Travel RN - Psychiatric

American Traveler is hiring a travel RN for an inpatient Behavioral Health (Psychiatric) position in Rapid City, SD, requiring at least 1 year of psych experience and a South Dakota or Compact RN license.

Job Details

• Inpatient Behavioral Health unit located at an off-site facility approximately 15 minutes from the main hospital campus,

• 52-bed unit serving psychiatric patients including children and adolescents ages 5-17 and adults,

• Patient diagnoses include depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, psychosis, and adjustment disorder; violent or aggressive patients may be encountered,

• No dementia, severe autism, forensic, or inmate patients; no ECT performed,

• RN patient ratio is 1:8 with a tech,

• Primary shift is 12-hour nights ), though variable shifts may be scheduled including 8-hour days, evenings, or nights - blocked scheduling is not accommodated,

• Every other weekend rotation required; weekend shifts may be 12 hours or a combination of 12- and 8-hour shifts across Friday, Saturday, or Sunday,

• RNs may float between the three floors within the off-site Behavioral Health facility,

• Charting system is Epic; manager approval required if candidate lacks Epic experience,

• Medication dispensing via Omnicell,

Job Requirements

• Active RN license - South Dakota (SD) or Compact - currently in hand,

• BLS required; CPI certification preferred prior to start but can be obtained during assignment,

• Minimum 1 year of psychiatric nursing experience required,

• First-time travelers considered only with 2 or more years of experience,

• Ability to perform physical takedowns and restraints on agitated patients when necessary,

• Strong verbal de-escalation and communication skills,

• Epic EMR experience strongly preferred; manager approval required without it,

• Two professional references dated within the past year required for consideration,

• DOB and SSN required for consideration,

• Candidates must reside more than 100 miles from any facility within the health system,

Additional Information

• RN responsibilities include medication administration (PO and injectable), care plan evaluation and documentation, admission screenings, patient assessments, minor wound care, EKGs (training provided), glucometer use, telephone/verbal orders, vital signs, Columbia Suicide Risk Screen, end-of-shift report, patient belongings logging, and patient safety rounds every 15 minutes,

• Group didactic facilitation and discharge planning are also part of the RN role,

• Unit is supported 24/7 by security personnel (with tasers), panic alarms worn by all staff, MD on-call, Behavioral Health Emergency Response Team (BERT), and a Charge/Clinical Resource Nurse,

• Cameras are present in hallways, nurses' station, common areas, and the medication room,

• Lab draws routine labs daily;
Behavioral Health staff draw STAT labs,

• Orientation for RNs consists of two 12-hour facility orientation shifts, one shift of I-Learns, and two departmental orientation shifts,

• Holiday coverage requires working 2 of 4 designated holidays; if you work either Thanksgiving or Christmas, you receive the other off,

• No RTO approved during the Sturgis Bike Rally (first three weeks of August),

• Required scrub color for RNs is navy,

• Free parking is available on site,

• Former permanent staff must wait a full year before returning as a traveler,

• Travelers are noted to be welcome and renewals are common at this facility