CHARGE NURSE

Responsibilities

POSITION SUMMARY

The Charge Nurse provides safe and effective nursing care in the assigned area(s) in a manner consistent with the philosophy and objectives of the Hospital and within the framework of established nursing department policies and procedures. As a key team member in the clinical area, the Charge Nurse promotes a climate of effective performance and learning through role modeling, willingness to learn and teach, and availability to patients and staff.

The Charge Nurse organizes, manages and coordinates unit nursing services on the assigned shift as delegated by the Nursing Administration. The Charge Nurse is designed to improve communication, limit inconsistencies on the units, and provide a safe and less stressful work environment, helping everyone work as a team and being part of the solution, not the problem.

• Education: Graduate from an accredited professional nursing program required;
  Bachelor’s Degree preferred.
• Preferred Experience: Minimum of three (3) years experience in a psychiatric healthcare facility.
• Licensure: Currently licensed to practice by the California State Board of Nursing.
• Additional Requirements: CPR certification and successful completion of Crisis Prevention Intervention (CPI) training.
• Knowledge &
  
  Skills:
  
  Ability to communicate effectively; demonstrate leadership; perform complex mental activity; work under high stress; make sound judgments; comprehend oral and written instructions; collaborate with multidisciplinary teams; adapt to variable workloads; strong reading, communication, and math skills for drug dosages.
• Supervision Exercised By: Staff Nurses, Licensed Practical Nurses, and Mental Health Technicians.
• Working Environment: Psychiatric hospital setting, with risk of aggressive patients and exposure to chemicals, blood borne pathogens, and noise; shifts include day, evening, night, weekend, and holiday.
• Physical, Mental, and Special Demands: Competent CPI technique performance; adequate hearing and vision; ability to sit, stand, walk, lift up to 50 lbs., push/pull carts up to 100 lbs.; ability to reach, bend, and move as required.
• Legal & Regulatory Knowledge: Joint Commission, HCFA, OSHA, patient rights, and state and federal mental health laws.

Assessment:

• Document patient information and nursing care.
• Reassess significant changes in the patient’s condition in compliance with facility policy.
• Report signs or symptoms of infection to the Infection Control Nurse.
• Verify the accuracy of patient records.

Intervention:

• Employ communication, interviewing techniques, crisis intervention, and problem‑solving skills in psychotherapeutic interventions.
• Administer medication accurately.
• Transcribe and carry out physician’s or licensed practitioner’s treatment orders accurately.
• Utilize appropriate interventions in psychiatric and medical emergencies.

Treatment Planning:

• Prioritize and formulate a plan of care based on patient assessment and policy.
• Participate in developing interdisciplinary treatment plans with measurable goals and interventions.
• Update and revise the plan as goals are met or patient condition changes.
• Document interventions and patient responses.

Additional Standards:

• Adhere to all facility, department, and corporate policies.
• Attend mandatory in‑services and staff development activities.
• Maintain professionalism, dress code, punctuality, and confidentiality.
• Support facility‑wide quality and performance improvement goals.
• Provide supervision to unlicensed staff (mental health technicians and unit clerks).

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Knowledge of psychiatric and medical nursing procedures.
• Knowledge of code procedures and relevant laws.
• Organizing and prioritizing workloads.
• Telephone etiquette and paging procedures.
• Effective oral and written communication.
• Judgment and confidentiality.

Physical, Mental, and Special Demands:

• Competent CPI technique performance.
• Adequate hearing and vision.
• Ability to sit, stand, walk, reach, bend, twist, lift, and push/pull as required.

EEO Statement

All UHS subsidiaries are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and teammates. UHS subsidiaries are equal opportunity employers and openly support and fully commit to recruitment, selection, placement, promotion, and compensation of individuals without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), genetic information, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

We believe that diversity and inclusion among our teammates is critical to our success.