Admission Nurse - Per Diem

Admission Nurse - Per Diem Job Description

The Admissions Bed Placement Nurse plays a key role in the intake and referral process by triaging psychiatric referrals and determining appropriate placement within the facility's units. This role requires strong medical-surgical nursing skills to assess medical stability and ensure the safe admission of patients with complex mental health needs. The Admissions Bed Placement Nurse collaborates closely with referral sources, physicians, and internal teams to support timely, clinically appropriate admissions across child, adolescent, and adult programs. This role is crucial in triaging incoming patients, conducting psychiatric and medical assessments, and collaborating with clinical and medical staff to determine appropriate level of care. The ideal candidate is confident, organized, and comfortable working in a fast-paced, high-acuity psychiatric environment requiring strong emotional resilience and sound clinical judgment.

Core Competencies

• Reports to the Clinical Nurse Manager of Admissions.
• Reviews and triages psychiatric referrals to assess medical stability and determines appropriate unit placement.
• Conducts initial clinical assessments to evaluate physical and mental health status.
• Determines level of care and unit assignment based on clinical presentation, age group and facility capabilities.
• Communicates clearly and effectively with all referral sources, physicians, intake staff, families, and internal staff.
• Ensures complete and accurate documentation of clinical findings and decisions in the electronic health record.
• Collaborates with interdisciplinary teams to ensure safe and smooth patient admissions.
• Maintains working knowledge of mental health criteria, medical screening protocols, and facility-specific admissions guidelines.
• Provides crisis intervention and de-escalation when necessary.
• Supports family involvement, when appropriate, during the admissions process.
• Reviews incoming referrals for clinical appropriateness, completeness, and urgency, ensuring all admissions align with facility criteria and patient safety standards.
• Completes required mandatory education, e-learning courses assigned to improve skills and professional development courses required to maintain competency.
• Other nursing duties as assigned.

Qualifications

1. Vermont RN licensure or eligibility for Vermont licensure and three years of experience in mental health preferred.
2. Two years of recent (within the last 4 years) experience in clinical nursing are required, preferably in a medical-surgical, or emergency room setting.
3. Ability to assess and triage patients with co-occurring medical and mental health needs.
4. Experience working with patients across child, adolescent and adult age spectrum.
5. Proficient in using electronic health record systems; understanding of HIPAA and patient confidentiality requirements.
6. Proven ability to problem solve and evaluate appropriate patient placement.
7. Proven competence with physical assessment, nursing care and theory, as well as level of care criteria and nursing management of medical comorbidities.