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.

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

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.
 

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;
• 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.

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.