Registered Nurse (RN) - OTN

Days Off: Saturday, Sunday

Shift: Day   (9am to 5pm)

Insurance Benefits: Dental, Life, Long-term Disability, Medical (no premiums/payroll deductions for employee coverage)

Other Benefits: Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Flexible Spending Account (FSA), ORCA  card subsidy, Paid Time Off (34 days per year), Retirement Plan 

Union Representation: This position is a part of a union and is represented by SEIU Healthcare 1199NW.

About DESC:

Recognized nationally as an innovator and leader in developing solutions to homelessness, DESC is a social services organization, supportive housing  operator, and licensed behavioral health treatment provider focused on  meeting the needs of people experiencing long-term homelessness and living with complex behavioral health and other medical conditions. Approximately 3,000 people are actively receiving services from DESC at  any given point in time. Our vision is a community where all people are  shown compassion, treated with dignity, and everyone has a safe, stable,  and affordable place to call home.

DESC operates five shelter/emergency housing programs,19 permanent supportive housing  facilities with over 1,750 units, several hundred additional scattered site apartments, and a range of behavioral health services including outpatient mental health and substance use disorder treatment, residential crisis stabilization, street outreach, mobile crisis  response, and treatment for opioid use disorder. 

JOB DEFINITION:

The Registered Nurse (RN) provides and coordinates care for individuals suffering from opioid use disorder in DESC’s low-barrier buprenorphine program. The RN acts as a member of an interdisciplinary team to provide buprenorphine services to our community’s most vulnerable population, many of which are experiencing homelessness, mental illness and a range of comorbidities. This position provides the opportunity to participate in community engagement in shelters, encampments and permanent supportive housing. The RN will provide client-centered care through the lens of harm reduction and trauma-informed care. Work is done under the supervision of the Nursing Supervisor and Nurse Manager at DESC’s 216 James St. Clinic.  

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Coordinate a low barrier office-based opioid replacement treatment program focused on a population of clients who have difficulty accessing traditional buprenorphine services. Integrate care with a multidisciplinary team of psychiatric providers, nurses, substance use professionals, peer support specialists, mental health case managers and primary care providers. 
• Participate in contingency-management and ongoing care coordination for individuals with stimulant-use disorder. 
• Assess and monitor patients in induction, stabilization, and maintenance phases of treatment with clients wanting buprenorphine or intramuscular naltrexone, using an approach that is patient-centered and includes harm reduction strategies and motivational interviewing in a non-traditional setting. 
• Provide counseling and education about treatment options to clients and work together with them to set and monitor goals. 
• Follow state and federal guidelines, as well as program-specific policies and procedures for opioid dependent patients in a collaboration with prescribing providers and dispensing pharmacies. 
• Provide screening, counseling and care coordination for both HIV and Hepatitis C.
• Ability to use critical thinking, clinical judgment, patience and flexibility in frequent contacts with clients.  
• Have strong communication and customer service skills.  
• Demonstrate leadership ability as well as using interdisciplinary team concepts. 
• Provide ongoing assessment of mental status and the positive impact and side effects of treatment. 
• Be available for drop-in clients as well as those with scheduled visits, keep posted hours, and perform community outreach. 
• Assess clients for a range of health care needs and facilitate linkage and on-going connection to relevant urgent, primary and specialty health services to ensure continuity of care. Advocate for patients’ access to a variety of community resources and services. 
• Collaborate closely with other DESC services, particularly substance use disorder staff. 
• Consult and collaborate with community providers to ensure continuity of care and that patients’ needs are being met, and rights maintained. 
• Provide nursing services and basic wound care.
• Serve as an educational resource and provide consultation for DESC staff. 
• Participate in psychiatric consultation, supervision, program meetings and in-service trainings. 
• Comply with the agency’s clinical accountability policies and procedures; maintain current and complete clinical records; participate in quality assurance reviews. 
• Participate in verbal de-escalation and crisis interventions in emergent situations and be willing and able to assist other staff as needed to maintain a safe and secure environment. 
• Other duties as assigned by the Nursing Supervisor, Nurse Manager or Medical Director.  

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Registered Nurse, licensed in the State of Washington, in good standing. If licensed under the Nurse Licensure Compact Multistate License (NLC MSL), compliance with RCW 71.12.740 and NLC MSL Rule 402.2 is a condition of employment.
• Interest or experience in working with clients who are difficult to engage and maintain in traditional mental health programs. 
• Be able to pass a Washington State Criminal background check. 
• Knowledge of Harm Reduction strategies. 
• Ability to relate to a wide range of people, demonstrate highly developed communication skills, and have a desire to serve homeless, mentally ill clients. 
• Ability to remain open and receptive to constructive feedback. 
• Ability to work effectively with clients displaying a wide range of challenging behaviors 
• Ability to communicate and work effectively with staff from diverse backgrounds. 
• Subscribe to the philosophy of harm reduction and trauma-informed care.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Knowledge and skill in working with co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders; with homeless or formerly homeless individuals; and crisis intervention and stabilization experience. 
• Familiarity with Recovery Principles, Crisis Intervention and Stabilization, Integrated Treatment of Co-occurring Disorders, Intensive Case Management, Illness Management, and relevant Evidenced based/Emerging best practices. 
• Bachelor of Nursing degree. 
• Bilingual in Spanish/English. 

Strong applicants are able to demonstrate the ability to be positive in their empathetic responses to all persons; understand the value of meaningful and deep client engagement; and value a non-judgmental response to sensitive issues. Candidates should be able to accept feedback and work in a highly collaborative and sometimes stressful environment. 

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

The physical demands  described here are representative of those that must be met by an  employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with  disabilities to perform the essential functions. While  performing the duties of this job, the employee will be required sit for  long periods of time, communicate with other persons by talking and  hearing, required to lift and carry items weighing up to 25 pounds and  to operate computer hardware systems. Specific vision abilities required  by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision,  peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER:

DESC is committed to diversity in the workplace and promotes equal  employment opportunities for all staff members and applicants. The  Agency will not discriminate against any employee or applicant  for employment on the basis of race, creed, color, sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, national origin, caste, marital status, or the  presence of any sensory, mental or physical disability in any  employment practice, unless based on a bona fide occupational  qualification. Minorities and veterans are encouraged to apply.