Behavioral Health Registered Nurse
Saint Louis, MO
Access Healthcare
4x12 hrs, Nights

Registered Nurse (Travel/Contract)

Location: Saint Louis, Missouri
Contract Length: 13 weeks

Job Details

• Shift: Nights
• Hours: Can sign for 36 or 48 hours per week
• Patient Ratios: 1:6
• Weekend Requirement: Every other weekend
• On-call: No
• Floating: Within service line to all Behavioral Health units
• Block Schedule: Not accommodated
• Locals Accepted: No (within 75 mile radius)
• Pending License Accepted: Yes
• Return to Office Restrictions: No more than 7 days
• Guaranteed Hours: 3 shifts per 13 weeks (cancelled shifts must be regular shift length)

Experience & Requirements

• Years of Experience Required: 1 year
• Prior Travel Experience: Not explicitly required; first-time travelers accepted
• Specialty Skills Required:

  • Geriatric care
  • Inpatient care
  • Locked unit experience
  • Medical/Psychiatric care
  • Substance use/chemical dependency
  • Medication administration (PO, rectal, IM, IV, SC, etc.)
  • Starting and maintaining IVs
  • Blood glucose monitoring
  • Foley catheter insertion/maintenance
• Special Requirements:

  • Experience with Epic electronic health record system
  • Medical and psychiatric experience
  • Adult psychiatric and geriatric population (18+ years) with some medical co-morbidities requiring med-surg approach
  • Ability to float to other Behavioral Health units with patients having diagnoses such as dementia, depression, Parkinson's Disease, bipolar disorder, anxiety
  • Pre-op prep for ECT
  • IV starts
  • Presence in milieu
  • Restraint application
  • Willingness to work as charge nurse as needed

Certifications Required

• BLS (Basic Life Support)
• CPI (Crisis Prevention Institute) Blue Card or MAB (Management of Assaultive Behavior) if applicable
• Additional certifications may be required based on unit (e.g., ACLS, PALS, TNCC, NIH Stroke Certification) — verify per unit
• State RN license (Primary Source Verification required)
• IV Certification (if applicable for LPN/LVN)

Compliance & Documentation Requirements

• Government-issued ID (Driver’s License/State ID)
• Criminal Background Check (within 6 months, including statewide and nationwide searches)
• EPLS/GSA/SAM and HHS/OIG checks (quarterly)
• Education Verification (highest nursing education)
• State-specific background checks (Missouri Highway Patrol, MO FCSR, MO EDL, Illinois State Exclusion List if applicable)
• Drug Testing (within 1 year, must include specific panels)
• Physical Exam (within 1 year)
• Fit Mask testing (annual, N95 respirators required)
• Immunizations and health screenings:

  • Tetanus/Diphtheria/Tdap (every 10 years)
  • Negative TB test or chest X-ray (with yearly questionnaire)
  • Measles, Mumps, Rubella, Varicella immunity or vaccination/declination as applicable
  • Flu vaccination or approved exemption during flu season
• Facility-specific documents: HIPAA Acknowledgement, Latex Allergy Questionnaire, Confidentiality Form, Regulatory Compliance Education, Hep B Declination, TB Questionnaire, Hand Hygiene Policy, Fingernail Policy, Dress Code Policy, Orientation Modules (required for all RNs and LVNs)
• Skills Checklist (unit specific, within 1 year of start)
• Competency Exams (medication/pharmacology, dysrhythmia/EKG, unit-specific competency exams)

Facility Highlights

• Type: Short Term Acute Care
• Magnet & Teaching Hospital
• Level I Trauma Center
• Total Staffed Beds: 1259
• Charting System: Epic
• Scrub Color: Navy

Notes

• First-time travelers are accepted but cannot be AO (Agency Only); manager open to interviewing first-timers.
• Must be able to work every other weekend.
• Floating is required within Behavioral Health units.
• Charge nurse duties as needed.
• No on-call required.
• Locals within 75 miles are not accepted.
• Pending licenses accepted.

This position is ideal for RNs with at least 1 year of experience in behavioral health and medical/surgical nursing, comfortable working night shifts in a fast-paced, acute care, psychiatric setting with geriatric and adult patients.