LICENSED VOCATIONAL NURSE (PROJECT IN-REACH)

Please note: This is a part-time position. 

POSITION PURPOSE
Under the supervision of the Program Director, the Licensed Vocational Nurse provides professional nursing services to individuals age 18+ with serious mental illness and/or co-occurring disorders as they prepare to exit detention facilities in a reentry setting for 120 days post-release. This position ensures clients receive a thorough physical and psychiatric assessment and that clients connect through warm handoff with appropriate health services in the community, and follows through with referrals and service connections to ensure service efficacy; and performs related work as required.

EXAMPLES OF ESSENTIAL DUTIES
The duties listed below are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related or a logical assignment to this position.
    
•    Provides care coordination services; 
•    Provides professional nursing care to justice-involved individuals living with SMI/COD post-release;
•    Complete initial health assessment including but not limited to, physicals and COVID 19 testing post release;
•    Performs crisis intervention as needed; assesses and identifies clients’ needs for physical healthcare services, including specialty care; acts as a partner and resource; and follows through to ensure service efficacy;
•    Collaborates with a multi-disciplinary team on client concerns; 
•    Requests assistance and guidance from management and professional staff when necessary to address client issues and problems; establishes and maintains contact with community resources to ensure continuity of care;
•    Creates detailed documentation of client progress and performs various other administrative functions associated with the program; maintains client charts; and other pertinent information; 
•    Updates assigned clients’ progress notes as needed and keeps the accountability, master list and any other pertinent client logs updated;
•    Maintains daily log of clients seen; 
•    Writes necessary communication to collaborate on clients’ needs, challenges and/or concerns; 
•    Consults with psychiatrists and other mental health staff in designing appropriate treatment plans for clients;
•    Ensures that all lab tests are completed;
•    Completes intake assessments, updated assessments, and other necessary paperwork, including service plans and service plan reviews;
•    Upholds all Program Safety Policies and Procedures and ensures that clients, staff and program facility are safe at all times;
•    Maintains a good rapport, respect and communication with law enforcement or court officials, clients, and community service agencies;
•    Monitors and evaluates clients’ medication compliance and initiates follow-up visits with primary care and psychiatric providers, if necessary;
•    Communicates and collaborates with pharmacies, doctor’s offices, conservators, family members, Probation and Parole Officers, etc;
•    Provides health education, medication education, wellness information, etc. to clients;
•    Assesses each client for smoking cessation needs and provides smoking cessation assistance and resources; 
•    Reviews medical records and assists clients with understanding and accepting the need for treatment;
•    Other duties as assigned.

DESIRED MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Knowledge of:
•    Professional nursing principles, procedures, and techniques used in the care and treatment of psychiatric patients;
•    County’s System of Care;
•    Social, psychological, and physical factors of mental and emotional disorders;
•    Cultural and socio-economic issues relevant to providing professional nursing services to special population groups, including justice-involved individuals, LatinX, African American, and Transition Age Youth;
•    Legal and ethical issues pertaining to delivery of professional services;
•    Medical and psychological terminology;
•    Local community and mental health resources available to assist incarcerated and recently released clients;
•    State of California laws and regulations for the nursing profession;
•    Theories, principles, and techniques of individual and group psychotherapy;
•    Social, psychological and physical factors of mental, emotional, and substance use disorders;
•    Use of multidisciplinary treatment teams;
•    Symptoms and behavior patterns of emotionally disturbed and mentally ill clients; 
•    Medical and psychiatric emergency procedures.

Ability to:
•    Assess for the purpose of acquiring diagnostic information and developing case management treatment plans;
•    Work with a diverse team which includes clinicians, substance use counselors, peers, social workers, correctional staff, Parole and Probation Officer, Court Officials and community-based providers; 
•    Maintain detailed client documentation and communicate effectively and timely;
•    Exercise tact, objectivity, sensitivity, strategy and judgment in dealing with a variety of people with substance use and mental illness challenges
•    Organize, set priorities and exercise sound independent judgment within areas of responsibility;
•    Establish and maintain effective working relationships with clients, correctional staff, other professional staff and the public;
•    Operate a computer using word processing, spreadsheet and database software applications, and operate other standard office equipment;
•    Understand, interpret, explain and apply local, state and federal law and regulations governing mental health programs and correctional facilities;
•    Communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing;
•    Successfully perform duties in a field-based setting;

Experience and Training
Typical ways to obtain the knowledge, skills and abilities outlined above are:
Completion of an LVN program approved by California’s Board of Nursing. Minimum of two years of full-time vocational nursing experience in a psychiatric facility. Experience with the following: motivational interviewing, working with Latino and African American population, and working with the incarcerated or justice-involved population. 

Licenses; Certificates; Special Requirements:
Minimum of preferred qualifications include: Valid Vocational Nurse License A valid California Driver’s License. CPR/First Aid Certified. TB test required upon hire and to be maintained every four years.

PHYSICAL AND MENTAL DEMANDS:
The physical and mental demands described here are representative of those that must be met by employees to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Physical Demands
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit or stand for long periods; talk or hear, both in person and by telephone; use hands to handle, feel or operate standard office equipment; reach with hands and arms; and lift or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and the ability to adjust focus.

Mental Demands
While performing the duties of this job, employees are regularly required to use written and oral communication skills; read and interpret data, information and documents; analyze and solve complex problems; observe and interpret complex situations; learn and apply new information or skills; perform work on multiple, concurrent tasks; work with constant interruptions and interact with NHA management, staff, clients, clients’ family members, funding agency representatives and others encountered in the course of work. The employee may have contact with abusive and physically violent clients.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.  The employee works in a field-based setting.  Employee provides services in correctional facilities, at community or social settings, or in clients’ homes when appropriate.