RN Behavioral Health / BH Inpatient - Nights

Children's Nebraska•Omaha, NE

About The Position

The RN Behavioral Health nurse works as a member of the interdisciplinary team and primarily cares for patients with behavioral health needs. The nurse uses the nursing process to provide comprehensive, developmentally appropriate care to high-risk behavioral patients and their families. The role provides psychiatric expertise and clinical support to the care team, monitors compliance with policies, guidelines, and documentation requirements, and helps maintain a safe environment. The nurse responds to behavioral emergencies throughout the building and collaborates with the interdisciplinary team to protect patient and staff safety. The position requires knowledge of regulatory standards for hospitalized patients with behavioral health needs and responsibility for supporting compliance with those standards. The nurse performs individualized, age-specific assessments; identifies nursing diagnoses and collaborative problems; and develops, implements, evaluates, and revises patient- and family-centered plans of care. Duties include coordinating care and education with the interdisciplinary team, documenting assessments and interventions accurately and on time, reviewing computerized care plans and orders, supporting safe observation practices, and ensuring discharge instructions reflect post-discharge care needs. The role also provides real-time clinical guidance and education to staff caring for high-risk patients, supports de-escalation and physical intervention when needed, participates in post-intervention debriefings, and contributes to quality improvement efforts. Care is delivered with sound clinical judgment, attention to evidence-based practice, patient advocacy, protection of health information, and adherence to infection prevention initiatives. The posted schedule is nights, Monday through Wednesday, 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., for 36 hours.

Requirements

Associate's degree or bachelor's degree from an accredited school of nursing.
Nebraska state or compact state Registered Nurse licensure upon hire.
American Heart Association Basic Life Support certification upon hire.
Ability to perform varied duties, shift between tasks efficiently, remain composed under stress, manage multiple requests, and prioritize.

Nice To Haves

Two years of psychiatric nursing experience.
Experience with pediatric patients.
Previous experience with EPIC.
Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse certification (PMH-BC); the posting notes certification after two years and/or 2,000 mental health care hours and lists it as preferred.

Responsibilities

Conduct individualized, age-specific patient and family assessments, including admission assessments and reassessments based on unit standards, protocols, and changes in patient condition.
Assess patient and family education needs, readiness to learn, expectations, and involvement in care.
Identify nursing diagnoses, collaborative problems, and protocols based on patient assessments.
Develop, implement, evaluate, and revise individualized patient and family plans of care in collaboration with the Behavioral Health Team and other healthcare team members.
Prioritize patient interventions and communicate changes in condition to appropriate clinicians and family members.
Coordinate nursing and interdisciplinary care, identify needs for outside resources, and follow through to support clinical outcomes.
Administer nursing interventions and treatments according to standards and age-specific needs; use critical thinking to evaluate patient responses to orders, tests, laboratory results, medications, and treatments.
Provide or coordinate patient and family education according to identified needs.
Document assessments, care, interventions, patient responses, and changes in condition accurately and within established timeframes; maintain computerized care plans and documentation, including orders and medication records.
Ensure discharge instructions clearly describe the patient's care needs after discharge.
Inspect rooms, identify and remove potential safety hazards, and support a safe environment for patients with high-risk behaviors.
Provide behavioral health expertise, education, and real-time clinical support to staff, administrative supervisors, and physicians caring for high-risk patients.
Review EPIC documentation and orders with staff to ensure appropriate observation levels and complete, accurate documentation.
Identify patient care concerns in real time, collaborate with others, and escalate concerns as needed.
Educate the patient care team on constant visual observation guidelines, therapeutic interactions, and patient safety.
Promote consistent application of behavioral health guidelines and policies across the hospital.
Identify and present opportunities for performance and quality improvement.
Assist with patient de-escalation and physical intervention when needed, document interventions thoroughly and accurately, participate in debriefings, and audit physical intervention documentation.
Collect, enter, and share physical intervention data in real time.
Advocate for patients and families and assist in resolving their concerns.
Protect and secure patient health information and follow infection prevention initiatives.