Job Description

For over 125 years, Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens has been providing quality social services to the neighborhoods of Brooklyn and Queens and currently offers 160-plus programs and services for children, youth, adults, seniors, and those struggling with mental illness.

The CCNS Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) team is a multi-disciplinary team that delivers comprehensive and effective services to individuals who are diagnosed with severe mental illness and whose needs have not been well met by more traditional service delivery approaches. Treatment and services are delivered to individuals in their home and community. ACT is an evidence-based practice and provides an integrated set of other evidence-based treatment, rehabilitation, case management, and support services delivered by this mobile, multi-disciplinary mental health treatment team.

STATEMENT OF THE JOB

The Registered Nurse (RN) is responsible for conducting psychiatric assessments; assessing physical health needs; making appropriate referrals to community physicians; providing management and administration of medication in conjunction with the psychiatrist; providing a range of treatment, rehabilitation, and support services. This includes assessing psychiatric and physical health needs; making appropriate referrals to community physicians; providing management and administration of medication in conjunction with the psychiatrist and psychiatric nurse practitioner; providing a range of treatment, rehabilitation, and support services. The RN is part of the multi-disciplinary team and is responsible for delivering intensive in-home and community-based services to individuals living with severe mental illness, whom have a treatment history characterized by frequent use of psychiatric hospitalization and emergency rooms, involvement with the criminal justice system, alcohol/substance abuse, and lack of engagement in traditional outpatient services. The role will involve delivery community-based assessment and treatment of clients, and crisis management. The RN will perform a wide variety of tasks related to the care, support, education, socialization, habilitation, recovery/healing, safety, security, and support of clients served. The RN will provide interventions supportive to or restorative of life and well-being; and execute medical regimens prescribed by a physician, PNP or another licensed health care provider. The role will require on call coverage and a willingness to be flexible.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Work collaboratively with ACT team members and function as a vital part of an interdisciplinary and multi-disciplinary community-based treatment team.Responsible for providing services to clients in their home environment, community settings, provider offices and additional locations as needed.
• Responsible for providing direct treatment and support services to clients with psychiatric diagnoses, co-occurring substance use, chronic physical health problems and complex social needs.
• Conduct weekly visits to clients to assess health status.
• Conduct physical health assessments, assessing the health needs of clients and make appropriate referrals to community based medical care.
• Consult and coordinate with healthcare team members to assess, plan, implement, or evaluate care plans. Recommend health objectives for client’s service plans.
• Implement all direction from Psychiatrist and PNP regarding medical treatments and medication orders.
• Manage and administer medication and injections; coordinate and deliver medications to the client’s residence.
• Monitor vital signs and side effects of medications and reports findings to the PNP, Psychiatrist and team. Follow-up and monitor lab results for any indications of change for medication and toxicology; communicate such change(s) to the psychiatrist and PNP.
• Utilize motivational interviewing techniques and a person-centered, recovery-oriented framework in individual and group-based health counseling.
• Provide supervision to LPN.
• Meet monthly required levels of treatment contacts with at least 80% of contacts occurring in the community.
• Completes and signs progress notes, nursing assessments, incident reports, and other required documentation in accordance to the New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH) regulations, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) guidelines, and Medicaid billing standards and regulations.
• Provides emergency care and crisis intervention as needed.
• Participate in 24/7 on-call rotation and crisis response.

SPECIFICATIONS FOR EDUCATION/CERTIFICATIONS/LICENSES

• Associate’s Degree in Nursing or equivalent
• Bachelor’s Degree Preferred
• License and current registration to practice as a Registered Nurse in New York State

SPECIFICATIONS FOR EXPERIENCE AND TRAINING

• One-year post RN licensure clinical nursing experience working with individuals with behavioral health needs preferred.
• Experience providing community-based treatment to individuals living with severe mental illness preferred.
• Bilingual Spanish speaking, preferred.
• Knowledge of professional nursing concepts, principles and practices.
• Knowledge of abnormal signs and symptoms relating to physical and mental illness, as well as indicators of wellness.
• Knowledge of medications and drugs, common dosages, their psychological, physical and physiological effects and possible adverse reactions.
• Ability to recognize changes in signs and symptoms that warrant the immediate action of a physician.
• Ability to develop, evaluate, implement and modify a plan of nursing intervention to meet the needs of individual clients.
• Excellent oral, writing and communication skills.
• Free from present litigation that could result in loss of licensure.
• Excellent use of technology and Microsoft Office products.
• Ability to perform skillfully, communicates clearly, discuss assessments with clients.

SPECIFICATIONS FOR PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

• Ability to work flexible hours and days – including weekends/evenings/holidays according to needs of a 24/7 program.
• Regularly required to talk, hear, walk, stand & sit.
• Able to lift up to 10 pounds.
• Able to climb stairs and make home visits.
• Able to stretch and bend to retrieve files.
• Able to operate a computer keyboard, mouse, & office equipment.
• Able to sit and work on the computer for long periods of time.
• Able to travel to multiple locations as needed.

BENEFITS

We offer competitive salary and excellent benefits including:

• Generous time off (Vacation/ Personal Days/ Sick Days/ Paid Holidays annually)
• Medical,
• Dental
• Vision
• Retirement Savings with Agency Match
• Transit
• Flexible Spending Account
• Life insurance
• Public Loan Forgiveness Qualified Employer
• Training Series and other additional voluntary benefits.

For more information on our organization, please visit our website at:

www.ccbq.org EOE/AA.