Team Nurse (RN) (Behavioral Health Services)

Program For Assertive Treatment (Pact) Team Member

This member of the Program for Assertive Treatment (PACT) multidisciplinary team is responsible for conducting psychiatric assessments; assessing physical health needs; making appropriate referrals to community physicians; providing management and administration of medication under the supervision of the Lead Nurse; providing a range of treatment, rehabilitation, and support services; and sharing shift-management responsibility with other staff.

The essential job duties/responsibilities of the position include but are not limited to the information listed below:

• Provide case management for an assigned group of persons served, including coordinating and monitoring the activities of the individual treatment team (ITT); assume primary responsibility for developing, writing, implementing, evaluating, and revising overall treatment goals and plans in conjunction with the ITT, providing individual supportive therapy and symptom management, ensuring immediate changes are made in the Individual Action Plan (IAP) as persons served needs change, educating and supporting persons served families, and advocating for persons served rights and preferences.
• Conduct a comprehensive assessment of psychiatric history (e.g., onset, course and effect of illness, past treatment and responses, and risk behaviors), mental status, and diagnosis; physical health and dental health; use of drugs or alcohol; education and employment; social development and functioning activities of daily living (e.g., self-care, living situation, nutrition, money management); and family structure and relationships.
• Consult with community agencies and families to maintain coordination in the treatment process.
• Perform shift management in coordination with other PACT shift managers according to established policies and procedures.
• Provide on-call crisis intervention covering nighttime and weekend hours.
• Document persons served progress to maintain a permanent record of persons served activity according to established methods and procedures.
• Participate in daily staff organizational meetings and treatment planning review meetings.
• Participate in providing medication administration and medical services under the supervision of the lead nurse.
• Under the direction of the lead nurse and in collaboration with the other registered nurse on the team, develop, revise, maintain, and supervise team psychopharmacologic and medical treatment and medication policies and procedures; including transcribing, administering, evaluating, and recording psychotropic medications prescribed by the team psychiatrist; evaluate and chart psychotropic medication effectiveness, complications, and side effects; and arrange for required lab work according to protocol.
• Under the direction of the lead nurse and in collaboration with the other registered nurse on the team, organize and manage the system of getting medication to persons served and integrating medication administration tightly into persons served IAP, as appropriate.
• Under the direction of the lead nurse and in collaboration with the other registered nurse on the team, manage pharmaceuticals and medical supplies.
• In collaboration with the lead nurse, coordinate, schedule, and administer medical assessments of persons served physical health, making appropriate referrals to community physicians for further assessment and treatment, and coordinate psychiatric treatment with medical treatment.
• Participate in treatment, rehabilitation, and support services.
• Perform other related duties, as required.

Psychiatric Treatment and Dual Diagnosis Substance Abuse Services

• Provide ongoing assessment of persons served mental illness symptoms and persons served response to treatment. Make appropriate changes in the IAP to ensure immediate and appropriate interventions are provided in response to changes in mental status or behavior which put persons served at risk.
• Provide symptom education to enable persons served to identify their mental illnesssymptoms.
• Provide direct clinicalservices, including individualsupport therapy and psychotherapy, to persons served on an individual, group, and family basis in the office and in community settingsto teach behavioral symptom-management techniquesto alleviate and manage symptoms not reduced with medication and to promote personal growth and development by assisting person served to cope with internal/external stresses.
• Provide individual and group treatment in the office and in community settings in a stage-based treatment model that is non-confrontational, considersinteractions of mental illness and substance abuse, and has persons served-determined goals.
• Coordinate with outside inpatientservicesto detoxify persons served and establish linkage to outpatient treatment,self-help programs, outpatientservices, and residential facilities.
• Take a lead role or participate in the provision of rehabilitation services.

Structuring Time and Employment

• Provide individual vocational-supportive counseling to enable persons served to identify vocational strengths and problems, establish vocational or career goals and plans to reach them, and recognize and target symptoms of mental illnessthat interfere with work.
• Plan and provide work-related supportive services,such as assistance with grooming and personal hygiene,securing of appropriate clothing, wake-up calls, and transportation.
• Teach job-seeking skills.

Activities of Daily Living Services

• Provide ongoing assessment, problem solving,side-by-side services,skill training,supervision, and environmental adaptationsto assist persons served with activities of daily living.
• Assist persons served to find and maintain a safe and affordable place to live.
• Assist and support persons served to carry out personal hygiene and grooming tasks.
• Provide nutrition education and assistance with meal planning, grocery shopping, and food preparation.
• Assist and support persons served to perform household activities, including house cleaning and laundry.
• Ensure that persons served have adequate financial support.
• Teachmoney-managementskills.
• Help persons served to accessreliable transportation.
• Assist and support persons served to have and effectively use a personal primary care physician, dentist, and other medicalspecialists asrequired.

Social and Interpersonal Relationships and Leisure Time

• Provide individualsupportive therapy,socialskill development, and assertiveness training to increase persons served social and interpersonal activities in community settings.
• Plan,structure, and promptsocial and leisure-time activities on evenings, weekends, and holidays.
• Provide side-by-side support and coaching to help persons served socialize.

Support

• Provide practical help and supports, advocacy, coordination, side-by-side individualized support, problem solving, direct assistance, training, and supervision to help persons served obtain the necessities of daily living including medical and dental health care; legal and advocacy services; financial support such as entitlements or housing subsidies; money managementservices; and transportation.

Knowledge and Skills:

• Sensitivity to cultural, religious, racial, disability, and gender issues
• Knowledge and use of advocacy techniques
• Knowledge and use of different communication styles
• Skills and competence to establish supportive trusting relationships with program persons served
• Respect for persons served rights and personal preferencesin treatment
• Knowledge of human, legal, civil rights, community, and other resources
• Skills and competence in the use of formal and informal assessment tools and practices
• Ability to work independently as well as part of a multi-disciplinary team
• Skills and competence to use crisisintervention techniques
• Strong commitment to the right and ability of program person served to live, work, and seek supports as the general population at large
• Knowledge of therapy and teaching modalities
• Clinical skills

About Vinfen

Established in 1977, Vinfen is a nonprofit, health and human services organization and a leading provider of community-based services to individuals with mental health conditions, intellectual and developmental disabilities, brain injuries, and behavioral health challenges. Our services and advocacy promote the recovery, resiliency, habilitation, and self-determination of the people we serve. Vinfen's 3,500 dedicated employees are experienced, highly-trained professionals who provide a full range of supportive living, health, educational, and clinical services in over 550 sites throughout Massachusetts and Connecticut. For more information about Vinfen, please visit

My Job. My Community. My Vinfen.

Vinfen is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, protected veteran status, or disability status.

Qualifications

Typical Requirements: Two years experience in a mental health setting. RN in state of service required. A high school diploma or equivalent is required; Bachelor's degree preferred. In some cases, experience may be substituted for education. Required Certifications Post Hire: CPR required within two weeks of hire. CPSS required. NET required. PACT Module Training required within 3 months of hire.

<