Salary 

$115,885.12 - $139,694.88 Annually

 Bilingual allowance when applicable

 Special Duty Assignment allowance of 10%

Night Shift and Weekend differential

New Hire Incentive: The County may provide reimbursement for reasonable relocation expenses, and, at the discretion of the department, can provide flexible relocation assistance and/or cash incentives in the interest of attracting the best talent to the organization.

The Behavioral Wellness Department is currently accepting applications to fill one (1) Psychiatric Nurse Senior position with the Psychiatric Health Facility (PHF) in Santa Barbara.

The Psychiatric Health Facility (PHF) is a free standing Acute Psychiatric Inpatient Hospital. PHF is a 16-bed, locked facility that provides 24-hour, 7 day a week inpatient care to individuals 18 and older requiring psychiatric hospitalization. Incumbents in this class work as a member of an interdisciplinary team providing assessment, prevention, intervention, treatment to people with mental illness, and/or co-occurring conditions. 

We are accepting applications to establish one employment list to fill full-time and part-time Psychiatric Nurse, Senior vacancies for the Behavioral Wellness Department. To be considered for a specific location, you must check the individual Location(s) on the application where you would be willing to accept an assignment. The selected candidate may need to travel between different sites within Santa Barbara County. The operational area may include Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, Lompoc, Los Olivos, Santa Mara, and Santa Ynez.

ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT: Founded in 1962, it is the mission of the Department of Behavioral Wellness to promote the prevention of and recovery from mental illness and addiction among individuals, families and communities, by providing effective leadership and delivering state-of-the-art, culturally competent services. The Department provides treatment, rehabilitation, and support services to 10,000 clients with mental illness and substance use disorders annually through its professional staff of over 400, in addition to its many contracted Community-Based Organization (CBO) providers.

For more information, please visit:  www.countyofsb.org/behavioral-wellness.

THE POSITION: The candidate selected for this position will, under direction, assist the Psychiatric Nursing Supervisors in providing direction and training to staff, perform related duties as required and may also provide professional psychiatric nursing care to acutely and chronically ill patient(s).
  
DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS: This is a lead class and is distinguished from Psychiatric Nurse II in that the major functions of the Senior class involve assisting the Psychiatric Nursing Supervisors in planning and organizing training for nursing staff, evaluating/auditing clinic activities and documentation, acting in the supervisor's absence.
  
 In this position the candidate may work irregular hours or have an alternative work schedule (shifts may be a 4/10 work week or may be up to twelve (12) hours, rotating days, nights, weekends, and holidays). Possession of a valid California Class C Driver's License may be required at the time of appointment.
  
The Ideal Candidate will have:

• Excellent oral and written communication. 
• Experience with patients diagnosed with severe and persistent mental illness. 
• Experience working in forensics, detox, acute health and/or emergency settings.
• Experience supervising nursing staff.
• Experience working as the lead of a multi-disciplinary team. 
• Have the ability to work with hostile or challenging patients.
• Proficient in advanced computer skills. 
• Ability to read, write, converse fluently in English. Spanish preferred but not required.
• Experience working with electronic health records.

1. Conducts new employee training, orients them to departmental policies and procedures and mental health laws and regulations, and completes a daily checklist for each completed training activity; analyzes and evaluates the need for staff training, such as training in managing patients' assaultive behavior.
2. Evaluates staff assignments and staff-patient interaction in order to reduce stress levels; coaches staff in specialized areas in order to improve the level of care; develops improved charting methods; arranges for and provides continuing education required for proper licensure of nursing staff.
3. Makes recommendations regarding changes to nursing services and PHF activities and assists in developing and implementing policies and procedures.
4. Leads nursing education groups to assist patients in understanding the nature of emotional and physical problems.
5. Participate in departmental and team meetings to discuss patient care and progress, shift activity, and program policies and procedures.
6. Acts as a lead RN, on an occasional basis, for assigned shifts; plans, assigns, and reviews the work of other licensed nursing staff and recovery assistants.
7. Observes assigned patients daily to identify, interpret, and document physical and emotional status and/or patterns, such as assaultive or suicidal behavior and response to treatment or medication; as lead of the multi-disciplinary team, facilitates the developing and implementing individualized patient treatment plans based on observations; provides crisis intervention to those individuals experiencing acute episodes.
8. Obtains medical, psychiatric, social histories of new admissions; takes and records vital signs; obtains lab specimens; assists physicians with exams; schedules and arranges for special tests; maintains charts and logs; monitors supplies; performs basic nursing medical tasks. Administers psychotropic medications to patients, monitors use, and documents reactions; instructs patients on the purpose, dosage and side effects of medication, and explains the legal process related to the patient's refusal to take prescribed medication.

In order to be considered for this position, applicants must provide detailed information on their application to demonstrate how they meet the employment standards (minimum qualifications) listed below:
 
Possession of a valid Registered Nurse license issued by the California State Board of Registered Nursing; AND

1. Two (2) years of nursing experience in an acute care psychiatric or outpatient community mental health facility OR,
2. A combination of training, education, and experience that is equivalent to the employment standard listed above and that provides the required knowledge and abilities.

Knowledge of:  the laws and regulations pertaining to psychiatric nursing; the various methods, techniques, and procedures used in psychiatric nursing; the uses and effects of psychotropic drugs and narcotics; patient safety practices and facility security; theories, principles, and techniques of group and individual psychotherapy; symptoms and behavior patterns of emotionally disturbed and mentally ill patients; mental health community resources and services; the principles, practices, and laws of professional nursing; health education and interviewing and counseling techniques; common illnesses, diseases, disabilities, injuries, and nutrition; medical equipment operation; supervisory practices. Basic English grammar and usage; characteristics of human behavior; and safe driving practices.
  
Ability to:  plan, organize, and evaluate the work of nursing and support staff, and facility activities; identify and make recommendations regarding operational problems; develop and conduct staff training; explain mental health laws and regulations; observe emotional and physical behavior; evaluate and assess the need for mental health services; analyze a situation and adopt a course of action; prepare and maintain medical records and reports; recognize and respect limits of confidential information; communicate with people of diverse socioeconomic and ethnic origins; speak before groups; exercise independent judgement in medical emergencies; demonstrate tact, diplomacy, patience and compassion; establish and maintain working relationships with subordinate staff, co-workers, other agencies, and organizations; comply with and enforce nursing policies, protocols, and program regulations; understand and follow instructions, work independently.

Working Conditions: Incumbents work in a locked facility with patients who can be a danger to themselves and others. Incumbents must be able to restrain patients in crisis and other situations, and work shifts.

• The Psychiatric Health Facility (PHF) is a 24/7 inpatient unit which requires shift work including holidays, evening and overnight shifts (including weekend evening & overnight shifts). 
• Incumbents work in a locked facility with patients who can be a danger to themselves or others 
• The PHF serves patients with behavioral and/or psychiatric treatment needs. 
• Fingerprinting for the purpose of a criminal record check as authorized by Section 16501 of the California Welfare and Institutions Code and Section 11105.3 of the California Penal Code may be required for some positions.

APPLICATION & SELECTION PROCESS:

1. Review applications and supplemental questionnaire to determine those applicants who meet the employment standards.
2. Supplemental Questionnaire Ranking:  Candidates' response to the required supplemental questionnaire will be evaluated and scored.  Candidates' final score and rank on the employment list will be determined by their responses to the supplemental questionnaire.  This process may be eliminated if there are fewer than eleven (11) qualified candidates.

Applicants must receive a percentage score of at least 70 on the supplemental questionnaire to be placed on an employment list. An adjustment may be made to raw scores based on factors listed in Civil Service Rule VI. Those candidates who are successful in the selection process will have their names placed on the employment list for a minimum of three months. At the time the employment list is established, all candidates will receive written notice of their score on the exam(s), rank on the employment list, and exact duration of the employment list.
  
REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS:The County of Santa Barbara is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to applicants. Qualified individuals with disabilities who need a reasonable accommodation during the application or selection process should contact the recruiter listed on the job posting. We require verification of needed accommodation from a professional source, such as a Medical Provider or a learning institution.
 
CONDITIONAL JOB OFFER:   

• Live Scan and Background Check: Once a conditional offer of employment has been made, the selected candidate's appointment is contingent upon successful completion of a Live Scan and background check which includes a conviction history check, and satisfactory reference checks. A Live Scan is electronic fingerprint scanning that is certified by the State Department of Justice. Further instructions about when and how to complete the Live Scan will be included in the offer letter. Appointee will be subject to a post-offer medical evaluation or examination.  
• The appointee must satisfactorily complete a one-year probationary period.

 
Recruiters will communicate with applicant by e-mail during each step in the recruitment process.  Applicants are reminded to check spam filters continuously during the Recruitment & Selection Process steps listed above to ensure they do not miss required deadlines.