State of Maryland

A Clinical Nurse Specialist, CI is the full performance level of work at Maryland Department of Health (MDH) designated Court Involved (CI) Facilities responsible for the clinical quality of direct nursing care and provides direct therapy to a select population of patients.  Employees in this classification may have responsibility for reviewing quality of nursing care and directing staff on nursing procedures to be followed.  Employees in this classification may give advice and guidance to Registered Nurses, Licensed Practical Nurses and non-licensed nursing care staff.

Employees in this classification receive general supervision from the Assistant Director of Nursing, CI or the Director of Nursing, CI.  Employees may be assigned to day, evening, night or rotating shifts which may include holidays and weekends.  Employees may be subject to call-in and overtime based on staffing needs.  The work is performed at a Court Involved Facility where care is provided to mentally ill patients who have been judged not criminally responsible for committing felonies, and to those who are difficult to manage in a less secure setting and who have been deemed dangerous to themselves or others.  Employees are required to observe infection control precautions in order to prevent contamination and spread of disease.  Employees may be required to lift patients or apply physical restraints.  The work may require long periods of standing, walking, bending and reaching.

Positions in this classification are evaluated using the classification job evaluation methodology.  The use of this method involves comparing the assigned duties and responsibilities of a position to the job criteria found in the Nature of Work and Examples of Work sections of the class specification.

The Clinical Nurse Specialist, CI is differentiated from the Registered Nurse Supervisor, CI in that the Clinical Nurse Specialist, CI is the expert clinician, responsible for the clinical quality of nursing care, staff training and staff development in an assigned area of the facility while the Registered Nurse Supervisor, CI has supervisory responsibility for lower-level Registered Nurses and is responsible for staffing schedules and coverage, patient care assignment, staff counseling and discipline and other administrative responsibilities.

Provides training and guidance to nursing staff on clinical nursing practices;

Observes adequacy of nursing care and documentation;

Assumes responsibility for the nursing and therapy care of a designated group of patients;

Collaborates with members of the therapeutic team in planning overall program for patients on both individual and programmatic levels;

Provides input into the evaluation of the clinical practice of individual nursing and support staff;

Consults with Registered Nurse Supervisor to improve the therapeutic milieu and provides intervention for mentally ill offender population;

Assesses the educational needs of nursing staff and may assist in developing, implementing and evaluating in-service educational programs;

Educates patients and families in the areas of health problems, health maintenance and self-care skills;

Provides nursing process supervision in various treatment modalities for other clinical personnel;

Acts as nursing consultant to related clinical programs or community groups;

Collaborates with nursing leadership in the development and establishment of standards of clinical nursing practice in the agency/facility;

Develops policies and procedures pertinent to clinical programs;

Develops, implements and evaluates plans for nursing care;

Testifies in court on issues of dangerousness and aggressiveness of patients and related behaviors;

Consults with the Education Department concerning the areas of nursing knowledge needing support and training in issues of law and psychiatry;

Represents the agency and facility on a regional or statewide level with regard to matters of clinical nursing practices;

May provide group and individual psychotherapy;

Participates in research studies;

Performs other related duties.

Knowledge of the theory, principles and practices of clinical nursing in the area of clinical specialty;

Knowledge of the theory of registered nursing practices and process;

Skill in the application of the nursing process;

Skill in observing and measuring the effects of nursing intervention;

Skill in developing a plan of care for the patients;

Ability to work effectively with patients, families, professional and nonprofessional healthcare workers, community agency personnel, and the general public;

Ability to assess the physical, emotional and social needs of patients;

Ability to provide clinical supervision and guidance to nursing staff and other healthcare workers;

Ability to accurately document and maintain nursing healthcare records;

Ability to coordinate nursing services with other therapeutic services.

Education: A Master's degree in Nursing or a health related field from an accredited college or university.

Experience: Two years of experience providing nursing care in a psychiatric setting.

Note: Candidates may substitute U.S. Armed Forces military service experience as a commissioned officer in Nursing classifications or Nursing and Hospital Administration specialty codes in the Nursing field of work on a year-for-year basis for the required experience and education.

1. Candidates for positions in this classification must possess a current license as a Registered Nurse from the Maryland State Board of Nursing, 4140 Patterson Avenue, Baltimore, Maryland 21215.

2. Employees in this classification may be assigned duties which require the operation of a motor vehicle. Employees assigned such duties will be required to possess a motor vehicle operator's license valid in the State of Maryland.

3. Employees in this classification may be required to successfully complete cardiopulmonary resuscitation training and maintain current certification.

1. Employees in this classification may be subject to call-in and, therefore, may be required to provide the facility with a phone number at which they can be reached.

2. Employees in this classification are subject to substance abuse testing in accordance with Code of Maryland Regulations 17.04.09, Testing for Illegal Use of Drugs.

Class specifications are broad descriptions covering groups of positions used by various State departments and agencies. Position descriptions maintained by the using department or agency specifically address the essential job functions of each position.

This is a Professional Service classification in the State Personnel Management System.  All positions in this classification are Professional Service positions.  Some positions in Professional Service classifications may be designated as Special Appointment in accordance with the State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 6-405, Annotated Code of Maryland.

This classification is assigned to Bargaining Unit E, Health Care Professionals classes. As provided by State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 3-102, special appointment, temporary, contractual, supervisory, managerial, and confidential employees are excluded from collective bargaining. Additionally, certain executive branch agencies are exempt from collective bargaining and all positions in those agencies are excluded from collective bargaining.