Registered Nurse (RN) - Psychiatric
City of Portsmouth, VA
Portsmouth, VA

Psychiatric Registered Nurse ACT

GENERAL STATEMENT OF JOB An exciting career path is waiting for you at the City of Portsmouth! You may be eligible for a $3,000 sign on bonus upon completion of one year's employment as the Psychiatric Nurse.    Under general supervision, provides medication management and other support services to the chronic mentally ill population who have been de-institutionalized form State hospitals and are living in the community in support of the Assertive Community Treatment Program. This is a grant funded position and continuation is subject to the availability of funds. Reports to Clinician Supervisor ACT.    ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS   Gives time released injectable medications to clients participating in the Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) Program; monitors side effects, effectiveness and compliance with all prescribed medications; delivers and order oral medication when medication clerk is not available; acts as a consultant to nonmedical personnel regarding medications and work with clinical staff; maintains availability to assist medical doctors with varied duties; and monitors laboratory results.   Provides patient and family education regarding medicines, medical issues, mental illness, HIV, substance use, health and lifestyle issues; maintains positive relationships with human services personnel from other agencies and the community in order to coordinate services and share information; and attends training and in services to maintain competency and current knowledge of field.   Closely monitors Clozaril patients and facilitate Clozaril medication management and education of the groups; screens clients for tardive dyskinesia; conducts medical assessments and referrals; and maintains thorough and accurate charts and records, ensuring compliance with recordkeeping regulations and requirements.   Provides crisis intervention when clients decompensate; provides supportive counseling and case management; performs a variety of administrative and office support functions as needed; and scheduling and preparing reports and documentation.       Performs other duties as assigned. Individual assignments will be determined by supervisor based on current workload and department needs.   PERFORMANCE INDICATORS   Knowledge of Job: Has considerable knowledge of the theory, principles, and methodologies of psychiatric nursing and of medication administration; of the characteristics of medications and their side effects.  Is able to responsibly give medications and provide related counseling and education to clients.  Is able to understand and interpret oral and written instructions.   Is able to establish and maintain effective working relationships as necessitated by work assignments.   Quality of Work: Maintains high standards of accuracy in exercising duties and responsibilities. Exercises immediate remedial action to correct any quality deficiencies that occur in areas of responsibility.  Maintains high quality communication and interacts within department and division, and with co- workers and the public.   Quantity of Work: Maintains effective and efficient output of all duties and responsibilities as described under "Essential Job Functions."   Dependability: Assumes responsibility for doing assigned work and meeting deadlines. Completes assigned work on or before deadlines in accordance with directives, city policy, standards and prescribed procedures. Accepts accountability for meeting assigned responsibilities in the technical, human and conceptual areas.   Attendance: Attends work regularly and adheres to city policies and procedures regarding absences and tardiness. Provides adequate notice to higher management with respect to vacation time and time? off requests.    Initiative and Enthusiasm: Maintains an enthusiastic, self?reliant and self?starting approach to meet job responsibilities and accountabilities. Strives to anticipate work to be done and initiates proper and acceptable direction for completion of work with a minimum of supervision and instruction.   Judgment: Exercises analytical judgment in areas of responsibility. Identifies problems or situations as they occur and specifies decision objectives. Identifies or assists in identifying alternative solutions to problems or situations. Implements decisions in accordance with prescribed and effective policies and procedures and with a minimum of errors. Researches problems, situations and alternatives before exercising judgment. Seeks expert or experienced advice when necessary.   Cooperation: Accepts direction from Board of Directors and strives to meet the goals and objectives of same. Questions such instruction and direction when clarification of results or consequences is justified i.e., poor communications, variance with policy or procedures, etc. Offers suggestions and recommendations to encourage and improve cooperation between all staff persons within the department.   Relationships with Others: Shares knowledge with supervisors and staff for mutual and departmental benefit. Contributes to maintaining high morale among all department employees. Develops and maintains cooperative and courteous relationships with department employees, staffers and managers in other departments, representatives from organizations, and the public to maintain good will toward the department and project a good departmental image. Tactfully and effectively handles requests, suggestions and complaints from other departments and persons to maintain good will within the city. Interacts effectively with fellow employees and the public.   Coordination of Work: Plans and organizes daily work routine. Establishes priorities for the completion of work in accordance with sound time-management methodology. Avoids duplication of effort. Estimates expected time of completion of elements of work and establish a personal schedule accordingly. Attends meetings, planning sessions and discussions of time. Implements work activity in accordance with priorities and estimated schedules. Maintains a calendar for meetings and deadlines.   Safety and Housekeeping: Adheres to all safety and housekeeping standards established by the city and various regulatory agencies. Sees that the standards are not violated. Maintains a clean and orderly work place.   EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE   Requires a Bachelor's in Nursing from an accredited registered nurse program; with 3 - 5 years of experience providing psychiatric nursing services; or any equivalent combination of training and experience which provides the required skills, knowledge and abilities.     SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS   Requires licensure as a Registered Nurse. Certification as a psychiatric nurse is preferred.   An acceptable general background check to include a local, state and federal criminal history check and sex offender registry check.     A valid driver's license with an acceptable driving record.     Individuals in this position cannot be listed as having a founded child abuse or neglect complaint.   In the event of a declared emergency in the city of Portsmouth, individuals in this position are required to work shelter duty and may be called on to perform duties as required to provide for the safety and care of the citizens of the community.  MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS OR STANDARDS REQUIRED TO PERFORM ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS   Physical Requirements: Requires the ability to exert up to 25 pounds of force frequently, and/or up to 10 pounds of force constantly to move objects.   Physical demand requirements are those for Light Work.     Data Conception: Requires the ability to compare and or judge the readily observable, functional, structural, or composite characteristics (whether similar to or divergent from obvious standards) of data, people or things.   Interpersonal Communication:  Requires the ability to speak and or signal people to conveyor exchange information. Includes receiving instructions, assignments and/or directions from supervisors.   Language Ability: Requires the ability to read a variety of checks, reports, records etc. Requires the ability to prepare letters, purchase orders, payment request, checks, etc. using prescribed formats and conforming to all rules punctuation, grammar, diction and style. Requires the ability to speak to people with poise, voice control and confidence. Ability to make presentations.   Intelligence:  Requires the ability to apply principles of logical or scientific thinking to a wide range of intellectual and practical problems; to deal with nonverbal symbolism in its most difficult phases; to deal with a variety of abstract and concrete variables; to comprehend the most abstruse classes of concepts.   Verbal Aptitude:  Requires the ability to record and deliver information, to explain procedures, to follow oral and written instructions. Must be able to communicate effectively and efficiently using standard English and using administrative, behavioral, and human services terminology.   Numerical Aptitude:  Requires the ability to utilize mathematical formulas. Must be able to add, subtract, multiply, and divide; to determine percentages; to calculate interest, profit and loss, proportions, etc.; and to perform calculations involving variables, formulas, square roots and polynomials.   Form/Spatial Aptitude:  Requires the ability to inspect items for proper length, width and shape.    Motor Coordination:  Requires the ability to coordinate hands and eyes rapidly and accurately in using a variety of nursing supplies and equipment.     Manual Dexterity:  Requires the ability to handle a variety of items, such as nursing supplies and equipment. Must have minimal levels of eye/hand/foot coordination.   Color Discrimination:  Requires the ability to differentiate between colors and shades of color.   Interpersonal Temperament:  Requires the ability to deal with people beyond giving and receiving instructions. Must be adaptable to performing under stress and when confronted with persons acting under stress.   Physical Communication:  Requires the ability to talk and/or hear: (talking: expressing or exchanging ideas by means of spoken words; hearing - perceiving nature of sounds by ear). Must be able to communicate via telephone. AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT (ADA) REQUIREMENTS The City of Portsmouth is an Equal Opportunity Employer.  ADA requires the City to provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities.     Prospective and current employees are invited to discuss accommodations. This is a class description and not an individual position description.  A class specification defines the general character and scope of duties and responsibilities of all positions in a job classification, but is not intended to describe and does not necessarily list the essential job functions for a given position in a classification.