Registered Nurse | Admissions - Intake

Bakersfield Behavioral Healthcare Hospital•Bakersfield, CA

22h•Onsite

About The Position

Bakersfield Behavioral Healthcare Hospital (BBHH) is an acute psychiatric and behavioral 90-bed facility offering inpatient and outpatient services for children, adolescents, and adults. BBHH is committed to being a top workplace by offering excellent benefits, encouraging growth, and fostering a culture of Compassion, Acceptance, Respect, Empowerment, and Sincerity (CARES). This Registered Nurse (RN) position is in our Inpatient units, focusing on admissions and intake packet reviews. The role requires a high level of attention to detail, situational awareness, critical thinking, teamwork, and excellent communication skills to ensure exceptional patient care and outcomes. The Admissions RN is responsible for clinically reviewing referral packets to determine patient eligibility for admission, evaluating medical history, psychiatric diagnosis, acuity, risk factors, and medical stability to ensure the hospital can safely and appropriately meet patient needs. This requires sound clinical judgment, knowledge of psychiatric standards of care, regulatory awareness, and assessment of admission risk in alignment with California law, CMS Conditions of Participation, and Joint Commission standards.

Requirements

High School Diploma or Equivalent
Current California RN License
Minimum of two (2) years psychiatric nursing experience (acute inpatient preferred)
Strong knowledge of psychiatric diagnoses, risk stratification, and medical comorbidities
Demonstrated ability to independently analyze clinical information and exercise sound judgment
Working knowledge of Title 22, CMS, and Joint Commission standards related to psychiatric facilities
Strong written documentation skills
Experience reviewing referral packets or conducting medical necessity reviews
Current CPR certification or ability to obtain prior to start date

Nice To Haves

Previous experience in a mental healthcare hospital environment focusing on assessments of human behavior, psychiatry, psychology, or other mental healthcare situations.

Responsibilities

Conduct comprehensive clinical reviews of referral packets to determine patient eligibility for admission.
Evaluate medical history, psychiatric diagnosis, acuity level, risk factors, exclusionary criteria, and medical stability.
Ensure the hospital can safely and appropriately meet the patient’s needs.
Utilize sound clinical judgment, knowledge of psychiatric standards of care, and regulatory awareness.
Assess admission risk in alignment with California law, CMS Conditions of Participation, and Joint Commission standards.
Demonstrate sound leadership skills in organizing activities and schedules for medical and/or non-medical tasks on the unit.
Provide high-quality clinical and interpersonal skills as an exemplary role model.
Display basic knowledge of treatment procedures and interventions common to acute psychotic and non-violent crisis intervention practice.
Apply basic knowledge of abnormal psychology to patient care and utilize medical terminology in psychiatric care.
Demonstrate thorough familiarity with psychiatric medications and their use.
Utilize problem-solving skills.
Manage tasks with exceptional organizational and time management skills.
Perform crisis intervention.
Communicate effectively in written and oral English.
Facilitate and/or co-facilitate process-oriented and didactic groups.