RN Casual - Adult Inpatient Behavioral Health

Independence Health System Careers•Latrobe, PA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The RN assesses, plans, implements and evaluates the care of all assigned psychiatric patients. The RN coordinates, directs, and participates as an effective interdisciplinary team member. This role requires maintaining professional and technical knowledge, assuring quality of care, protecting patients and employees, and documenting patient care services. The RN will maintain continuity among nursing teams, protect patient confidentiality, identify patient care requirements, and establish a compassionate environment. They will promote patient's independence through education and support, maintain a safe and clean working environment, and resolve patient problems using multidisciplinary team strategies. The RN will also ensure the operation of equipment, maintain nursing supplies inventory, and administer, monitor, and educate on psychotropic medications. Additionally, the RN will conduct and facilitate group therapy sessions and provide individualized educational materials to patients. This position requires processing psychiatric emergencies, ensuring patient safety, and orchestrating the management of agitated patients, including crisis intervention and searching for harmful items.

Requirements

Graduate of an accredited Nursing Program required.
Strong leadership ability, good organizational skills, independent and critical thinking skills, sound judgment, and knowledge of legal aspects and liability of nursing practice.
Strong ability to communicate complex and/or controversial topics and concepts to a wide and diverse audience.
Current licensure to practice as a Registered Nurse in the State of Pennsylvania required.
Current Basic Life Support (BLS) approved curriculum of the American Heart Association (CPR and AED) program required.
Act 33 with renewal.
Act 34 with renewal.
Act 73 FBI Clearance with renewal.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing preferred.
One (1) to two (2) years relevant experience.
A Nursing refresher course may be required if employee hasn’t worked in an acute care setting for his / her most recent three consecutive years of professional employment.

Responsibilities

Assess, plan, implement, and evaluate the care of all assigned psychiatric patients.
Coordinate, direct, and participate as an effective interdisciplinary team member.
Maintain professional and technical knowledge by attending education workshops, reviewing professional publications, establishing personal networks, and participating in professional societies.
Assure quality of care by adhering to therapeutic standards, measuring health outcomes against patient care goals and standards, making or recommending necessary adjustments, and following system/hospital and nursing division's philosophies and standards of care set by state board of nursing, state nurse practice act, and other governing agency regulations.
Protect patients and employees by adhering to infection-control policies and protocols, medication administration and storage procedures, and controlled substance regulations.
Document patient care services by charting in patient and department records.
Maintain continuity among nursing teams by documenting and communicating actions, irregularities, and continuing needs using Nurse Knowledge Exchange techniques.
Maintain patient confidence and protect operations by keeping information confidential.
Identify patient care requirements by establishing personal rapport with potential and actual patients, and other persons in a position to understand care requirements.
Establish a compassionate environment by providing emotional, psychological, and spiritual support to patients, friends, and families.
Promote patient's independence by establishing patient care goals, teaching patient/family to understand condition, medications, and self-care skills, and answering questions.
Maintain safe and clean working environment by complying with procedures, rules and regulations; calling for assistance from health care support personnel.
Resolve patient problems and needs by utilizing multidisciplinary team strategies.
Maintain a cooperative relationship among health care teams by communicating information, responding to requests, building rapport, and participating in team continuous quality improvement and problem-solving methods.
Contribute to team effort by accomplishing related results as needed.
Ensure operation of equipment by completing preventive maintenance requirements by following manufacturer's instructions, troubleshooting malfunctions, calling for repairs, maintaining equipment inventories, and evaluating new equipment and techniques.
Maintain nursing supplies inventory by checking stock to determine inventory level, anticipating needed supplies, placing and expediting orders for supplies, verifying receipt of supplies, and using equipment and supplies as needed to accomplish job results.
Ensures that assessment of the patient and the direct and indirect patient care delivered is in accordance with the PA Nurse Practice Act, hospital policies, procedures and protocols and other professional standards of care.
Process psychiatric emergencies as assigned, through assessment of patients' condition and collaboration with psychiatrist to affect a crisis resolution, process commitments and refer patients to appropriate treatment facilities.
Provides for patient safety in compliance with hospital and nursing department policies.
Orchestrates management of agitated patients with other staff members (handling, restraining, secluding).
Demonstrates ability to assess escalating behavior of patient and take action.
Updates crisis intervention skills on a yearly basis.
Assures that patient belongings have been searched for potentially harmful items.
Demonstrates a working knowledge of psychotropic medications.
Maintains department protocols for identified psychiatric medications.
Administers, monitors and documents efficacy, side effects and patient compliance.
Provides patient/family education for prescribed medications.
Conducts group therapy including medication groups, support groups and educational groups for patients, as well as serves as an information/referral source for families in these areas.
Acts as a facilitator of group sessions.
Provides patients with individualized educational materials.
Other related duties as assigned.