Behavioral Health Urgent Care Coordinator

Coastal Horizons Center•Wilmington, NC

3d•Onsite

About The Position

The Behavioral Health Urgent Care (BHUC) RN Coordinator provides direct nursing care and clinical and operational coordination in a fast-paced adult behavioral health crisis setting. The role supports safe, efficient, high-quality assessment, stabilization, observation, medication management, and disposition services, while promoting trauma-informed, person-centered, and culturally responsive care. The coordinator serves as the designated shift leader and primary onsite escalation point during assigned after-hours operations, with responsibilities for staffing coordination, delegated supervisory authority, competency oversight, quality monitoring, and operational decision-making. Direct-care assignments depend on census, acuity, staffing, and program needs. Schedules listed are Friday–Sunday, 11:00 AM–11:00 PM, or Monday–Thursday, 1:00 PM–11:00 PM. The position requires the ability to work the assigned nontraditional schedule, including evenings, nights, weekends, holidays, and designated on-call or administrative escalation coverage.

Requirements

Associate Degree in Nursing from an accredited nursing program.
Current, unrestricted Registered Nurse license or multistate licensure privilege authorizing practice in North Carolina.
Current Basic Life Support certification before independent assignment.
At least two years of nursing experience, including at least one year in behavioral health, psychiatric nursing, crisis services, emergency care, urgent care, substance use treatment, or a comparable high-acuity setting.
Demonstrated clinical judgment, medication-safety skills, de-escalation ability, and readiness to lead during rapidly changing situations.
Ability to work the assigned nontraditional schedule, including evenings, nights, weekends, holidays, and designated on-call or administrative escalation coverage.

Nice To Haves

At least one year of charge nurse, lead nurse, supervisory, or management experience.
Experience working in Behavioral Health Urgent Care, facility-based crisis, mobile crisis, or another crisis-stabilization program.
Experience with North Carolina behavioral health services, Medicaid documentation requirements, and accreditation or regulatory readiness.
Experience with staff scheduling, workforce management systems, chart audits, competency validation, and quality-improvement activities.

Responsibilities

Conduct comprehensive nursing assessments, medical screenings, and ongoing reassessments from admission through disposition, including evaluation of vital signs, physical health concerns, withdrawal symptoms, medication and allergy history, and medical stability.
Identify clinical deterioration or needs beyond BHUC capabilities, initiate appropriate emergency responses, and coordinate provider evaluation or transfer to emergency medical services or an emergency department.
Provide behavioral health crisis intervention, short-term stabilization, observation, safety planning, discharge education, and continuity-of-care support.
Administer medications under authorized orders and nursing standards; perform medication reconciliation, monitor therapeutic and adverse effects, and provide education to individuals and families.
Support involuntary commitment, custody, and transfer processes while recognizing functions requiring separate examiner, clinician, or practitioner authority.
Serve as a clinical resource for nursing, support, and interdisciplinary staff, and ensure timely electronic health record documentation, shift reports, and clinical handoffs.
Serve as the designated onsite operational supervisor when routine BHUC leadership is absent, escalating significant concerns to the BHUC Director or administrator on call according to established protocols.
Coordinate patient flow, clinical priorities, staff assignments, observation coverage, breaks, and workload based on census, acuity, and staff competency.
Support staffing operations by maintaining schedules, addressing callouts and coverage gaps, and monitoring staffing trends with the BHUC Director.
Coordinate operational communication with prescribers, licensed clinicians, emergency medical services, emergency departments, law enforcement, pharmacies, and community partners.
Direct the interdisciplinary shift during medical or behavioral emergencies, medication events, safety concerns, and other incidents; ensure required notifications, incident documentation, and leadership handoffs are completed.
Support approved workflows, process-improvement initiatives, emergency preparedness activities, and program goals.
Promote timely, complete nursing documentation and compliance with applicable payer, service, regulatory, accreditation, and organizational requirements.
Conduct or support chart audits, medication reviews, quality-assurance activities, incident reviews, and corrective-action follow-through.
Track nursing and operational quality indicators, including assessment timeliness, medication events, transfers, documentation completion, and follow-up needs.
Support readiness for audits, credentialing, privileging, inspections, and accreditation reviews with program, nursing, medical, and quality leaders.
Review medication storage, controlled-substance processes, emergency medications and equipment, clinical supplies, infection prevention practices, and environment-of-care readiness.
Participate in committees, interdisciplinary team meetings, emergency drills, and organizational improvement initiatives as assigned.