Nurse (40 Hour)

State of Connecticut•Bridgeport, CT

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The State of Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS), Southwest Connecticut Mental Health System (SWCMHS), is hiring a Nurse for its Regional Forensic Services unit in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The role provides a full range of professional nursing care to individuals with behavioral health needs, including people involved in forensic services. The position is full-time, 40 hours per week, on the first shift, Monday through Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The nurse independently implements the nursing process, provides and monitors care, documents interventions, and supports individuals, families, and staff in understanding and carrying out treatment. The nurse may participate in interdisciplinary treatment planning, outpatient clinics, rehabilitation and psychotherapeutic interventions, and other medical or mental health services. The agency delivers recovery-oriented mental health and substance-use services to adults in Fairfield County, with an emphasis on high-quality, compassionate, culturally competent care. Applicants must have graduated from an accredited nursing program and must hold and maintain a Connecticut Registered Nurse license or temporary permit, or a multistate/compact Registered Nurse license. A comprehensive medical examination, including drug screening, is required after a conditional offer. Incumbents may be required to travel, and designated positions may require foreign-language fluency or American Sign Language proficiency. The role may involve lifting or restraining individuals, exposure to communicable or infectious diseases, risk of injury from assaultive or abusive individuals, and disagreeable conditions.

Requirements

Graduation from an accredited nursing program.
Possess and retain a Connecticut Registered Nurse license or temporary permit, or hold a multistate or compact Registered Nurse license.
Knowledge of and ability to apply professional nursing theory, practice, and ethics; current medications and their actions, interactions, uses, and side effects; and medical, therapeutic, and psychiatric nursing interventions and methods.
Ability to apply quality standards, procedures, and protocols; sensitivity to cultural and socioeconomic differences; and ability to use clinical therapeutic models of individual care with an interdisciplinary team approach.
Interpersonal skills and oral and written communication skills.
Ability to model and teach professional behaviors to health care staff; learn specialized individual care relevant to the assignment; provide empathetic assistance; develop therapeutic relationships; respond to emergencies; seek and respond to supervision; foster teamwork; and analyze and evaluate care and treatment.
May be required to travel.
May be required to lift or restrain individuals and may encounter communicable or infectious diseases, risk of injury from assaultive or abusive individuals, and disagreeable conditions.

Nice To Haves

Experience with principles and procedures of psychiatric rehabilitation.
Experience working with individuals and families from different cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds.
Experience with mental health conditions and treatment interventions, including assessment, nursing diagnosis, outcome identification, health planning, implementation, and reevaluation.
Experience in mental health or substance-use recovery services with forensically involved individuals.
Experience independently applying nursing principles, techniques, and standards.
Experience communicating interpersonally, verbally, and in writing with individuals, groups, and families.
Experience establishing and maintaining collaborative relationships with other professionals, community resources, and providers.

Responsibilities

Independently implement the nursing process and carry out physician orders regarding diet, medication, and treatment.
Assess individuals and monitor and ensure quality care through observation and evaluation.
Change dressings and report on individuals’ physiological and mental health status.
Document nursing interventions in medical records; maintain records and prepare reports.
Distribute and maintain records of controlled drugs and ensure their security.
Make decisions in routine cases.
Instruct individuals, staff, and family members about treatments, nursing plans, and related care issues.
Respond to emergencies.
Maintain the availability of medications and supplies and ensure the cleanliness of equipment and the environment.
May participate in interdisciplinary treatment teams to assess, develop, implement, and evaluate treatment or health/mental health care plans.
May formulate and implement nursing care plans, participate in outpatient clinics, assist with physical examinations, and administer routine tests.
May conduct training and delegate nursing tasks consistent with established protocols.
May participate in psychotherapeutic and rehabilitation interventions, physically restrain individuals, provide specialty medical or mental health services, or serve as a Qualified Intellectual Disability Professional.
Perform related duties as required.