Registered Nurse, MHU

Overview

Hours: Per Diem, shift/hours dictated by operational needs

$39.58 - $78.93

Disclaimer

Candidate participates in the multidisciplinary team as a facilitator in planning, implementation and evaluation of the Nursing process and Patient Therapy programs. Provides consultation services and works collaboratively with other health care disciplines to provide psychiatric services to patients.

Responsibilities

Essential Functions

• Assesses (and reassesses), plans, implements, and evaluates nursing interventions/plans of care/patient goals.
• Provides patient care based on standards of care, standards of practice, protocols, and established policies and procedures.
• Respects each patient as an individual; provides care that fosters the patient’s sense of dignity and positive self-regard.
• Provides patient/family teaching based on identified learning needs, readiness to learn, and barriers to learning.
• Collaboratively plans and prepares patient/family for discharge incorporating support systems/resources as necessary.
• Appropriately delegates and supervises nursing interventions performed by others.
• Appropriately prioritizes patient care (e.g. seeks assistance as needed from appropriate resources, reassigns personnel as necessary, recognizes need for emergency intervention, etc.).
• Provides thorough, timely, and accurate documentation of all pertinent data, therapeutic interventions and patient responses according to established standards.
• Provides timely and thorough report on assigned patients to other health care team members to ensure integration of services and continuity of patient care.
• Promotes learning for colleagues and self (e.g. functions as preceptor, instructor, trainer, attends professional development programs, etc.).
• Proactively identifies risk to patient safety and identifies opportunities to reduce medical/health care errors (i.e. appropriate reporting of errors/incidents).
• Identifies ethical issues in care and develops plan to address.
• Safely administers medications and intravenous therapy in accordance with physician’s orders, protocols, policies and procedures.
• Assesses patient pain level upon admission and as necessary, depending upon diagnosis utilizing the numerical pain scale.
• Reassesses effectiveness of pain control and notifies physicians as needed, as well as, documents assessment and patients’ response to medication.
• Responsible for obtaining supporting information and completing required documentation related to medication reconciliation for use by the Attending MD.
• Collects patient information from all available resources to assist in formulation of the comprehensive database, initial treatment plan, and ensures that all care delivered is appropriate to identified patient needs, standards of care and standards of practice.
• Assures that all care is coordinated with the patient care provider (PCP), outpatient providers, and other services.
• Participates in multi-disciplinary team in treatment planning to assure care delivered is matched to identified patient needs.
• Responds to all case management within Heywood Hospital for the provision of differential diagnostics, treatment planning and disposition to appropriate level of care.
• Identifies insurance and obtains approval and/or a referral for services provided.
• Provides individual and group therapies according to Mental Health Unit standards to meet identified patient needs.
• Assigns all patient care based on identified patient need and skills/ability of staff member assigned. Supervises all nursing care delivered.
• Provides formal and informal education for identified needs of staff and mentors to improve the knowledge, skills, and practice of other team members and to achieve performance standards.

Statement of Other Duties

This document describes the major duties and responsibilities for this job, and is not intended to be a complete list of all tasks and functions. It should be understood, therefore, that employees may be asked to perform job-related duties beyond those explicitly described.

Functional Demands

Physical Requirements:

Exerts 20 to 50 pounds of force occasionally, and/or 10 to 25 pounds of force frequently, and/or greater than negligible up to 10 pounds of force constantly to move objects. Frequently reaches (extending hands and arms in any direction), handles (seizing, holding, grasping, turning, or working with hands), and feels (perceiving attributes of items such as size, shape, temperature, or texture by means of fingertips). Occasionally stoops (bending the body downward and forward by bending the spine at the waist), and kneels (bending the legs at knee to come to rest on knee or knees). Rapid physical movements (walking rapidly, running up and down stairs) and lifting and/or holding of patient's extremities may be required in the event of responding to behavioral emergencies (i.e Code100’s).

Organizational Expectations

Behavioral Attributes:

The following behavioral attributes are required: achievement motivation, concern for order, flexibility, initiative, self-confidence, customer service oriented, interpersonal effectiveness, teamwork, analytical thinking and information seeking.

Qualifications

Job Requirements

Minimum Education

• AHA CPR required.
• Associates degree in nursing required, bachelors degree preferred

Minimum Work Experience

• Experience handling crisis and emergency situations.
• One year acute Psychiatric Inpatient experience desired.

Required Licenses

• Registered Nurse, Current MA License

Required Skills

• Ability and desire to work with Mental Health issues and patients who have identified psychiatric/mental health needs. 
• Good interpersonal skills, knowledge and skills required for the position.
• Experience working with substance abuse population preferred.