Registered Nurse | PRN | Behavioral Health

Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center•Fort Madison, IA

About The Position

The Registered Nurse delivers patient care using the nursing process—assessment, planning, intervention, implementation, and evaluation—in coordination with other health team members. The nurse interacts effectively with patients, significant others, and colleagues while maintaining professional nursing standards. This role serves behavioral health units, including geriatric, medical/surgical, adult, psychiatric, substance abuse, and detoxification care. The nurse assesses patient needs, develops individualized care plans, and works with a multidisciplinary team. Responsibilities include administering prescribed medications, monitoring for side effects, and facilitating individual and group therapy sessions to manage mental health conditions. The position is PRN, with varied scheduled hours, and has a minimum hiring wage of $36.50 per hour.

Requirements

Associate’s degree in Nursing (ADN) required.
Registered Nurse licensure through the Iowa Board of Nursing (IBON) required.
Basic Life Support Healthcare Provider certification from the American Heart Association required within 60 days.
Iowa Mandatory Reporter training for Child Abuse required within 180 days.
Iowa Mandatory Reporter training for Dependent Adult Abuse required within 180 days.
MOAB training required within one year of hire for inpatient units.
Knowledge of English language, spelling, grammar, and composition.
Knowledge of human injuries, diseases, and deformities, including symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health care.
Knowledge of customer and personal service principles, including assessing needs, meeting service standards, and evaluating satisfaction.
Knowledge of human behavior and performance, individual differences, learning and motivation, psychological research methods, and assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
Knowledge of diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions.
Basic math skills to calculate medication doses.
Ability to understand others’ reactions, listen attentively, adjust actions to others, communicate information effectively, reason through problems, and understand work-related written material.
Ability to identify potential problems, understand spoken information, draw conclusions from information, communicate verbally, maintain hand and arm steadiness, and arrange actions or items according to rules or patterns.
Ability to identify and understand another person’s speech.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in nursing or another related field preferred.

Responsibilities

Perform bedside shift reports at the beginning and end of shifts.
Use policies and procedures to protect patients from falls and assist with wound prevention and prevention of hospital-acquired pressure injuries.
Obtain admission histories and conduct physical, psychosocial, physiological, and educational assessments; recognize and document changes in patient status and respond to abnormal findings.
Analyze assessment and diagnostic information, identify nursing diagnoses, and develop, evaluate, and modify individualized plans of care, including discharge planning.
Administer prescribed treatments, medications, IV fluids, and enteral feedings in accordance with policies and medication-administration standards; monitor effectiveness and address patient needs.
Question unsafe, incorrect, or inadequate orders and seek clarification as needed.
Document patient care and all aspects of the nursing process clearly, accurately, and promptly in the medical record and appropriate forms.
Communicate patient information and care needs to physicians, patients, significant others, and other health team members; advocate for patients and protect their rights and confidentiality.
Provide patient and family education and explain examinations, tests, and procedures.
Answer patient calls and provide assistance or determine how to assist patients.
Assemble equipment, perform procedures and treatments, and assist medical staff with patient procedures.
Provide basic patient care, including wound care, pressure-ulcer prevention and treatment, catheterization, bathing, dressing, hygiene, mobility assistance, and help with standing and walking.
Prepare patients for examinations, tests, or treatments; collect and appropriately label blood, urine, and sputum samples; perform routine tests such as blood glucose monitoring or send specimens to the laboratory.
Measure and record vital signs, including height, weight, temperature, blood pressure, pulse, respiration, oxygen saturation, and pain.
Evaluate nursing interventions and patient responses, conferring with other health care team members as needed.
Monitor medication use and results and ensure responsible use of medical and pharmaceutical supplies.
Assess resources to plan and coordinate care; prioritize assignments according to patient needs and coordinate and oversee nursing care for assigned patients.
Participate in treatment-team conferences concerning diagnosis or treatment of difficult cases and in performance-improvement, quality-assurance, and quality-monitoring activities.
Delegate appropriate aspects of care to certified nursing assistants, patient service associates, and licensed practical nurses, and oversee completion of delegated functions.
Mentor new employees and students.
Follow safety and evidence-based practices, including personal-protection and infection-control practices and use of lifts, gait belts, eye shields, and gloves.
Use appropriate equipment in accordance with unit and organizational policies and troubleshoot equipment as needed.
Facilitate individual and group therapy sessions to manage mental health conditions.
Complete MOAB training within one year of hire for inpatient units.