Mental Health Nurse Practitioner

Job Summary:

In coordination with the physician, the Mental Health Nurse Practitioner is responsible for providing medical services to inmates of the Department of Corrections consistent with community standards of care.  The position is 2 hours a week.

Skills and Abilities:

• Advanced clinical assessment skills, including psychiatric evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment planning
• Strong knowledge of psychopharmacology and ability to safely prescribe and manage medications within scope of licensure
• Ability to deliver patient-centered mental health care in accordance with community standards and correctional healthcare regulations
• Excellent clinical judgment and decision-making skills in both routine and high-acuity situations
• Proficiency in ordering, interpreting, and acting upon diagnostic tests and clinical data
• Strong documentation skills, including accurate and timely electronic health record (EHR) entries
• Effective communication and collaboration skills when working with physicians, nurses, mental health professionals, and custody staff
• Ability to educate patients on diagnoses, treatment plans, medications, and ongoing care
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, secure environment
• High level of professionalism, discretion, and adherence to ethical and legal standards, including HIPAA and PREA compliance

• Commitment to ongoing professional development and evidence-based practice

Performance Expectations:

• Performs and documents patient evaluation, including taking the patient’s history and conducting a physical examination
• Orders and interprets diagnostic tests
• Writes orders for medical medications and treatments, under guidelines of licensure
• May perform invasive procedures as necessary
• Dictates discharge summaries and transfer orders
• Maintains and follows patient care protocols
• Works with members of the healthcare team in educating the patients of their medical care
• Continually updates clinical knowledge and skills through consultation, formal and informal education and review of literature for the benefit of themselves as well as for the healthcare team
• All other duties as assigned. 

Qualifications

Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in nursing from an accredited Nurse Practitioner program with a psychiatric/mental health focus
• Current and unrestricted Nurse Practitioner or Advanced Practice Nurse license in the applicable state
• National certification as a Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP)
• Experience providing direct patient care as a Nurse Practitioner
• Current prescriptive authority, including DEA registration as required
• Previous experience in correctional healthcare, behavioral health, or a comparable clinical setting preferred
• Current BLS (Basic Life Support) certification; ACLS preferred if required by facility
• Ability to meet all credentialing, background, and security clearance requirements for a correctional facility.

Functional Demands:

• Ability to pass all required health and other screening tests.
• May be required to work nights, weekend, and holidays
• On-call duty may be required (available to work on short notice).
• Organizational Expectations:
• Provides a positive and professional representation of CFG Health Systems, LLC.
• Promotes culture of safety for patients and employees through proper identification, reporting documentation, and prevention.
• Maintains competency and knowledge of current standards of practice, trends, and developments in related scope of job role or practice.
• Adheres to infection control policies and protocols, medication administration and storage procedures, and controlled substance regulations.
• Participate in ongoing quality improvement activities.
• Completes required orientation as directed by facility
• Follows facility and OSHA safety rules and procedures while on assignment
• Follows facility and CFG Health Systems Occurrence Protocol
• Upholds HIPAA and PREA regulations
• Punctual and dependent for assigned/confirmed shifts
• Maintains security clearance for the assigned facility
• Conforms to dress code
• Reports to work site at designated time

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 accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand, walk, and talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls; reach with hands and arms; and climb or balance. The employee is occasionally required to sit and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

I have read the above job description and agree to perform the responsibilities as described above. I understand that this job description is intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed. It is not intended to serve as an exhaustive list of all duties, skills and responsibilities required of personnel as classified.