RN-PSYCH SVCS

Covenant Health•Louisville, TN

About The Position

The Psychiatric Registered Nurse provides quality patient care and clinical direction as part of a patient care team. The nurse uses the nursing process to assess, plan, implement, and evaluate patient care on the Thought Unit. This is a full-time position scheduled for 72 hours per pay period on the day shift. The role includes maintaining a safe, therapeutic environment; supporting patients through therapeutic communication and counseling; administering medications; implementing physician orders; and collaborating with medical staff and a multidisciplinary treatment team. The nurse also contributes to treatment planning, admissions and discharges, patient stabilization, staff training, and ongoing professional development.

Requirements

Graduate of an accredited nursing school.
Current licensure as a registered professional nurse in the State of Tennessee.
Current CPR certification.
Ability to work effectively with others using a team approach.
Excellent assessment skills and ability to apply nursing-care principles.
Ability to organize, plan, deliver, and document quality patient care.
Emotional stability and empathy sufficient to care for emotionally unstable patients.

Nice To Haves

Previous experience in psychiatric nursing is desired but not mandatory.

Responsibilities

Supervise and guide the program’s daily activities as part of a patient care team.
Maintain a safe and therapeutic patient environment.
Use therapeutic communication, supportive counseling, small-group dynamics, scheduled activities, and the therapeutic milieu to support patients, establish limits, manage the unit, and carry out treatment plans.
Implement restrictive measures when necessary in collaboration with medical staff after less restrictive measures have failed, and provide clinical supervision during interventions.
Assist with training, orienting, and teaching new staff as directed by the Nurse Manager or Nurse Supervisor.
Administer medications and accurately implement and document physician orders.
Seek administrative or medical consultation to ensure quality patient care.
Obtain emergency medical care for patients, communicate with the Emergency Room, facilitate records and reports, and support patient stabilization.
Determine patient acuity and assign patients to appropriate nursing staff.
Facilitate patient admissions and discharges and ensure information is comprehensive, accurate, and appropriately documented.
Perform 24-hour chart reviews as needed.
Participate in treatment-team work with multidisciplinary care providers.
Apply infection control, hospital emergency, hazardous materials management, and patient and proprietary information confidentiality policies.
Advocate for patient rights and process patient complaints and concerns.
Formulate nursing diagnoses using NANDA taxonomy and use DSM-IV classifications to express conclusions supported by collected data.
Develop patient-centered, time-oriented, measurable treatment plans tailored to each patient’s needs.
Perform ECG, VP, and bedside glucose meter procedures.
Maintain required certifications and training, including CPR and de-escalation and physical intervention training.
Attend staff training, development sessions, and unit staff meetings.
Provide input on policy changes affecting programming and patient care.
Communicate work-related issues, concerns, and problems to supervisory staff and cooperate with coworkers.
Adhere to organizational ethics, values, policies, patient rights, and standards of performance; promote customer service and communicate the organization’s mission.