Psychiatric Nurse

RSG Australia

Job Description

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Plans and provides direct nursing care to patients in compliance with standards of practice by performing activities such as reviewing patient/family history, conducting physical/psychosocial assessments, developing a care plan specific for the patient and collaborating with other members of the health care team to discuss and review the care plan. Modifies care as needs change, initiates immediate treatment if required and communicates changes to the appropriate personnel in a timely manner.
2. Processes physicians’ orders through methods such as initiating unit standing orders, administering medications, carrying out treatments, monitoring and documenting the effects.
3. Consults and collaborates with interdisciplinary team members and other health care professionals/providers in the identification and resolution of a variety of patient/family issues by participating in patient care conferences, rounds and staff meetings.
4. Provides consultation and education to patients, their families and/or care-givers with respect to illness prevention, health maintenance and health promotion strategies and explains the theoretical rationale for nursing decisions.
5. Facilitates group treatment, through the use of cognitive, behavioral, educational, problem solving, and crisis intervention methods. Provides individual supportive counseling to patients and families in accordance with approved treatment methods.
6. Provides consultation and collegial sharing of information to members of the health care team with respect to the patient in question.
7. Participates in continuous quality improvement and risk management activities by identifying and reporting high risk situations, near miss incidents, evaluating effect of changes in nursing practice and making recommendations for alternative approaches to nursing practice.
8. Participates in the orientation, training and continuing education of nursing staff and students through mentoring, preceptoring and role modelling.
9. Maintains clinical records by collecting and documenting information, including health care information regarding patients and their families, nursing observations, telephone communications, progress notes, interventions, themes worked on during interventions, teaching, care evaluations, patient outcomes and discharge summaries to ensure that patient/family records are current and complete.
10. Participates in program development and in the delivery of psychiatric services through methods such as participating in internal conferences and by providing input in the development, implementation and evaluation of new or exisitng patient program activities and treatment approaches.
11.Participates in the development, implementation and evaluation of policies/procedures by providing input, interpreting same to patients, other agencies and the public and referring unusual inquiries as appropriate.
12.Performs other related duties as assigned.