RN Behavioral Health / BH Inpatient - Days

Children's Nebraska•Omaha, NE

About The Position

The RN Behavioral Health functions as a member of the interdisciplinary team and provides care to patients with behavioral health needs. The role uses the nursing process to deliver comprehensive, developmentally appropriate care to high-risk behavioral health patients and their families. The RN provides psychiatric expertise and clinical support to the care team, monitors compliance with system policies, guidelines, and documentation requirements, and helps maintain a safe environment. The RN responds to behavioral emergencies throughout the building and collaborates with the interdisciplinary team to support patient and staff safety. The position requires knowledge of regulatory standards for hospitalized patients with behavioral health needs and ensures care complies with those standards. The RN conducts age-specific patient and family assessments, develops and updates individualized plans of care, implements and evaluates nursing interventions, and documents assessments, care, and patient responses. The role also supports staff caring for high-risk patients by providing education and just-in-time clinical resources, reviewing observation levels and documentation in EPIC, assisting with de-escalation and physical interventions when needed, and contributing to performance improvement efforts. The position is scheduled for day shifts Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., for 36 hours.

Requirements

Associate's or bachelor's degree from an accredited school of nursing.
Nebraska state or compact-state Registered Nurse licensure upon hire.
Basic Life Support certification from the American Heart Association upon hire.
Ability to perform varied duties and shift between tasks efficiently while maintaining composure under stress and prioritizing multiple requests.

Nice To Haves

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

Responsibilities

Conduct individualized, age-specific patient and family assessments and reassessments in accordance with unit standards, nursing practice standards, and applicable guidelines or protocols.
Collect and document patient care data, assess educational needs and family involvement, and identify nursing diagnoses, collaborative problems, or protocols.
Develop and revise individualized patient and family plans of care in collaboration with the Behavioral Health Team, family, and healthcare team.
Prioritize, implement, coordinate, and evaluate nursing interventions and interdisciplinary care based on patient needs and condition.
Use clinical judgment and critical thinking when providing care and evaluating responses to orders, tests, laboratory results, medications, and treatments.
Provide or coordinate patient and family education based on identified needs and readiness to learn.
Complete accurate and timely medical record and computerized care-plan documentation, including assessments, medication records, orders, and discharge instructions.
Promote a safe environment for patients with high-risk behaviors by inspecting rooms, identifying hazards, and removing at-risk items.
Provide clinical expertise, education, and just-in-time support to staff caring for high-risk behavioral health patients.
Review EPIC documentation and orders with staff to ensure observation levels are appropriate and documentation is accurate and complete.
Identify patient care concerns and collaborate or escalate them as needed; support consistent application of hospital guidelines and policies.
Educate the patient care team about constant visual observation guidelines, therapeutic interactions, and patient safety.
Assist with patient de-escalation and physical intervention when needed, document interventions, participate in debriefings, and audit physical intervention documentation.
Identify opportunities for performance and quality improvement and assist with collecting, entering, and sharing data.
Advocate for patients and families, assist in resolving concerns, protect patient health information, and follow infection prevention initiatives.