NURSE PRACTITIONER

About the Role

Provides patient care under the supervision of the medical director and through collaboration with the medical staff, offering assessment, evaluation, and treatment to patients under ARNP licensure guidelines.

Responsibilities

• Participates in the formulation of patients’ Master Treatment Plan.
• Assesses physical and psychiatric health of patients and formulates measures to meet their needs.
• Dictates and charts clinical observations, evaluations, and treatment of patients in the required time according to facility guidelines.
• Communicates with physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, and other staff to provide quality care within appropriate guidelines.
• Provides on-call responsibilities on a scheduled basis as directed by the medical staff.
• Makes recommendations, writes and dictates orders, and prescribes appropriate treatment.
• Maximizes opportunities for quality care and participates in Performance Improvement.
• Maintains appropriate safe physical management skill requirements.
• Attends required in-services and completes Staff Education Attendance Record.
• Ensures documentation reflects the nursing process, including individualized education and discharge planning needs of the patient and family.
• Develops an individualized treatment plan with measurable goals that reflect understanding of the treatment process.
• Encourages family involvement in patient care and responds to identified patient and family educational needs.
• Incorporates the hospital mission statement in all aspects of work.
• Responds to changing unit needs and demonstrates understanding of cost containment and economy of hospital resources.
• Supports and follows legal requirements, hospital policies and procedures, medical staff bylaws, and regulatory requirements.
• Participates in scheduled meetings and in-services, providing clear and concise communication.
• Collaborates with other health team members regarding patient and/or unit needs.
• Shares pertinent assessments and incorporates knowledge and skills of other disciplines.
• Participates in the orientation of new employees, willingly serves as a preceptor and role model.
• Conducts self in a professional manner and seeks opportunities for continued education and professional growth.
• Maintains a positive, energetic attitude and incorporates service-specific knowledge into daily activities.
• Assesses adolescents (ages 12–18) or children (ages 4–12) utilizing appropriate developmental and program-specific issues (chemical dependency, sex offender, general psychiatric).
• Demonstrates a dynamic understanding of psychotherapeutic issues and developmental tasks specific to each age group.
• Possesses sound clinical knowledge of mental health and program-specific issues.
• Understands and demonstrates the ability to prioritize the patient’s needs in relation to the presenting problem.
• Understands and incorporates theories of family dynamics in patient treatment and family therapy.
• Develops treatment plans using the most recent treatment practices in each treatment area.
• Understands the distinct purposes of transitional hospitalization treatment and incorporates these into the patient’s treatment plan.
• Incorporates the daily return of transitional hospitalization in daily or periodic goal-setting treatment plans.
• Reflects understanding of recovery as a life-long process in discharge planning.
• Incorporates recovery and support systems into the discharge plan, including knowledge of home environment and available community resources.
• Willingly accepts additional responsibilities outside routine job functions.
• Adheres to all safety policies, safe work practices, and attends hospital safety trainings.
• Adheres to all hospital policies and procedures and reports all accidents immediately.

Patient Management (under supervision of Active Staff Member)

• Admit Patients / A & R Coverage
• Discharge Patients
• Enter Consultation Notes on Charts

Clinical Assessment / Interpretation (Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners Only)

• Neuropsychological Testing
• Psychiatric Evaluations, including:
  • General Data Demographics
  • Chief Complaint
  • History of Present Illness
  • Past Outpatient and Inpatient Psychiatric History
  • Family Psychiatric History
  • Patient’s Alcohol and Drug History
  • Emotional, Physical, and Sexual Abuse History
  • Major Medical Issues
  • Psychosocial History
  • Developmental History
  • Mental Status Exam
  • Medications
  • Preliminary Diagnostic Impression
  • Strengths and Weaknesses
  • Criteria for Admission
  • Anticipated Length of Stay
  • Recommendations and Treatment Plan
  • Preliminary Discharge Plans

Clinical Treatment

• Individual Psychotherapy
• Group Psychotherapy
• Family Psychotherapy
• Crisis Intervention

Requirements

• Master’s of Nursing with Licensure as Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner (ARNP) in Kentucky.
• Certification and experience in psychiatric nursing.
• Demonstrated accurate physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual assessment skills, with the ability to clearly communicate findings both verbally and in writing.
• Theoretical and practical knowledge of Standards of Nursing Practice and Care in all aspects of care provided.