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Behavioral Health Nurse Specialist - Senior Level

Schedule: Monday-Friday, Day Shift

Join an amazing team dedicated to providing compassionate, high-quality behavioral health care in a community hospital setting!

We are seeking a full-time salaried Senior Behavioral Health Nurse Specialist to support our Behavioral Health Unit (BHU) at UPMC McKeesport. This role offers the opportunity to collaborate closely with medical professionals and psychiatric providers, ensuring exceptional care for our patients.

Key Responsibilities

+ Partner with medical teams for psychiatric consults and gather collaborative data for psychiatrists.

+ Complete mental health nursing screens and conduct chart reviews and audits.

+ Prepare presentations based on audit findings to support quality improvement.

+ Work with unit management on special projects and assist with initiatives that enhance patient care.

+ Serve as a resource for behavioral health nursing expertise across the unit.

+ Manages and provides patient care activities for a group of patients and their families through the application of independent assessment, judgment, communication and collaboration with all team members.

What Makes This Role Unique

+ Collaborative Environment: Work alongside medical and psychiatric professionals in a dynamic setting.

+ Impactful Work: Contribute to quality improvement and patient outcomes through audits and data-driven initiatives.

+ Community Focus: Be part of a behavioral health unit within a community hospital, making a real difference locally.

Preferences

+ Previous Behavioral Health nursing experience

+ Excellent communication and interpersonal skills

+ Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple projects

Why UPMC McKeesport?

Our Behavioral Health Unit is a cornerstone of care in the community, offering a supportive environment for both patients and staff. You'll join a team that values collaboration, innovation, and professional growth.

Responsibilities:

+ Demonstrates accountability for professional development that improves the quality of professional practice and the quality of patient care. Actively participates in respective councils and committees, , goal setting and supports the change and transition process to improve quality of care and the practice environment. Serves as a highly engaged and full partner on the care team and responds willingly to care team member needs for assistance and partnership. Participates in work that improves patient care and the professional practice environment. Adapts to change and demonstrates flexibility with the change process. Role models that change processes for other Behavioral Health Nurse Specialists and for dissemination of education and support to nursing teams for the care of BH patients

+ Applies the nursing process within the framework of Relationship Based Care to create a recovery oriented and healing environment. Formulates daily objectives and collaborates on creating a plan of care for patients that involves the patient as partner and considers the individual needs of the patient in a holistic manner. Demonstrates critical thinking in the identification of clinical, social, safety, psychological and spiritual issues for the patient care within an episode of care. Practices solid communication skills and can articulate and translate the patient's condition to other care providers and to negotiate and make recommendations for changes in patient care and management. Patient documentation is comprehensive and promotes communication between caregivers. Incorporates national professional organization as well as business unit and health system's goals to improve patient safety, quality and satisfaction. Creates a caring and compassionate patient focused experience by building healing relationships with patients, families and colleagues.

+ Demonstrates knowledge of adult learning principles and applies in education of patients, families, students and new staff. Provides detailed and appropriate education to patients and families to effectively guide them through the episode of care as well as transition to another level of care and/or home. Supports the development of students, new staff and colleagues, may serve as a preceptor. Creates and maintains a collaborative environment of open dialogue, inquiry and continuous development by asking for feedback and improving practice.

+ Actively participates in department or quality improvement efforts. Identifies opportunity for quality improvement to colleagues and management. Identifies research issues or articles related to clinical specialty or areas of interest, discusses opportunities for quality improvement at multidisciplinary rounds, and influences patients' plans of care.

+ Develops and maintains productive working relationships internally and externally by demonstrating accountability for actions, enthusiasm, motivation and commitment to patients and colleagues. Demonstrates an understanding of cultural differences and holds peers accountable for healthy and respective inclusive relationships. Maintains a conscious balance between work and personal life. Models safe work hours, time management and healthy lifestyle. Communicates with peers and management any safety hazards identified in the workplace.

+ Nurse has a strong knowledge of psychiatric diagnoses and be able to differentiate diagnosis on assigned patients. Monitors psychiatric, medical, psychosocial status of assigned team. Provides education and consultation regarding psychiatric treatment, management, and psychopharmacology, and consultative process or staff. Provides patient/family education around psychiatric medication/diagnosis as needed. Provides routinely scheduled staff education on clinical issues. Participate as an integral professional member of a multidisciplinary team. Assist with coordinating plan of care and discharge/transfer as needed. Participates in patient rounding/patient consults. Monitors and tracks commitment status and collaborates with others. Has knowledge of psychiatric diagnosis and able to differentiate diagnosis on assigned patients. Initiates or reviews clinical documentation of all assigned patient and collaborates with the team, staying engaged in care planning and/or behavioral management support. Works with team and pharmacy to acquire medication prior authorization as needed. Attend family meetings as needed or interacts with families as needed. Reviews medical H & P, progress notes and summarize medical course. Performs psychiatric review of symptoms. Completes or reviews medical reconciliation a needed. Obtain collateral information from families and team. Assess for medication side effects ongoing which may include EPS, NMS, Serotonin Syndrome, Lithium toxicity, etc.

+ Completes Drug and Alcohol inventory and assesses for any withdrawal symptoms. Reviews labs and documents any remarkable significant results. Completes physical exam as needed assessing for any abnormal movements, rigidity, cog-wheeling, weakness, gait problems. Completes violence, suicide, and homicide risk assessments and reassessments. Summarizes cases and pulls together findings in impression including lethality assessment. Offer preliminary recommendations in conjunction with attending psychiatrist especially re: any immediate safety needs and notify appropriate staff and engages safety planning efforts. Communicates all pertinent ongoing results to the psychiatrist. Check for resolution/worsening of any identified problems i.e. delirium. Completes follow-up visits as needed and clinically appropriate. Assists with facilitating transfers as needed.

+ Minimum 2 years of nursing experience required. BSN preferred.

+ Annual completion of 2 professional contributions selected from department, hospital or system goals, and approved by Unit Director OR certification and 1 professional contribution selected from department, hospital or system goals, and approved by Unit Director as set forth through UPMC's My Nursing Career Ladder. Certification not required if Master's in nursing or DNP is held. If a BSN is held, a Master's degree in a related field may be substituted in lieu of Certification.Licensure, Certifications, and Clearances:Current licensure as a Registered Professional Nurse either in the state where the facility is located or in a state covered by a licensure compact agreement with the state where the facility is located. UPMC approved nursing certification preferred. Annual completion of 2 professional contributions selected from department, hospital or system goals, and approved by your Unit Director OR certification and 1 professional contribution selected from department, hospital or system goals, and approved by your Unit Director as set forth through UPMC's My Nursing Career Ladder. Certification not required if master's in nursing or DNP is held.

+ CPR required based on AHA standards that include both a didactic and skills demonstration component within 30 days of hire.

+ Comprehensive Crisis Management is required 30 days from date of hire with annual renewal prior to expiration date.

+ Act 31/33/34/73 clearances.

+ Basic Life Support (BLS) OR Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)

+ Registered Nurse (RN) OR Temporary Practice Permit (TPP)

*Current licensure either in the state where the facility is located or, if the facility is in a state covered by the multistate Nursing Licensure Compact (NLC) agreement, a multistate license issued by a participating NLC state. Hires and current employees working on an out-of-state NLC license who later change their residency to the state where the facility is also located will have 60 days upon changing their residency to apply for licensure within that state.

UPMC is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Disability/Veteran