Psychiatric Nurse - II

Placer County is comprised of over 1,400 square miles of beautiful and diverse geography, ranging from the residential and commercial areas of South Placer, through the historic foothill areas of Auburn, Foresthill, and Colfax, and to the County's jewel of the North Lake Tahoe basin. Placer is a great place to live, work, play, and learn! For more information about Placer County, please visit www.placer.ca.gov.

Placer County offers a comprehensive benefits package to employees. The following information represents benefits currently available to permanent Placer County employees and may be subject to change. Applicants should inquire as to the most current benefit package during hiring interviews or by contacting the Human Resources Department.

Click here to view Placer Public Employees Organization (PPEO) benefits.

For more information regarding the benefits Placer County has to offer, please visit Placer County's Human Resources website.

To provide professional psychiatric nursing care and other nursing care to emotionally disturbed or mentally ill patients on an inpatient or outpatient basis.

This is the full journey level class within the Psychiatric Nurse series.  This class is distinguished from the Psychiatric Nurse I by the assignment of the full range of duties.  Employees at this level receive only occasional instruction or assistance as new or unusual situations arise and are fully aware of the operating procedures and policies within the work unit.  Positions in this class are flexibly staffed and are normally filled by advancement from the entry level.

This class is distinguished from the Supervising Psychiatric Nurse in that the latter provides psychiatric nursing care requiring a high level of skill and independent judgment and exercises direct supervision over subordinate psychiatric nursing staff.

Receives general supervision from assigned management staff or a Supervising Psychiatric Nurse.

Duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Oversee medication crisis telephone calls and walk-ins; provide assessment of and intervention with clients.
• Provide monitoring of clients; provide specific medication counseling and education to clients regarding the need, purpose, and effects of prescribed medications.
• Provide direct medication treatment (under psychiatrist's orders); assist in preparing medication-only treatment plans.
• Assist in developing a medication education program; assist in developing standards and procedures for medication monitoring by nursing staff; plan and provide in-service training for division staff as directed.
• Assess needs/situation of selected new clients and provide case management and supportive therapy through observation, history taking, physical examination, analysis, documentation of findings, and consultation with psychiatrist; provide referrals to community resources as needed.
• Make home visits to clients; make site visits to contracting providers to provide clients with medication supervision and instruction.
• Build and maintain positive working relationships with co-workers, other County employees and the public using principles of good customer service.
• Perform related duties as assigned.

It is the responsibility of applicants to identify in their application materials how they meet the minimum qualifications listed below.

Experience and Training
Any combination of experience and training that would provide the required knowledge and abilities is qualifying.  A typical way to obtain the required knowledge and abilities would be:

Experience: Two (2) years of responsible professional psychiatric nursing experience performing duties similar to a Psychiatric Nurse I with Placer County.

Training: Graduation from an accredited school of nursing.

Required License or Certificate:

• Possession of a valid license as a Registered Nurse issued by the California Board of Registered Nursing.
• May need to possess a valid driver's license as required by the position.  Proof of adequate vehicle insurance and medical clearance may also be required.

NOTE: Applicants receiving their degree outside the United States must submit proof of accreditation by a recognized evaluation agency.

Knowledge of:

• General and psychiatric nursing principles and practices.
• General legal and regulatory issues involved in treating the mentally ill.
• Pharmacology and the use and purpose of psychotropic medications.
• Crisis intervention and conflict resolution techniques, including management of assaultive behavior.
• Principles and practices of instruction.
• Mental health procedures and practices relative to the delivery of psychiatric nursing care.
• Resources available to mentally ill persons.
• Pertinent local, state and federal rules, regulations and laws.

Ability to:

• On a continuous basis, know and understand all aspects of the job; read, analyze, interpret, apply, understand, identify, recall, and explain work papers, patient charts, reports, special projects, technical and numerical information, policies and procedures, rules, laws, regulations, and medical best practices, observe and analyze situations and determine proper course of action; explain medical practices and procedures to patients; work under time pressure and complete a high volume of work with interruptions; handle multiple tasks at once and work with frequent interruptions; focus on a single task for long periods of time; maintain awareness of safety at all times.
• On a continuous basis, sit at a desk for long periods of time; intermittently walk, stand, bend, stoop, kneel, squat, crouch, twist and reach while assisting patients, administering medications, handling supplies, conducting site visits, and making educational presentations; twist to reach equipment surrounding desk; perform simple and power grasping and fine manipulation; see, smell, and hear with sufficient acuity to perform essential job functions; speak, use telephone, write, and use a keyboard to communicate; lift moderate weight.
• Provide professional psychiatric nursing care; administer and handle medications.
• Provide instruction regarding use, purpose, and side effects of various psychotropic medications.
• Observe, assess, and record client behavior as related to psychiatric condition/treatment.
• Provide crisis intervention as necessary.
• Work with various cultural and ethnic groups in a tactful and effective manner.
• Act quickly and calmly in emergency situations.
• Obtain information through interview; work fairly and courteously with the public; and work effectively with interruption.
• Analyze situations quickly and objectively and determine proper course of action.
• Use a computer, calculator, typewriter, telephone, facsimile machine, postage meter, and photocopy machine.
• Use nursing care and clinical supplies and equipment, including blood pressure cuff, stethoscope, syringes, and needles.
• Communicate clearly and concisely, both verbally and in writing.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work.
• Independently provide professional psychiatric nursing care; administer and handle medications.
• Independently observe, assess, and record client behavior as related to psychiatric condition/treatment.
• Independently provide crisis intervention as necessary.

Training & Experience Rating (100%)

Based upon responses to the supplemental questionnaire, the applicant’s education, training, and experience will be evaluated using a pre-determined formula. Scores from this evaluation will determine applicant ranking and placement on the eligible list.

Prior to the date of hire, applicants must undergo a fingerprint test by the Department of Justice, pass a medical examination (which may include a drug screening and possibly a psychological evaluation), sign a constitutional oath, and submit proof of U.S. citizenship or legal right to remain and work in the U.S.  For some positions, applicants may also be required to submit proof of age, undergo a background investigation (which may include a voice stress analysis and/or a polygraph), and/or be bonded. Additionally, positions in law enforcement classifications and those supporting law enforcement functions will be required to complete a conviction history questionnaire prior to or during the interview process. Applicants for positions with access to Medi-Cal billing software or who are licensed providers must clear the Federal Exclusion List, credentialing, and social security verification. Failure to clear these requirements may result in an employment offer being withdrawn.

The eligible list resulting from this recruitment may be certified as a substitute list for a substantially similar classification. For this purpose, a substantially similar classification is one at a lower level in the same classification (example: entry level vs. journey level) and/or a similar classification (similar work performed, similar training and experience qualifications required). If you are contacted for an interview by a County department, you will be informed of the classification and other relevant information. If you choose not to interview for a substantially similar classification, you will remain on the eligible list for which you originally applied.

Placer County offers an expedited process for qualifying certain applicants for interviews. Candidates currently employed, or employed within the last year, by a public agency operating under a personnel civil service or merit system may be eligible to be placed on a Public Agency Eligible List and certified as eligible for appointment to a similar job assignment without going through the examination process. For more information on the Public Agency Eligible List, to download forms, or to apply, please click here.

Placer County is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to an active nondiscrimination program. It is the stated policy of Placer County that unlawful harassment, discrimination, and retaliation are prohibited and that all employees, applicants, agents, contractors, and interns/volunteers shall receive equal consideration and treatment. All terms and conditions of employment, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, transfer, and promotion will be based on the qualifications of the individual for the positions being filled regardless of the following characteristics: gender (including gender identity and expression), sexual orientation, race (including traits associated with race, which include, but are not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles such as braids, locks, and twists), color, ancestry, religion (including creed and belief), national origin, citizenship, primary language, immigration status, physical disability (Including HIV and AIDS), mental disability, medical condition (including cancer or genetic characteristics/information), age (40 or over),  marital status, military and/or veteran status, sex (including parental status, pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and related medical conditions), reproductive health decision making, the person’s use of cannabis off the job and away from the workplace, political orientation, or any other classification protected by federal, state, or local law or any combination of two or more characteristics stated herein. Please contact the Human Resources Department at least 5 working days before a scheduled examination if you require accommodation in the examination process. Medical disability verification may be required prior to accommodation.