Travel Nurse RN - Psychiatric
Akron, OH
Encode INC
3x12 hrs, Nights
Referral Bonus

Geriatric-Psychiatric Registered Nurse (RN)

Location: Akron Campus
Address: 141 N. Forge St., Akron, OH 44304
Shift: 7:00 PM – 7:30 AM
Schedule: Night Shift
Position: Geriatric-Psychiatric RN

Position Overview:

We are seeking an experienced Geriatric-Psychiatric Registered Nurse (RN) to provide compassionate, safe, and patient-centered care to an older adult population in an inpatient behavioral health setting. The patient population is primarily 60+ years old and includes individuals with dementia, depression, suicidal ideation, and other behavioral health needs.

The unit consists of 16 private rooms and typically maintains a 1:6–7 RN-to-patient ratio. The ideal candidate will have strong psychiatric nursing skills, excellent clinical judgment, and the ability to manage patients with both behavioral health and medical needs.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide comprehensive nursing care to geriatric psychiatric patients, primarily age 60 and older.
• Care for patients with dementia, depression, suicidal ideation, and other behavioral and psychiatric conditions.
• Perform comprehensive psychiatric and medical assessments and continuously monitor patient condition.
• Identify and promptly respond to changes in mental status, behavior, medical condition, or safety risk.
• Administer medications and treatments safely and accurately according to physician orders.
• Draw blood and manage IVs, including IV assessment and maintenance.
• Monitor patients for medication effectiveness, adverse reactions, and changes in clinical status.
• Maintain a safe and therapeutic environment for patients and staff.
• Use appropriate non-crisis intervention and de-escalation techniques when managing challenging behaviors.
• Collaborate with physicians, behavioral health providers, therapists, technicians, and other interdisciplinary team members.
• Maintain accurate and timely documentation in the Epic electronic medical record.
• Utilize Centrak safety badges to support staff safety; understand emergency procedures and promptly activate the system when assistance is required.
• Participate in patient safety, suicide-prevention, fall-prevention, and other behavioral health safety protocols.
• Provide patient and family education and support as appropriate.
• Float within the nurse's scope of practice as needed, including providing support to Medical-Surgical units as a helping hand.
• Participate in required interviews and demonstrate strong communication, teamwork, and clinical judgment.

Unit & Staffing:

• 16 private patient rooms
• Typical patient assignment: 1 RN to 6–7 patients
• Ideal staffing model: 3 RNs and 2 technicians
• Depending on census and patient acuity: 1–3 technicians may be assigned
• Protective Services are available and are dispatched immediately when the safety system is activated.
• Additional Protective Services support is available on the 5th floor.

Required Qualifications

• Active Registered Nurse (RN) license eligible to practice in Ohio.
• Minimum 2 years of RN experience.
• 2+ years of Geriatric-Psychiatric/Behavioral Health experience preferred.
• Experience caring for geriatric patients with dementia, depression, suicidal ideation, or other psychiatric conditions.
• Must be comfortable floating within the RN's scope of practice, including to Medical-Surgical units as a helping hand.
• Strong assessment, communication, critical-thinking, and crisis-management skills.
• Must be able to draw blood and manage IVs.
• BLS required.
• CPI (Crisis Prevention Institute) non-crisis intervention certification required.
• Nursing degree must be from an ACEN- or CCNE-accredited nursing program.
• Epic experience within the past 1 year is required. Resume must clearly identify the facility where Epic was most recently used.

Submission Requirements:

• BLS and CPI certification required at submission.
• RTO must be provided at the time of submission.
• Maximum 7 days of RTO will be accepted.
• No RTO will be accepted during the first two weeks of the assignment.
• Candidates requesting more than 7 days of RTO will be automatically rejected.
• No block schedule requests will be accepted.
• Resume must clearly list Epic experience and the facility where Epic was most recently used.
• Candidate must provide interview availability dates and times at submission.
• Interviews are required for consideration.

Shift Information:

7:00 PM – 7:30 AM

Candidates must be comfortable working the scheduled night shift and meeting the unit's staffing and floating requirements.