Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner

Job Description - Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner )

Position Title:

Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner - (  )

The Montana Department of Corrections (DOC) is creating a safer Montana through Accountability, Rehabilitation, and Empowerment. If you want to work making positive changes in your community, the Montana Department of Corrections is the place for you!

The Rehabilitation and Enterprise Division ensures the physical and mental well being of inmates, delivers educational and vocational opportunities within prisons, and oversees community facilities dedicated to successfully reintegrating offenders into Montana communities. Join the team responsible for building better tomorrows today!

As a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner working within a secure correctional environment, you will play a critical role in addressing the complex medical and psychiatric needs of an incarcerated population. Your clinical expertise will directly support institutional safety by stabilizing acute conditions, improving mental health outcomes, and helping residents develop healthier, more adaptive behaviors.

Conduct comprehensive psychiatric assessments by reviewing and interpreting patient histories, symptoms, physical findings, and diagnostic information to develop accurate clinical diagnoses.

Diagnose and treat acute medical and behavioral health conditions, including illnesses, infections, injuries, and psychiatric disorders.

Develop and implement individualized treatment plans utilizing evidence‑based practices and clinically appropriate interventions.

Prescribe medications in accordance with legal and regulatory guidelines, considering safety, efficacy, cost, and patient response.

Recommend diagnostic and therapeutic interventions with attention to risk, invasiveness, client acceptability, adherence, and overall effectiveness.

Provide patient education on managing acute and chronic conditions, ensuring instructions are tailored to individual learning needs and circumstances.

Coordinate care through timely referrals to physicians, psychologists, chemical dependency counselors, mental health centers, social services, and other professionals or agencies as required.

Assist in emergency psychiatric interventions, which may include participation in emergency commitments and crisis stabilization procedures.
Maintain accurate, timely, and compliant clinical documentation in accordance with DOC standards, medical regulations, and facility protocols.

Collaborate effectively with a multidisciplinary team—including security, medical, and behavioral health staff—to support institutional safety, continuity of care, and rehabilitation goals.

Ensure adherence to security protocols and maintain professional boundaries while providing patient‑centered psychiatric care in a correctional environment.

Your impact extends far beyond the facility itself. By providing high-quality psychiatric care, promoting self‑management of chronic conditions, and referring individuals to appropriate internal and external resources, you help support successful reentry and reduce the likelihood of future incarceration. Your work will strengthen communities across Montana and contribute to long‑term public safety.

The knowledge, skills and abilities for this position are typically acquired through a combination of education and experience equivalent to:

Masters degree from an accredited APRN program as an Advanced Practice Nurse-Psych

Two years of job related experience.

Alternative combinations of education and experience will be considered on a case‑by‑case basis .

Successful applicants will be subject to:

Criminal history check

Reference checks

The Department of Corrections participates in E-Verify to confirm employment…