Rn-Psych Svcs

Covenant Health•Knoxville, TN

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Psychiatric Registered Nurse provides quality patient care and clinical direction as part of a patient care team, using the nursing process to assess, plan, implement, and evaluate patient care. The position is in the Empath Emergency Department at Parkwest Medical Center in West Knoxville. It is full-time, 72 hours per pay period, on the day shift. The nurse helps maintain a safe, therapeutic patient environment and supports patients through therapeutic communication, counseling, group dynamics, scheduled activities, and the therapeutic milieu. The role includes administering medications, implementing physician orders, supporting treatment plans, coordinating admissions and discharges, stabilizing patients, and collaborating with the multidisciplinary care team. The nurse also supports staff training, patient advocacy, documentation, and quality improvement activities.

Requirements

Graduate of an accredited nursing school.
Current licensure as a registered professional nurse in the State of Tennessee.
Previous experience in psychiatric nursing is not required.

Responsibilities

Provide proper supervision and guidance in the program’s daily activities as part of the 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 manage the unit, support patients, set limits, 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, orientation, and teaching of new staff members as directed by the Nurse Manager or Nurse Supervisor.
Administer medications.
Implement physician orders accurately and document them properly.
Seek administrative or medical consultation to assure quality patient care.
Access emergency medical care for patients, provide a report to the Emergency Room, ensure a report is received before a patient returns, and facilitate receipt of records.
Provide for patient stabilization.
Determine patient acuity and assign patients to appropriate nursing staff.
Facilitate admission and discharge processes and ensure relevant information is comprehensive, accurate, and appropriately documented.
Perform 24-hour chart reviews as needed.
Participate in the treatment team process and interact with the multidisciplinary team of care providers.
Apply infection control, hospital emergency, hazardous materials management, and patient/proprietary information confidentiality policies.
Advocate for patient rights and process patient complaints and concerns.
Formulate nursing diagnoses using NANDA taxonomy and use standard DSM IV classifications of mental disorders to express conclusions supported by collected data.
Develop individualized, patient-centered treatment plans with specific, time-oriented, and measurable goals.
Perform ECG, VP, and bedside glucose meter procedures.
Follow policies, procedures, and safety standards.
Complete required annual education assignments.
Work toward goals and objectives and participate in quality improvement initiatives as requested.
Perform other duties as assigned.