Psychiatric Nurse

IMPORTANT NOTICE:

Arlington County requires all applicants to thoroughly complete each section of the application, including prior job responsibilities, duties, and supplemental questions. While you may attach a resume, it will not replace a completed application. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Please note: This position includes a $2,500.00 gross signing bonus at hire and $2,500.00 gross bonus at the completion of the probationary period.

Arlington County's Department of Human Services (DHS) is hiring an experienced Psychiatric Nurse in the Crisis Intervention Center (CIC) of the Behavioral Healthcare Division (BHD). The Psychiatric Nurse will work both independently and as part of a cooperative team, collaborating with doctors, nurses, clinicians, police, and deputies to provide services to clients. The position will support office-based crisis assessments and stabilization services, mobile crisis response, assist with medical triage and monitoring, as well as serving as a liaison with on-call medical and psychiatric providers. The program aims to provide crises services in the least restrictive environment to de-escalate crisis situations and prevent future crises. Services are offered which are trauma-informed, culturally competent, strengths-based, needs-driven, and are responsive, adaptive, and respectful.

The Crisis Intervention Center/ Emergency Services (ES) provides mental health assessments (in the office, in the home, or in the community), crisis interventions, stabilization, support, short-term counseling, on-call psychiatric services, follow-up services, and Critical Incident Stress Management services. Crisis specialist staff must be patient, calm, understanding, inquisitive, and convincing, while often working under pressure and for long extended hours to ensure the safety of everyone involved. CIC/ES provides services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

To learn more about our services, please visit Crisis Intervention Center

Specific duties include:

* Conducting health screenings and medical triage for individuals present at the CIC;
* Overseeing the monitoring, medication administration, and medical services provided to clients while in the crisis intervention center and/or admitted to office-based crisis stabilization services;
* Performing comprehensive clinical diagnostic assessments and risk analysis to coordinate primary care integration using evidence-based models;
* Conducting point of care testing including vital signs, urine drug screens, and breathalyzer tests;
* Facilitating and coordinating psychiatric and medical treatment with on-call medical providers;
* Referring clients to community-appropriate resources for further assessment and to promote client well-being;
* Riding along with ES to respond to and prevent behavioral health crises;
* Serving as a resource person in crisis management for DHS and community agencies;
* Documenting client online records, clinical logs, and diagnostic reviews to meet local, state, federal, and agency requirements; and
* Organizing clinical material for peer review and supervisory discussions.

The successful candidate will have a desire and ability to work under uncertain conditions and for unknown hours; possess assessment skills, critical thinking; a working knowledge of co-morbid medical conditions in the chronically mentally ill and/or dual diagnosed; proven success working both independently and as part of a team; and outstanding communication skills to work under extreme stress with behaviorally dysregulated clients and confused and overwhelmed families.

Arlington County DHS is committed to delivering client services in an effective, equitable, respectful, and trauma-informed manner. Our staff is dedicated to ensuring our clients are approached, engaged, and cared for in ways that demonstrate competency, sensitivity, and awareness of factors that impact the client experience including but not limited to: cultural identity, gender, racial, and ethnic diversity, religious/spiritual ascription, physical capability, cognitive and literacy levels, sexual orientation, and linguistic needs.

Minimums:

* Bachelor's degree in Nursing from an accredited college or university; and
* Considerable experience providing nursing care in a psychiatric setting serving clients with mental health, substance abuse or developmental disabilities.

Substitution: Education may be substituted by additional directly related experience on a year-for-year basis

Licenses/Certifications: Must be licensed as a Registered Nurse in the Commonwealth of Virginia or by endorsement from another state to practice professional nursing in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Desirables: Preference may be given to candidates with:

* Community or inpatient psychiatric experience.
* Experience performing technical nursing procedures, administering medications, and developing solutions that integrate the client's primary care status with the client's psychiatric treatment goals; and
* Emergency Services prescreen certification.

Applicant must possess, or obtain by time of appointment, a valid motor vehicle operator's license from the applicant's place of residence or the applicant must have the ability and willingness to use alternative methods of transportation to perform assigned duties and responsibilities at locations other than the primary worksite. The applicant must authorize Arlington County to obtain, or the applicant must provide a copy of the applicant's official state/district driving record. Any offer of employment may be contingent upon a favorable review of the applicant's driving record.

A pre-employment criminal records check will be conducted. It may include checks of the following: criminal record, driving record, education, professional licensure, and credit history. You may be required to sign a release authorizing the County to obtain your background information.

Must complete pre-hire federal background check and State of Virginia Central Registry check.

Work Hours:

40 hours per week from 3:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m. including evenings, holidays, and weekends depending upon the needs of the agency.

Employment restrictions: To ensure that dual relationships are avoided and that employees who are also clients do not relate to their service provider as co-professionals, employees will not be hired by the County to provide or support services to the team or program in which they are current clients:

* You cannot concurrently receive behavioral health services from Arlington County Community Service Board (CSB) programs while employed in an Arlington County CSB program (exception Crisis Intervention services).
* At least 24 months must have passed between receipt of CSB services from Arlington County and employment in an Arlington County CSB program.

Please complete the application in its entirety with relevant work history, education, and complete dates of employment. Your responses to the supplemental questionnaire are considered part of the selection process. Please do not enter "see resume" as a response to the questions. Each section of the application must be completed. A resume may be attached; however, it will not substitute for the completed application. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

This recruitment may be used to fill similar future vacancies of which some may have Bilingual requirements. A language proficiency examination would be successfully completed before an employee is appointed to a bilingual position.

This position is part of an alternative pay program that includes career paths and pay-for-performance elements. Starting pay within the band is based on a review of qualifications and experience. Pay potential will be based on performance and development.

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