Nurse (40 Hour) (Office/On-site)

Introduction

Are you a Registered Nurse (RN) looking to make a difference while participating in a dynamic and reciprocal health care environment in the public sector? If so, we have an excellent opportunity to join our team!

The State of Connecticut, Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) Southwest Connecticut Mental Health System (SWCMHS) is seeking a Nurse to join the Psychiatric Intensive Care Units (PICU).

POSITION HIGHLIGHTS

• SCHEDULE: Full-Time (40 Hours) jobs-near-me.org First Shift (8:00 A.M. – 4:30 P.M.), every other weekend and rotating holidays
• FACILITY: Southwest Connecticut Mental Health System (SWCMHS)
• UNIT: Inpatient – PICU: Psychiatric Intensive Care Units
• ADDRESS: 1635 Central Ave, Bridgeport, CT 06610
• POSITION NUMBER: 27894

WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU:

• Visit our new State Employee Benefits Overview page!
• The opportunity to work for a Forbes top company: ‘Forbes’ State of Connecticut Ranked One of the Best Employers of 2023 – State of CT Receives National Recognition for Offering Job Growth, Competitive Benefits, and Flexible Schedule;
• Professional growth and development opportunities
• A healthy work/life balance!

DISCOVER THE OPPORTUNITY TO:

• Use therapeutic skills to effectively implement client care according to the Nursing Care Plan;
• Provide substantial input regarding patient care needs, response to treatment, and recommend modifications in the overall plan of care;
• Complete comprehensive Initial Nursing Assessment for patients with acute psychiatric and addictive problems; and
• Provide direct patient care that includes education, counseling, medication administration and documentation of the treatment and progress made by the patient.

ABOUT US:

DMHAS is a health care agency whose mission is to promote the overall health and wellness of persons with behavioral health needs through an integrated network of holistic, comprehensive, effective, and efficient services and supports that foster dignity, respect, and self-sufficiency in those we serve. 

SWCMHS strives to provide high quality, compassionate and culturally competent mental health and substance abuse services to adults with behavioral health disorders who are indigent. With three locations throughout Fairfield County, SWCMHS, promotes and administers comprehensive recovery oriented services in the areas of mental health treatment and substance abuse prevention and treatment. These services include inpatient treatment programs and outpatient clinical services, as well as a wide range of additional supportive treatment services. 

The PICU 1 and PICU 2 each provide 21 beds for residents of Connecticut. Admissions to the psychiatric units are coordinated through a statewide Utilization Management process coordinated by the Office of the Commissioner. Both locked units are responsible for providing treatment for severely and acutely ill psychiatric patients who require a safe, supportive, highly structured hospital level of care. The treatment goals are developed in which the individual can be: stabilized, evaluated, rehabilitated, helped to accept the need for ongoing treatment, and assisted in regaining a level of functioning that will allow the person to be treated in a less restrictive environment or to return to community-based living. PICU treatment staff work closely with community providers to ensure that a smooth transition to the community exists. PICU 1 provides assessment and stabilization, with the emphasis on community reentry. PICU 2, the extended care unit, focuses on rehabilitation with an emphasis on intense skills building needed for community reintegration.

Please note:

• A comprehensive medical examination, including a drug screening, will be required of all applicants upon a conditional offer of employment.
• All state employees must adhere to Connecticut’s Policy for a Drug Free Workplace.

Start with us. Stay with us. Grow with us.

Watch the video below to see what it is like to be a State of Connecticut employee!

Selection Plan

FOR ASSISTANCE IN APPLYING: 

Please read or watch our Applicant Tips on How to Apply!

FOR THOSE WHO HOLD AN RN LICENSE IN A STATE OTHER THAN CONNECTICUT AND WISH TO APPLY FOR A CONNECTICUT LICENSE, PLEASE:

1. Review the eligibility and documentation requirements for CT license by endorsement of an out-of-state license;
2. Complete a CT DPH online application online (expand the ‘Public Health Practitioners’ grouping, select ‘Registered Nurse’ and then ‘Start’;
3. Request verification of your out-of-state license(s) electronically through the National Council of State Boards of Nursing’s : Nursys® System. To send verification of your license(s) to CT, read and agree to the terms, enter your biographic information, select your license type and select ‘SEARCH’. Review the results and select the ‘Next’ button. Check the box next to ‘Connecticut’ and complete the transaction. Once the transaction is completed, you will receive a confirmation email from Nursys and the verification will be available to the DPH. Note that PA and MI verifications are not provided through Nursys. Please contact those state boards for information on obtaining verification.

Please Note: For current state employees, salary calculations are not necessarily comparable from one of the three branches of state government (i.e., Executive, Legislative, Judicial) to the other.

TO APPLY

• In order to be considered for this job opening, you must meet the Minimum Qualifications as listed on the job opening. The minimum experience and training requirements must be met by the close date on the job opening, unless otherwise specified.
• In order to receive educational credits toward qualification for this job posting, the institution must be accredited. If the institution of higher learning is located outside of the U.S., you are responsible for providing documentation from a recognized USA accrediting service which specializes in determining foreign education equivalencies to the recruiter listed on this job posting.
• You must specify your qualifications on your application. You will be unable to make revisions once you submit your application for this posting to the JobAps system.
• In order to comply with Public Act 21-69, the State of Connecticut is no longer asking for resumes during the initial application process.
• All application materials must be received by the recruiting agency by the time specified on the job opening for the position for which you are applying. Late applications may not be submitted and will not be considered. Exceptions are rare and limited to documented events that incapacitate a candidate during the entire duration of the job posting time period. It is the candidate’s obligation and responsibility to request an exception and provide a legally recognized justification to accommodate such exception. Requests should be made to DAS.SHRM@ct.gov.
• This position will be filled in accordance with contractual language, reemployment, SEBAC, transfer, promotion and merit employment rules.

AFTER YOU APPLY 

• Although applicants will receive correspondence via email and/or phone, as a backup they are also encouraged to sign on to their Personal Status Board on a daily basis to monitor their status, view all emailed notices and complete tasks required in the recruitment process.
• This posting may require completion of additional referral questions (RQs). You can access these RQs via an email that will be sent to you after the posting’s closing date or by visiting your JobAps Personal Status Board (Certification Questionnaires section). Your responses to these RQs must be submitted by the question’s expiration date. Please regularly check your email and JobAps Personal Status Board for notifications. Please check your SPAM and/or Junk folders on a daily basis in the event an email provider places auto-notification emails in a user’s spam.
• NOTE: At any point during the recruitment process, applicants may be required to submit additional documentation which support their qualification(s) for this position. These documents may include: a cover letter, resume, transcripts, diplomas, performance reviews, attendance records, supervisory references, licensure, etc., at the discretion of the hiring agency.
• The immediate vacancy is listed above, however, applications to this recruitment may be used for future vacancies in this job class.
• Interviews will be limited to candidates whose experience and training most closely meet the requirements of the position. Read through this helpful link to prepare for your interview.
• Candidates who are offered and accept a position with the State of Connecticut are bound by the State Code of Ethics for Public Officials and State Employees which is available at www.ct.gov/ethics.

CONNECT WITH US 

• Due to the large volume of applications received, we are unable to provide confirmation of receipt or status during the recruitment process.
• Updates will be available through your JobAps portal account. If you have any questions pertaining to this recruitment, please contact Pamela Rochette at Pamela.Rochette@ct.gov.

PURPOSE OF JOB CLASS (NATURE OF WORK)

In a state agency this class is accountable for providing a full range of professional nursing care.

EXAMPLES OF DUTIES

Independently implements the nursing process with individuals including carrying out physicians orders regarding diet, medication and treatment; performs assessments; changes dressings; monitors and ensures quality care through observation and evaluation; reports on physiological and mental health status of individuals; documents nursing interventions on medical records; distributes and maintains records of controlled drugs and insures their security; maintains records and makes reports; makes decisions in routine cases; instructs individuals, staff and family members regarding treatments, nursing plans and related individual care issues directed towards an awareness and understanding of health/mental health issues; responds to emergencies; maintains availability of medications and supplies; ensures cleanliness of equipment and environment; may participate as a member of an interdisciplinary treatment team in the assessment, development, implementation and evaluation of individuals treatment or health/mental health care plans; may formulate and implement nursing care plans; may participate in outpatient clinics and assist in physical examinations; may administer routine tests; may conduct training; may delegate nursing tasks consistent with established protocols; may participate in psychotherapeutic and rehabilitation interventions; may physically restrain individuals; may provide related medical or mental health specialty services; may serve as Qualified Intellectual Disability Professional; performs related duties as required.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILL AND ABILITY

Knowledge of and ability to apply professional nursing theory, practice and ethics; knowledge of current medications, their actions, interactions, uses and side effects; knowledge of medical, therapeutic and psychiatric nursing interventions and methods; knowledge of and ability to apply quality standards, procedures and protocols; knowledge of and sensitivity to cultural and socio-economic difference; knowledge of and ability to apply clinical therapeutic models of individual care with emphasis on interdisciplinary team approach; interpersonal skills; oral and written communication skills; ability to act as a role model to health care staff by demonstrating and teaching professional behaviors; ability to learn specialized individual care applicable to work assignment; ability to listen and provide empathetic assistance to individuals and families in meeting their needs and carrying out prescribed treatments; ability to develop therapeutic relationships with individuals, and their caregivers; ability to respond to emergencies; ability to respond to and seek supervision; ability to encourage and facilitate cooperation, pride trust and group identity to foster commitment and team work; ability to analyze and evaluate proper care and treatment.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS – GENERAL EXPERIENCE

Graduation from an accredited nursing program.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

1. Incumbents in this class must possess and retain a license or temporary permit as a Registered Professional Nurse in Connecticut.

2. Incumbents in this class may be required to be fluent in a foreign language or proficient in the use of the American Sign Language in certain designated positions.

3. Incumbents in this class may be required to travel.

WORKING CONDITIONS

Incumbents in this class may be required to lift and restrain individuals; may have exposure to communicable/infectious diseases and risk of injury from assaultive/abusive individuals; may be exposed to disagreeable conditions.

Conclusion

AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

The State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.

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