Nurse head nurse office / on

Full job description

Are you a Registered Nurse looking for an opportunity to make a difference in the public sector? If so, read below and apply today!

ABOUT US

The State of Connecticut , Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services ( DMHAS ) is a health care agency whose mission is to promote the overall health and wellness of persons with behavioral health needs through an integrated network of holistic, comprehensive, effective, and efficient services and supports that foster dignity, respect, and self-sufficiency in those we serve.

THE POSITION:

We are currently recruiting a dedicated individual to join our team as an Admissions Nurse ( Head Nurse ) within Southwest Connecticut Mental Health System ( SWCMHS ) in Bridgeport.

POSITION SPECIFICS:

• Schedule: Full-Time (40 Hour), Monday - Friday, First Shift (8:00 A.M. - 4:30 P.M.), Every other weekend and rotating holidays
• Facility : Greater Bridgeport Community Mental Health Center ( GBCMHC )
• Units: Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU 1 & PICU 2) & Co-Occurring Treatment Unit (CTU)/Admissions
• Address: 1635 Central Avenue, Bridgeport
• PCNS: 25926

WHAT'S IN IT FOR YOU:

• The opportunity to work for a Forbes top company: 'Forbes' State of Connecticut Ranked One of the Best Employers of 2023- State of CT Receives National Recognition for Offering Job Growth, Competitive Benefits, and Flexible Schedule;
• A Platinum Healthcare Plan, the nation’s best for state employees and dependents, according to a report by Georgetown’s Center on Health Insurance Reform and article by Ellen Andrews, Ph.D., along with comprehensive benefit offerings;
• Extensive pension plan and supplemental retirement offerings;
• Generous paid time off, including 13 paid holidays per calendar year;
• Professional growth and development opportunities;
• Multiple opportunities to pick up extra shifts;
• A healthy work/life balance to all employees; and

• State of Connecticut is an eligible Public Service Loan Forgiveness employer, meaning you may be eligible to have qualifying student loans forgiven after 10 years of service. Click here for more information.

DISCOVER THE OPPORTUNITY TO:

• Establish a relationship with the patient and to reduce any anxiety regarding the hospital admission process;
• Obtain patient's medical and psychiatric history, including obtaining information about allergies, previous illnesses, surgeries, current medications, immunizations and legal status;
• Travel to designated unit to complete patient admission;
• Communicate all pertinent information regarding the patient’s status to the primary nurse, as well as the physician, Nurse supervisor as appropriate;
• Collect admissions information on patients and confirm existing data to submit to provider for clearance;
• Prepare the admission chart and complete nursing documentation;
• May orient and serve as a resource for inpatient nursing on the admission documentation process; and
• Required to float to units as a Head Nurse per facility needs.

OUR MISSION:

The vision of the Southwest Connecticut Mental Health System is to provide high quality, compassionate and culturally competent mental health and substance abuse services to adults with behavioral health disorders who are indigent.

ABOUT THE PROGRAM:

The PICU 1 and PICU 2 each provide 21 beds for residents of Connecticut. Admissions to the psychiatric units are coordinated through a statewide Utilization Management process coordinated by the Office of the Commissioner. Both locked units are responsible for providing treatment for severely and acutely ill psychiatric patients who require a safe, supportive, highly structured hospital level of care. The treatment goals are developed in which the individual can be: stabilized, evaluated, rehabilitated, helped to accept the need for ongoing treatment, and assisted in regaining a level of functioning that will allow the person to be treated in a less restrictive environment or to return to community-based living. PICU treatment staff work closely with community providers to ensure that a smooth transition to the community exists. PICU 1 provides assessment and stabilization, with the emphasis on community reentry. PICU 2 , the extended care unit, focuses on rehabilitation with an emphasis on intense skills building needed for community reintegration.

The Co-Occurring Treatment Unit is a 20 bed, locked inpatient psychiatric unit that provides treatment to individuals with co-occurring illness. The criteria for admission are major mental illness and substance use within six months of admission. The mission of CTU is to provide assessment and psychiatric stabilization as well as education around the clients co-occurring illness. The program model focuses on the inpatient Integrated Dual Disorders Treatment (IDDT) evidence-based practice, focusing concurrently on both psychiatric and substance abuse diagnoses. The treatment goals are similar to the PICU’s.

Start with us. Stay with us. Grow with us.

Selection Plan

FOR ASSISTANCE IN APPLYING:

Please read or watch our Applicant Tips on How to Apply!

Please Note:

For current state employees, salary calculations are not necessarily comparable from one of the three branches of state government (i.e., Executive, Legislative, Judicial) to the other.

FOR THOSE WHO HOLD AN RN LICENSE IN A STATE OTHER THAN CONNECTICUT AND WISH TO APPLY FOR A CONNECTICUT LICENSE, PLEASE:

• Review the eligibility and documentation requirements for CT license by endorsement of an out-of-state license;

• Complete a CT DPH online application online (expand the ‘Public Health Practitioners’ grouping, select ‘Registered Nurse’ and then ‘Start’;

• Request verification of your out-of-state license(s) electronically through the National Council of State Boards of Nursing’s : Nursys® System. To send verification of your license(s) to CT, read and agree to the terms, enter your biographic information, select your license type and select ‘SEARCH’. Review the results and select the ‘Next’ button. Check the box next to ‘Connecticut’ and complete the transaction. Once the transaction is completed, you will receive a confirmation email from Nursys and the verification will be available to the DPH. Note that PA and MI verifications are not provided through Nursys. Please contact those state boards for information on obtaining verification.

Please Note: In order to receive educational credits toward qualification for this job posting, the institution must be accredited. If the institution of higher learning is located outside of the U.S., you are responsible for providing documentation from a recognized USA accrediting service which specializes in determining foreign education equivalencies to the recruiter listed on this job posting.

To Apply:

• In order to be considered for this job opening, you must meet the Minimum Qualifications as listed on the job opening. The minimum experience and training requirements must be met by the close date on the job opening, unless otherwise specified.
• You must specify your qualifications on your application. You will be unable to make revisions once you submit your application for this posting to the JobAps system.
• In order to comply with Public Act 21-69, the State of Connecticut is no longer asking for resumes during the initial application process.
• All application materials must be received by the recruiting agency by the time specified on the job opening for the position for which you are applying. Late applications may not be submitted and will not be considered. Exceptions are rare and limited to documented events that incapacitate a candidate during the entire duration of the job posting time period. It is the candidate’s obligation and responsibility to request an exception and provide a legally recognized justification to accommodate such exception. Requests should be made to .
• This position will be filled in accordance with contractual language, reemployment, SEBAC, transfer, promotion and merit employment rules.

Important Next Step Information for After You Apply:

• Although applicants will receive correspondence via email, as a backup they are also encouraged to sign on to their Personal Status Board on a daily basis to monitor their status, view all emailed notices and complete tasks required in the recruitment process.
• This posting may require completion of additional referral questions (RQs). You can access these RQs via an email that will be sent to you after the posting's closing date or by visiting your JobAps Personal Status Board (Certification Questionnaires section). Your responses to these RQs must be submitted by the question's expiration date. Please regularly check your email and JobAps Personal Status Board for notifications. Please check your SPAM and/or Junk folders on a daily basis in the event an email provider places auto-notification emails in a user's spam.
• Note: At any point during the recruitment process, applicants may be required to submit additional documentation which support their qualification(s) for this position. These documents may include: a cover letter, resume, transcripts, diplomas, performance reviews, attendance records, supervisory references, licensure, etc., at the discretion of the hiring agency.
• The immediate vacancy is listed above, however, applications to this recruitment may be used for future vacancies in this job class.
• Interviews will be limited to candidates whose experience and training most closely meet the requirements of the position.
• Candidates who are offered and accept a position with the State of Connecticut are bound by the State Code of Ethics for Public Officials and State Employees which is available at

Connect With Us:

• Due to the large volume of applications received, we are unable to provide confirmation of receipt or status during the recruitment process.
• Updates will be available through your JobAps portal account. If you have any questions pertaining to this recruitment please contact Nicole Frascatore via email at .

PURPOSE OF JOB CLASS (NATURE OF WORK)

In a state agency this class is accountable for administrative and clinical supervision of professional nurses, paraprofessionals and other staff involving direct nursing care of patients/individuals or performing specialized professional nursing work in the areas of community or therapeutic nursing. At the State Universities or State Vocational Technical Schools this class is accountable for providing primary nursing care for students and facility staff.

EXAMPLES OF DUTIES

WORKING LEAD:

• Leads the planning of care and implementation of the nursing process;
• Plans unit workflow and determines priorities;
• Schedules, assigns, oversees and reviews work;
• Makes recommendations for personnel actions such as selection, discipline and performance; conducts or assist in conducting performance evaluations;
• Leads professional and paraprofessional nursing staff in provision of patient/individual care;
• Maintains and promotes standards of nursing;
• Ensures controlled drugs are properly stored, administered and ordered;
• Identifies staff development needs;
• Provides staff training and assistance;
• Instructs staff regarding policies and procedures;
• Participates in interdisciplinary meetings to promote and ensure adjustment and continuity of patient/individual care programs;
• Responds to emergencies;
• May make recommendations on policies and standards;
• May prepare reports or correspondence;
• May serve as Qualified Intellectual Disability Professional;
• Performs related duties as required.

ADMISSIONS NURSE:

• Establish a relationship with the patient and to reduce any anxiety regarding the hospital admission process;
• Obtaining a patient's medical and psychiatric history can include asking for information about allergies, previous illnesses, surgeries, current medications, immunizations and legal status;
• Will go to designated unit to complete patient admission;
• Communicates all pertinent information regarding the patient’s status to the primary nurse, as well as the physician, Nurse supervisor as appropriate;
• Collect admissions information on patients and confirm existing data to submit to provider for clearance;
• Preparation of the admission chart and complete nursing documentation;
• May orient and serve as a resource for inpatient nursing on the admission documentation process; and
• Will be required to float to units as a Head Nurse per facility needs.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILL AND ABILITY

• Considerable knowledge of
  • and ability to independently apply nursing principles, techniques and standards;
  • specialized patient/individual care applicable to nursing assignment;
  • medications, their actions, interactions, uses and side effects;
• Knowledge of
  • general and mental health conditions and treatment interventions through utilization of assessment, nursing diagnosis, outcome identification, health planning, implementation and re-evaluation;
  • adult learning and family systems theory;
  • and sensitivity to cultural and socio-economic differences;
• Considerable
  • interpersonal skills;
  • oral and written communication skills;
• Ability to
  • establish and maintain collaborative relationships with other professionals, community resources and providers;
  • act as a role model to health care staff;
• Supervisory ability.

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH NURSING POSITIONS:

• Considerable knowledge of behavioral health of individuals;
• Skill working with individual patients/individuals, groups and families;
• Ability to provide therapeutic treatment with a variety of patients/individuals.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - GENERAL EXPERIENCE

Two (2) years of experience as a Registered Professional Nurse

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - SUBSTITUTIONS ALLOWED

A Bachelor’s degree in Nursing may be substituted for one (1) year of the General Experience.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience utilizing strategic planning and time management skills.
• Experience utilizing clear communication and interpersonal competences.
• Experience exhibiting organizational skills in the workplace.
• Experience with providing thorough documentation of history, medications, and present state of clients.
• Experience with providing guidance to co-workers, while acting as a professional role model and resource person.
• Experience with professional nursing principles, procedures, and techniques used in the care and treatment of psychiatric patients.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

• Incumbents in this class must possess and retain a license or temporary permit as a Registered Professional Nurse in Connecticut.
• Incumbents in this class may be required to be fluent in a foreign language or proficient in the use of the American Sign Language in certain designated positions.
• Incumbents in this class may be required to travel.

CHARACTER REQUIREMENTS

In addition to the checking of references and of facts stated in the application, a thorough background investigation of each candidate may be made before persons are certified for permanent appointment.

WORKING CONDITIONS

Incumbents in this class may be required to lift and restrain patients/individuals; may have exposure to communicable/infectious diseases and risk of injury from assaultive/abusive patients/individuals; may be exposed to disagreeable conditions.