Registered Nurse (RN) - Psych

Job Responsibility

• Conducts patient interview, explains policies and procedures, reviews patient’s chart, and answers questions correctly and courteously.
• Affirms gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, respiratory, renal, and neurological health status.
• Determines mobility, sensory deficits, prostheses use, and skin condition and adjusts plan of care, as appropriate.
• Communicates and documents patient’s physiologic health status and plan of care.
• Affirms patient’s psychosocial health status, elicits perception of medical/nursing care, and ensures patient satisfaction.
• Identifies coping mechanism, knowledge level, and ability to comprehend; identifies cultural/ethnic requirements to reduce anxiety and ensure patient satisfaction.
• Communicates and documents psychological status and care plan of support groups, counseling services, and social services.
• Identifies patient outcome; develops criteria for measurement of patient outcomes; identifies actual/potential patient problems; identifies patient’s need for teaching based on psychosocial and developmental assessment.
• Develops patient outcome statement(s) and establishes individualized patient goals; identifies care activities and establishes the priorities necessary to achieve expected outcome; coordinates the cost-effective use of supplies, equipment and medication to achieve expected outcome; documents the plan of care and collaborates with physicians and other health team members; implements the plan of care; maintains constant vigilance over patients care to ensure that safety precautions/needs are followed (side rails up, call lights and bedside stand within reach, etc.).
• Exercises professional skills related to the plan of care; reassesses patients as needed and appropriately revises plan of care; correctly administers prescribed treatments; correctly uses equipment necessary for patient care; provides emotional support to patient and significant other; applies scientific principles in performing procedures; carries them out safely, timely and efficiently; makes accurate observations of patient’s conditions during treatments/procedures; reports and records same as appropriate.
• Keeps accurate documentation of patient’s treatment, activity and condition, as well as patient’s responses to medical and nursing interventions; uses appropriate methods of documentation according to departmental policy; acts rapidly and effectively during any emergency situation, managing self, patients and other employees; provides a calm, quiet, restful atmosphere; communicates effectively with the patient’s family or caretakers; participates in planning for discharge and coordinates referrals, as appropriate; provides discharge instructions to patient and significant other.
• Evaluates care provided for patient outcome; performs variance analysis related to outcome data for performance improvement; designs, implements, and evaluates systems to improve care in unit; keeps accurate documentation of patient’s treatment, activity and condition; uses appropriate methods of documentation according to departmental policy; collaborates with other care team members in planning and carrying out treatment regimen; provides direction to other members of the care team; collaborates with the appropriate physician on patient’s plan of care.
• Accurately interprets and implements treatment regimen as prescribed by the Physician; assists the Physician during treatments and/or diagnostic procedures; keeps the Patient Care Manager/designee and/or physician, abreast of changes in patient’s condition and/or treatments, as appropriate; uses clinical judgment in delegating assignments in providing patient care, and ensures that assignments are completed in a timely fashion.
• Performs grade I-IV Decubitus Care; performs preventive skin care measures; applies simple dressings, maintaining principles of aseptic technique.
• Applies warm and cold compresses, consistent with facility procedure; performs irrigations, consistent with Facility procedure; performs other procedures related to skin care, as necessary.
• Administers medications correctly and safely; correctly identifies medication in terms of action, dosage, side effects, and implications for the patient; meets standard on medication administration examination; demonstrates preparation of local solutions.
• Administers and documents medication correctly; educates patients and significant others related to drug and food interactions; educates patients and significant others related to drug and food interactions; participates in patient and family education; provides patient with an explanation of his/her condition as indicated; communicates assessment data in an orderly fashion by recording, updating and verbalizing pertinent information to care team members and to appropriate agencies; recognizes and utilizes health teaching opportunities and resources /materials available for this teaching; provides for early discharge planning and appropriate referrals for post-hospital care; evaluates the effectiveness of teaching by feedback from patient/ family and documents same.

Job Qualification

• Graduate from an accredited School of Nursing.
• Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing, preferred.
• Must be enrolled in an accredited BSN program within two (2) years and obtain a BSN Degree within five (5) years of job entry date.
• Current License to practice as a Registered Professional Nurse in New York State required, plus specialized certifications as needed.
• 1+ years of RN Psych, experience highly preferred.