental health Crisis Assessment Team (CAT), Psych Emergency Response Team (PERT), OC Links (24/7 Resources line), Crisis Stabilization Units (CSU), Crisis Residential Programs and In-home Crisis Stabilization services, as well as inpatient psychiatric hospital services and the coordination of 9-8-8.
• OC Outreach and Engagement (OC O&E): Serves individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness in Orange County. The program's focus is on linking individuals to needed services including behavioral health, physical health care, emergency shelter, housing, and other supportive services. This is accomplished through developing and building trusting relationships with the unhoused community and collaborating with other service providers.
• Children and Youth Services (CYS): Offers a broad array of treatment and early intervention services to children, adolescents, transitional aged youth, and their families who are experiencing symptoms of mental health and/or co-occurring physical or substance use disorders. Intensive outpatient programs such as Full-Service Partnerships and a program for First Episode Psychosis as well as, traditional outpatient mental health services, as well as collaborative service delivery models with Social Services Agency (through Wraparound WRAP and Short-Term Residential Programs STRTP), Probation (in Juvenile Hall and other Probation settings), and the Courts are offered.
• Quality Management Services (QMS): Includes Quality Improvement/Quality Assurance (QI/QA) and Health Records Management (HRM) functions that support the programming and operations of the other BHS service areas to ensure quality of care, program integrity and regulatory compliance of Medi-Cal behavioral health programs, including the County Mental Health Plan (MHP) and Drug Medi-Cal Organized Delivery System (DMC-ODS). QMS also supports quality management activities for other BHS initiatives and contracts with the State Department of Health Care Services (DHCS).
• Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) Office: Coordinates the various activities related to the development approval and reporting of MHSA programs and services including engaging with diverse stakeholders to identify behavioral health service needs and priorities across the system of care according to current laws and regulations and availability of funds.
• Substance Use Disorder Services (SUD): Provides an array of prevention, treatment and recovery support services for youth and adults that include the Alcohol and Drug Education and Prevention Team (ADEPT) community SUD prevention programs, Residential Treatment, Outpatient treatment, perinatal services, narcotic treatment programs (NTP), Medicated Assistance Treatment (MAT), Withdrawal Management, Intensive Outpatient Program, Recovery Residences and the programmatic oversight of the States Opioid Abatement Funding Plan in OC.
• Forensics and Justice Involved Division: Provides oversight, evaluation, and treatment for all of the mental health justice involved for Orange County. This includes Collaborative Courts, AOT, Mental Health Diversion, AB109 & Re-entry, Assisted Intervention Court, Whatever It Takes collaborative court, and Recovery Court/Opportunity Court, CONREP, LPS Psychology Unit, SB317 Incompetent to Stand Trial Diversion unit, CARE Court, and Early Access and Stabilization Services.

The opportunity

HCA is recruiting for Behavioral Health Nurses to maintain program compliance with State regulations, primary care physician linkage, metabolic monitoring, medication services, crisis intervention, and medical consultation for all consumers in the programs. Current openings are in the following programs:

• Adult and Older Adult Behavior Health (AOABH)
• Assertive Community Treatment (PACT)

Desirable qualifications & core competencies

The ideal candidate will possess at least four (4) years or more of experience as a Registered Nurse working and evaluating individuals in a behavioral health setting, including working with high risk populations that are a danger to themselves and/or the community, being gravely disabled as a result of a mental disorder, having a co-occurring substance abuse disorder, or having healthcare issues. In addition, the ideal candidate will possess extensive knowledge and/or experience in the following core competencies:

• Technical Knowledge | Professional Experience: Providing interventions and supportive services to individuals for recovery purposes
• Identifying risk factors contributing to the mental health problems within client population
• Oral | Written Communication Skills: Communicating effectively with law enforcement, schools, families, social services, hospitals, and private citizens
• Maintaining and Building Relationships | Interpersonal Skills: Handling high profile and sensitive request from the community with professional diplomacy and skill
• Judgement | Decision Making: Exercising good judgment, thinking quickly, and making sound decisions to prevent injury/loss of life, public relations issues, and agency liability
• Safety Focus: Developing and implementing safety plans to ensure safety of individuals within the facility, clinic, and community
• Being alert and mindful of personal safety and security while giving care to mentally ill clients

Minimum qualifications

Click here to learn more about the minimum qualifications, environmental conditions, and physical characteristics for the Behavioral Health Nurse Classification.

Recruitment process

Human Resource Services (HRS) will screen all application materials to identify qualified candidates. After screening, qualified candidates will be referred to the next step and notified of all further procedures applicable to their status in the competition.

Veterans Employment Preference

The County is committed to providing a mechanism to give preferential consideration in the employment process to veterans and their eligible spouses and will provide eligible participants the opportunity to receive interviews in the selection process for employment and paid internship