Registered Nurse/Registered Psychiatric Nurse- Casual

Consistent with the mission, values, objectives and policies of the Centre, the nurse acts as a resource to the patient as the patient moves from acute illness phase to stabilization and then to discharge back into the community. The nurse plays the pivotal role of assisting patients to mobilize their internal resources, that is, to encourage and guide patients to recognize, identify, utilize and build on their own capabilities in managing their life in view of their mental illness. 

Recovery Model Philosophy:

EMHC supports recovery principals in our treatment of patients in our care.  We believe in using the Recovery Model philosophy as we serve and assist the people in our care. Recovery can be seen from several dimensions, some of which include personal, social and illness-related.

• Personal recovery is about acceptance and regaining purpose and meaning in life as you come to terms with mental illness.
• Social recovery is about living a safe, full and dignified life in the community with appropriate supports and services.
• Illness recovery is self-management and using your own “personal medicine” (Deegan, P. 2005), for example stress management, support groups, meditation, or yoga, as well as pharmaceutical medication.

As individuals strive to live outside of their mental illness, we at EMHC endeavor to assist our patients in their journey towards self-determination, responsibility, choice, hope, empowerment and meaningful roles in life.

Qualifications:  

• • Must be a qualified Registered Psychiatric Nurse and/or Registered Nurse in the Province of Manitoba and the holder of a valid nursing license
  • Thorough knowledge of nursing theory and practice
  • Demonstrates good interpersonal, communication and organizational skills
  • Observes the Code of Ethics of the licensing body
  • Physically and mentally capable of performing duties assigned

Other Requirements and Conditions of Employment:

• Current active registration in good standing with the College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba or College of Registered Psychiatric Nurses of Manitoba
• Satisfactory Criminal Record Check (with the Vulnerable Sector Check)
• Satisfactory Child Abuse Registry Check
• Satisfactory Adult Abuse Registry Check

Principal Duties and Responsibilities:

1. Assessment Duties:

1. Assesses patients every shift; engaging in a therapeutic process to obtain assessment data related to mental status, treatment, safety, progress, the treatment team’s and patient’s goals and achievement of goals thus far in the admission. This includes any other data relevant to the patient’s care.
2. In keeping with the recovery model, when meeting with the patient, the nurse reflects with the patient about their situation and their goals and choices. The nurse uses their clinical judgment to decide if/when the intervention or solution needs to be enforced (i.e.IM medication, seclusion, etc.), or if/when the patient will be given the maximized freedom to make their choices and subsequent natural consequences.
3. With the data collected, the nurse interprets and documents the information and updates information as needed to continually revise and develop the treatment plan.
4. Assists in determining what the best thing for the patient is in the moment, within the rules and requirements of the facility.

2. Planning Duties:

1. Together with the treatment team, develops a nursing care plan, based on patients’ and treatment teams’ prioritized needs. Reviews care plans at regular intervals, including but not limited to, doctor’s rounds, Kardex, team meetings, etc.
2. The nurse continually plans the care, both short term (for the next few hours) and long term (the next few weeks), in collaboration with the patient as much as possible.

3. Implementation Duties:

1. The nurse implements the treatment plan by the following: providing direct nursing care, coordinating and accessing the agreed upon therapies, providing education for the patient, carrying out relevant procedures and by delegating where appropriate, while maintaining accountability for the treatment (i.e. asking that a PNA go for a walk with the patient and ensuring that it is done and reported).
2. The nurse engages in therapeutic conversations and activities with the patient throughout the shift to establish rapport help build social skills, help the patient in reality testing and to help the patient experience roles other than the “patient role” (i.e. being a player in a bingo game, being a listener in a conversation, being a helper in the courtyard, etc.)
3. The nurse ensures that the plan of care is clearly documented in the Kardex, chart and that all relevant information is in the chart and indicated on relevant communication tools (i.e. observation rounds sheet).
4. The nurse maintains current inpatient records reflecting care and progress of patients.
5. The nurse advocates for the patient around identified needs, resources and supports.
6. The nurse ensures the doctor’s orders are processed.
7. The nurse ensures doctor’s orders are implemented, including administration of medications.

4. Evaluation Duties:

1. The nurse, on a regular basis, reviews the treatment plan with the patient and the treatment team. The nurse determines the patient’s response to the nursing interventions and determines the patient’s interpretations and evaluations of their treatment and achievement of goals. The nurse evaluates and interprets this data and relays this information to the rest of the treatment team.
2. The nurse evaluates the progress and revises the plan as required, in consultation with the patient and other team members.           

Responsibilities of Primary Nurse:

1. The nurse is responsible for overall direction of the patient treatment plan
2. The nurse has ultimate responsibility for the most current documentation of the treatment plan in the Kardex and in the behavior plan, as appropriate.
3. The nurse identifies and facilitates communication needs within the treatment team regarding the patient care plan. This includes, but is not limited to, TPAA, Social Workers, Volunteer Coordinator, Director of Spiritual Care, Psychologist, Psychiatrists, HMO, etc.
4. The nurse determines what other roles the patient could engage in while in hospital (ie. Music therapy, physical activity, play games, etc.)

Responsibilities of Charge Nurse:

1. The nurse facilitates communication between Nurses, PNAs, TPAAs, Social Work, physicians, etc.
2. The nurse communicates with psychiatrists regarding bed availability, as well as other pertinent patient issues.
3. The nurse addresses concerns requiring administrative input.
4. The nurse relays information regarding staff needs for that shift/day.
5. The nurse addresses concerns of other departments for their shift, as needed (ie. Housekeeping, Dietary, Maintenance, etc., when Inpatient Unit Manager is unavailable).

Secondary Duties:

On occasion, a Nurse may be asked to assist in the Depot Clinic, provided they have successfully completed the required Depot Clinic training.  The Depot Nurse is responsible for providing depot services to outpatients of Eden Mental Health Centre.  This includes:

• • Administering medication via injection, educating patient on symptoms and monitoring overall wellness. The incumbent is responsible to ensure the development and implementation of a variety of related outpatient services and management of daily/specialty clinics. Assists with hand hygiene and delivers to staff educator.

Physical Demands and Working Conditions:

• Must be physically and mentally capable of carrying out the duties and responsibilities as assigned.
• Required to work evenings/nights/weekends depending on rotation.

Eden welcomes applications from people with disabilities. Accommodations are available upon request during the assessment and selection process. Full job description available upon request. Apply to: edenhr@edenhealth.mb.ca.