Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner ** Per diem - On-call as needed position**

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

• Develop a nursing diagnosis and plan of care, implements the nursing process, and evaluates it for effectiveness.
• Assist and support nursing staff with clinical (e.g., checking vitals, administering injections, assessing and triaging medical issues) and administrative (e.g., coordinating care with pharmacies, insurers, and medical providers) duties.
• Provide medication management and medical support when client’s primary psychiatrist is unavailable or not yet assigned.
• Assess, diagnose, and treat individuals with psychiatric disorders using their full scope of therapeutic skills, including the prescription of medication and administration of psychotherapy.
• Prescribe appropriate medications.
• Write Psychiatric Evaluation and Report, consisting of a medical evaluation and report.
• Maintain professional working relationships with all staff, clients, and the public.
• Order laboratory tests as indicated and monitor the laboratory test results; make changes to the treatment regimen as indicated.
• Demonstrate knowledge of policies and procedures for safe work practices.
• Demonstrate knowledge of legal issues, including patient confidentiality and risk management in all aspects of patients' care.
• Consult with the Chief Medical Officer, when necessary, about patient needs and assessment findings.
• Support psychiatrists in managing patients as outlined below.
• Medication Monitoring: Prescribe and evaluate the efficacy of psychotropic medications and the need for laboratory testing.
• Comprehensive psychiatric assessments and evaluations of new referrals and established clients, and make determinations of needed psychiatric treatment.
• Absent from the primary psychiatrist, prescribe and monitor medications, as appropriate, and provide education to the client about the medications.
• Provide psychiatric care aimed at client goals and objectives.
• Participate as an active member of the multi-disciplinary team at assigned program(s).
• Consult with appropriate professional staff on unusual, complex, or critical cases.
• Participate in staff conferences and clinic meetings.
• Clinical Case Conferences: Coordinate client care and participate in clinical case conferences, both formally and informally, with multi-disciplinary staff.
• Interface directly with clients and provide counseling, particularly during times of conflict and crisis intervention.
• Provide appropriate consultation and support to other staff in responding to client crises.
• Help clients strengthen problem-solving, socialization, and coping skills.
• Encourage clients’ resourcefulness, self-empowerment, and understanding their diagnosis and/or illness.
• Complete and update case notes and other documentation, processes, and procedures in accordance with Agency, payor and regulatory requirements, utilizing paper or computer technology.
• Document all client, assessments, psychiatric evaluations, and services in medical record, emphasizing client progress and special or exceptional treatment, adverse effects, and significant lab values.
• Complete necessary forms and comply with regulatory guidelines per contractual obligations.
• Meet with Supervising Psychiatrist regularly and as needed for consultation, according to supervision schedule to be determined by the Chief Medical Officer.
• Discuss and review the following as appropriate with Supervising Psychiatrist: client assessments, diagnostic and clinical management questions, QI concerns, and workflow or efficiency issues.
• Review clinical documentation with Supervising Psychiatrist as needed and incorporate feedback.
• Consultation with Supervising Psychiatrist is REQUIRED in the following situations: Emergent medical conditions requiring prompt intervention after stabilizing care is initiated; Acute decompensation of the client; History, physical, or laboratory findings inconsistent with the clinical picture; Upon request of the client, PMHNP, or Supervising Physician.

Other Duties and Responsibilities

• Attend and participate in staff, program, Agency and community meetings and training, as required.
• Meet continuing education requirements to satisfy regulatory, accreditation, and Agency requirements and ensure continued professional growth and knowledge of current trends in mental health.
• Participate in management of team/program discretionary resources available to meet client needs.

Knowledge, Skill, and Abilities Required

• Graduate of an accredited Master's level Nurse Practitioner program or successful completion of a graduate level Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Specialty program accredited by the CA BRN; certification as a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) (E); current California licensure as a Nurse Practitioner (E); valid Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) certificate and current license to practice medicine in California with no disciplinary actions, as specified by MediCal/Medicare. One (1) or more years of experience in the specialty field of psychiatric nursing. (E)
• Demonstrated ability to: Evaluate results of clinical findings and laboratory tests; (D) Administer long-acting injections; (E) Work independently and in a small team environment; (E) Organize and manage a caseload; manage multiple tasks and demands on a timely basis; (E) Engage and communicate effectively with others in both verbal and written English; legible handwriting; (E) Conceptualize and prioritize the problems of mentally disordered individuals, determining their needs, services, and appropriate treatment methods; (E) Monitor and support developmental growth and the recovery process; (E) Maintain timely, accurate and complete case notes for client records; prepare reports; (E) Employ tact and diplomacy, exercise good judgment, and act calmly in emergency situations; (E) Engender trust and respect and maintain confidentiality; (E) Work from a strengths-based, harm-reduction, social rehabilitation model; (E) Work effectively with individuals identified as those with serious mental illness who meet the following criteria: histories of hospitalization, institutionalization, including with the criminal justice system, substance abuse, low engagement in medication treatment, and difficulty in participating in structured activities and living independently; (E) Work with populations identified as high risk and/or considered under-represented in the County Mental Health system with multiple barriers; (D) Exhibit exemplary customer service, compassion, and care in the execution of all duties and interactions. (E) Demonstrated ability to work with participants who: May also have histories of assaultive behavior; (D) May have resided in long term care facilities for extended periods; (D) May have patterns of service that relied almost exclusively on emergency and institutional care; (D) May have cognitive difficulties and medical co-morbidities and are considered medically fragile and may also be developmentally disabled; (D) May have long-term patterns of homelessness and criminal justice involvement. (D)
• Knowledge of: Medications, medication contraindications, and medication education; (E) Clinical techniques for assessment, treatment, and rehabilitation of people with mental illness; problem resolution and conflict resolution techniques; (E) Proven typing speed of 30 net wpm (E); 40 net wpm (D); computer literacy; MS Office applications—Word; Excel; Outlook—and Windows-based databases at a basic level; (E) Familiarity with UNIX-based databases. (D)

Special Requirements

• Must be able to meet and receive a criminal records clearance, as required by Title XXII, other licensing regulations, and Momentum practices. (E)
• A valid California Driver’s License, with access to a reliable vehicle/for driving a company vehicle, current proof of auto liability insurance, and a clean DMV record. (D)
• Physical requirements needed to perform the essential functions of this job, with or without accommodation: (E) Hearing and talking on telephone and in person; standing, walking, sitting, pinching and finger flexion are required constantly (over 2/3 of the workday); (E) Lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling, bending, stooping, crouching, and kneeling are required occasionally (under 1/3 of the workday); (E) Balancing, climbing and crawling are generally not required; Must be physically able to assist clients in the evacuation of program facilities in emergency situations. (E)