Behavioral Health RN
Kansas City, Missouri
Research Psychiatric Center

Registered Nurse – Behavioral Health

Location: Kansas City, Missouri
Employment Type: Travel
Contract Length: 13 weeks
Hours per Week: 36 hours

Unit and Patient Population

• Units include: Adolescent (ages 12-18), Serenity (lower acuity adult), Intensive Treatment Unit (higher acuity adult with thought disorders), Senior Adult (SRAD), and VINE (lower acuity adult).
• Number of beds by unit: ADOL 18, Serenity 24, ITU 32, SRAD 16, VINE 9
• Nurse-to-patient ratio: 1 nurse per 8 patients
• Mental Health Technician ratio: 1 per 12 patients

Job Responsibilities

• Assess patients’ mental health status, recognizing psychiatric disorders, substance use, and behavioral problems through patient histories, observation, and diagnostic tools.
• Develop individualized care plans tailored to mental health and behavioral needs, including goal setting, intervention implementation, and outcome evaluation.
• Administer and monitor psychiatric medications, including awareness of psychotropic medication side effects and adverse reactions.
• Provide crisis intervention, including de-escalation techniques and medication management for patients in immediate distress (e.g., suicidal ideation, aggression).
• Perform ongoing monitoring of physical and psychological symptoms, including vital signs and mental status changes.
• Utilize therapeutic communication skills to build trust and rapport with patients through active listening and empathy.

Work Environment and Scheduling

• Coverage required for three 12-hour shifts daily, seven days a week, including weekends.
• Days off are not guaranteed unless specified in the contract.
• Floating policy: staff may be assigned to units based on greatest need.
• Documentation system used: Meditech.

Required Qualifications

• Valid Registered Nurse (RN) license in Missouri
• Minimum 2 years of behavioral health nursing experience, with behavioral health experience within the last year
• Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) or Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN)
• Current Basic Life Support (BLS) certification
• Current Crisis Prevention Intervention (CPI) certification

Patient Care Philosophy

• Adherence to ICARE values: Integrity, Compassion, Always, Respect.
• Use of AIDET communication framework: Acknowledge, Introduce, Duration, Explanation, Thank You to enhance patient experience.

Dress Code

• Nurses wear blue uniforms.

No prior travel experience is explicitly required for this position.