A place where you'll find open minds and wide open spaces

RN - Behavioral Health Registered Nurse - Emergency Department

Job Summary

Geisinger is proud to offer a full time Inpatient RN up to $21,500 hiring incentive for eligible candidates! $41.50 minimum hiring rate with increased rates for experienced individuals and up to $7 shift differentials for evening, night, and weekend shifts. Relocation assistance for eligible candidates! Join the Geisinger Family! Apply now! To learn more about Geisinger opportunities, please contact Katy Baralt, Nurse Recruiter, at ksbaralt@geisinger.edu.

Job Duties

Provides comprehensive nursing care to patients presenting with behavioral health, psychiatric, substance use, and emotional crisis needs. Utilizes evidence-based assessment, intervention, de-escalation, and therapeutic communication techniques to promote patient safety, stabilization, and appropriate disposition. Collaborates with emergency physicians, psychiatrists, advanced practice providers, social workers, case managers, security personnel, and interdisciplinary teams to ensure high-quality behavioral health care in a fast-paced emergency setting.

• Completes assessments as established by scope of practice and unit standards, including behavioral health and suicide risk assessments.
• Addresses physical, psychological, social, cultural, and spiritual needs of patient and family throughout the continuum of care.
• Formulates, coordinates, and provides plan of care as established in unit standards including, patient and family education, family needs and discharge planning throughout hospitalization with members of the interdisciplinary team.
• Provides direct patient care including, treatments, medications, and diagnostic studies according to policy and procedure.
• Evaluates effectiveness of nursing interventions and revises plan of care based upon patient response to interventions.
• Initiates collaboration with physicians, ancillary personnel, and other interdisciplinary team members and acts to proactively resolve and facilitate patient needs.
• Problem solves, troubleshoots and takes corrective measures in the care and handling of equipment.
• Participates in unit-based decision-making regarding the utilization of evidence- based practice.
• Actively participates as a team member working toward team goals of the unit and organization and is accountable for unit and system specific metrics.
• Actively participates in patient quality and safety education programs and other activities designed to improve departmental and organizational quality and safety.
• Provide therapeutic interventions and crisis stabilization.
• Monitor for withdrawal, self-harm, aggression, elopement risk, and worsening psychiatric symptoms.
• Utilize verbal de-escalation techniques during crises.
• Maintain compliance with suicide precautions, observation levels, and safety protocols.
• Serve as a behavioral health resource for emergency department staff.

The specific statements in this profile are not intended to be all-inclusive. They represent typical elements considered necessary to successfully perform the job. Additional competencies and skills outlined in any department-specific orientation will be considered essential to the performance of the job related to that position.

Position Details

Work Experience: 1 year of behavioral health experience required, 2 years preferred.

Schedule Details:

1.0 FTE, night shift. Orient on 1.0 (40 hours per week) and can transition to (3)12s once off orientation. Every other weekend and every other holiday.

Offer self-scheduling to allow for flexible schedule.

Unit Description:

Join our amazing Emergency Department at Geisinger Medical Center! Our Emergency Department has an EmPATH unit for lower acuity behavioral health patients presenting to the Emergency Department.  The behavioral health nurse would be responsible for the care provided to the patients in this unit.  If the EmPATH area is not open, the behavioral health nurse would be responsible for the care of behavioral health patients in the ED proper.

Geisinger Medical Center is proud to receive ANCC Magnet Recognition®, the highest and most prestigious distinction a health care organization can receive for nursing practice and quality patient care.

Responsibilities