Advanced Practice Registered Nurse

About Us

At River Valley Counseling Center, Inc. (RVCC), our mission is to improve the health and well-being of every person in our community. We provide expert, compassionate care grounded in honesty, respect, and dignity. Through collaboration, innovation, and education, we inspire hope and empower positive change in those we serve. We are committed to being responsible stewards of our resources, ensuring efficient and cost-effective care for all.

About the Role

The APRN at River Valley Counseling Center (RVCC) is responsible for coordinating and providing high-quality psychiatric and behavioral health care while ensuring clients are treated with dignity, respect, and confidentiality. The APRN also serves as a clinical resource for staff by providing training, orientation, peer support, and guidance on medication management. Additional responsibilities include participating in quality improvement initiatives, maintaining professional licensure and certifications, complying with RVCC policies and regulatory requirements, and working collaboratively across multiple RVCC locations. The position offers opportunities for professional growth within a supportive, team-oriented environment while maintaining client dignity, autonomy, and confidentiality.

Responsibilities

• Clinically coordinate client care, including reviewing individual client treatment plans and clinical documentation periodically to ensure client care requirements are met.
• Collaborate with physicians to ensure effective communication regarding medications and patient treatment plans.
• Act as a resource person for staff for clinical support, provide peer supervision, and establish/run an APRN support group.
• Communicate regularly and clearly with clients, families, physicians, and other healthcare team members to ensure continuity of care.
• Identify crisis situations and respond appropriately.
• Distinguish between normal and abnormal findings and evaluate what findings require collaboration or referral to allied professionals or community agencies.
• Develop a plan of care based on identified needs and problems, and provide follow-up on clients treated as necessary.
• Assist in identifying potential safety/health risks of individual clients and ensure appropriate and timely counseling.
• Conduct case management reviews with multidisciplinary teams and community agencies, and contribute to continuing client care plans involving outside providers.
• Initiate and/or complete required documentation in a timely, systematic, and accurate form, including age-related assessments.
• Competently provide care to clients, including explaining procedures or treatment plans according to the client’s age and comprehension level.
• Provide care in a manner that respects the adult client’s dignity, autonomy, and independent decision-making.
• Include assessment data from the client’s significant other/responsible person when appropriate.
• Review assessment data obtained by other clinical disciplines, including diagnostics, and promptly reassess needs when warranted by the client’s condition.
• Assess substance abuse issues and history, including acute withdrawal symptoms, risk of suicide, and dangerousness to others.
• Assess mental status and act as a client advocate to ensure clients’/families’ needs are incorporated into the plan of care.
• Develop/initiate or assist in developing/initiating the treatment plan for each assigned client within appropriate timeframes, in conjunction with the multidisciplinary treatment team.
• Involve the client/significant other/health care agent in planning care as appropriate, including discharge planning needs.
• Provide treatment interventions that are age-specific, as designated in the treatment plan, to meet the client’s/family’s needs.
• Provide education to clients/families/significant others specific to the client’s healthcare needs and level of comprehension.
• Implement physician’s orders accurately and within the expected time frame.
• Take a leadership role in supporting clinical staff in interventions with clients in crisis, clients in need of higher-level care (e.g., medical detox), or clients who appear not to be benefiting from treatment.
• Facilitate groups as needed.
• Participate actively in the quality improvement process and incorporate findings into clinical practice.
• Attend administrative meetings as a representative of the medical staff.
• Coordinate and provide or assist in providing orientation for new nursing and/or clinical staff.
• Review and reorder medical supplies within approved budgetary limits.
• Keep current with public and mental health licensing and regulatory requirements regarding medication clinics and update appropriate RVCC staff as necessary.
• Develop and maintain proficiency in using RVCC’s computerized client information systems accurately and effectively.
• Be proficient with the use of RVCC’s interpretive services and access appropriate services to meet the needs of clients.
• Work at multiple sites serviced by RVCC, as assigned or directed.
• Utilize tactful, direct, and sensitive interaction skills in promoting positive customer relations and interpersonal relationships at all levels within and outside the organization.
• Represent RVCC, both within and outside the organization, in a positive, professional manner.
• Communicate effectively with clients from various cultural backgrounds, encourage questions, and answer in clear, age-appropriate language.
• Avoid stereotyping and treat each person as an individual.
• Collaborate with the immediate supervisor in identifying strengths and weaknesses in an ongoing evaluation process, keep the supervisor informed of activities, and communicate needs in a timely manner.
• Maintain and improve current knowledge through self-directed study and/or participation in ongoing professional development programs.
• Maintain licensure in current status, as required by law, and retain a copy of such license on premises.
• Use time constructively and organize work for maximum productivity.

Qualifications

• Current Massachusetts Registered Nurse (RN) License (issued by the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing).
• National APRN Certification in the appropriate specialty (e.g., Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner through the ANCC).
• Massachusetts APRN Authorization (recognition as an APRN by the Board of Registration in Nursing).
• Massachusetts Controlled Substances Registration (MCSR) issued by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
• Federal DEA Registration to prescribe controlled substances.

Preferred:

• Five or more years’ experience as a clinical nurse specialist.
• Experience working with chronically mentally ill populations.
• Experience or desire to work with pediatric patients.
• Bilingual (Spanish/English) ability.

Benefits

• Competitive benefits package, including health, vision, dental, and pet insurance.
• Generous time off benefits for eligible positions.
• Exclusive employee discounts.
• Mileage reimbursement.
• CEU reimbursement.
• 403b match.
• Retention payments offered to licensed and licensed-eligible clinicians.

Pay

Salary Range: $187,200-$208,000. Based on years of experience, level of education, specialty, and licensure/certifications. Additional compensation for advanced education for qualifying positions.