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 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.
• Assess the need for medications; 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, 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.

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. (E)
• 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; Administer long-acting injections; Work independently and in a small team environment; Organize and manage a caseload; manage multiple tasks and demands on a timely basis; Engage and communicate effectively with others in both verbal and written English; legible handwriting; Conceptualize and prioritize the problems of mentally disordered individuals, determining their needs, services, and appropriate treatment methods; Monitor and support developmental growth and the recovery process; Maintain timely, accurate and complete case notes for client records; prepare reports; Employ tact and diplomacy, exercise good judgment, and act calmly in emergency situations; Engender trust and respect and maintain confidentiality; Work from a strengths-based, harm-reduction, social rehabilitation model; Work effectively with persons differing in value systems, ethnicity, cultural backgrounds, language capabilities and disabilities; Work collaboratively 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; Work with populations identified as high risk and/or considered under-represented in the County Mental Health system with multiple barriers; Exhibit exemplary customer service, compassion, and care in the execution of all duties and interactions. (E)
• Knowledge of: Medications, medication contraindications, and medication education; Clinical techniques for assessment, treatment, and rehabilitation of people with mental illness; problem resolution and conflict resolution techniques; 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; Familiarity with UNIX-based databases. (D)