Psychiatric RN
Bismarck, North Dakota
CHI Saint Alexius Health

Psych RN

Location: Bismarck, North Dakota

Contract: 13 weeks Shift: Nights, 12-hour shifts (36 hours/week) Shift options: 7a-7p, 7p-7a, 7a-3p, 3p-11p, 11p-7a Scheduling: Self-scheduled by seniority (union hospital); manager balances schedules and will try to accommodate block scheduling Weekends and holidays: Every other Call/standby: None Floating: Throughout the hospital as helping hands or 1:1s Orientation: 2 unit-specific 12-hour shifts Scrub color/dress code: Any color except maroon; business casual Radius restriction: Must live within 50 miles. Candidates may not hold full-time, part-time, or PRN positions with any system-affiliated facility. Time off: Requests must be submitted upfront, with 7 or fewer days off per 13-week contract. Additional time off will not be approved, including requests made after submission. Process: Profile review followed by manager interview

Required Qualifications

• Basic Life Support (BLS) certification
• Experience: Acute/inpatient or state hospital experience
• Good de-escalation and strong communication skills
• Comfortable working with first-time travelers (listed under "Must have" in the source)

Preferred Qualifications

• Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI) certification
• Adolescent experience

Unit Overview

• Locked unit on the 4th floor
• 25 licensed beds; currently 3 adult beds and 6 adolescent beds in use
• Only child/adolescent inpatient unit in the region
• Staff have access to emergency buttons for code blue, hospital security, and code yellow (extra staff support), and a life safety desk

Patient Population and Acuity

• Adolescents and adults, separated by a door. Travelers may work with peds one shift and adults the next.
• Common diagnoses: depression, anxiety, substance abuse (including alcohol and other substances), psychosis, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, other behavioral or personality disorders, and rare opioid withdrawal (medically cleared)
• Nurse-to-patient ratios: 3:1 for adults (currently; may go up to 7 patients) and 6:1 for adolescents
• Very rare IV therapy. IV experience is not required but is welcomed.
• Mechanical restraints (rarely) and seclusion are used.

Clinical Support

• Mental health techs/aids: 2 qualify when the unit is full at 9 patients
• Occupational therapy Monday through Friday, plus an OT assistant and social work
• Respiratory therapy is in-house and comes to the unit; provides CPAP/BiPAP at night and some oxygen support
• No telemetry/monitor techs on this unit
• Charge nurse or house supervisor coverage is not always present; someone fills those duties, and travelers are not usually expected to take the charge role.

Role Expectations

• Expect nurses to be active participants: assisting with 15-minute rounds and staying involved in patient care rather than sitting at the nurses' station.
• Helpful attributes: patience and being slow to anger

Other Details

• Workplace violence prevention training is listed in the source.