SUMMARY

Nurse needed to serve as a member of the primary care clinic’s health care team and assist the primary care manager (PCM) in managing the overall health of their enrolled population. The program goal is to assist the Air Force Medical Home (AFMH) in meeting its core principles of “whole person orientation” and “coordinated/integrated patient care” by improving management of cognitive and behavioral factors impacting the health of the enrolled population. Scope and responsibilities include patient care (e.g., functional assessment, targeted and collaborative problem solving) and consultation with AFMH members to identify (and efficiently and effectively target) primary problems impacting the enrolled population. Services will be governed by US Air Force practice standards as delineated in the Behavioral Health Optimization Program (BHCF) Mental Health Nurse practice manual.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Education. BSN graduate of an accredited nursing program
• Certification. Certified/certification eligible by the American Nurses Credentialing Center
• (ANCC) as a Psychiatric and Mental Health Nurse with 2 years of full-time experience in Mental Health
• Experience: Must have at least 36 months of total nursing experience in a direct patient care clinical setting. Must have experience providing services such as psychiatric nursing or behavioral health and wellness counseling for 24 recent consecutive months of direct patient specialty care experience.
• Working knowledge and a minimum of three years of experience with levels of care to include post-hospital and acute care illness stabilization. Ability to anticipate and articulate to health management and/or interdisciplinary team the patient’s needs, requirements, abilities, and limitations.
• A minimum of three years of experience with professional nursing care standards, theories, principles, practices, disease processes, and procedures to perform nursing assignments of moderate to severe difficulty, and experience with acutely and chronically ill adult and geriatric patients as appropriate.
• Working knowledge of human growth and development, and pathophysiology of disease processes, as they apply to the care environment for all ages of the spectrum from pediatrics to geriatrics.
• A minimum of three years of experience with a variety of psychopharmacological agents used in patient treatment, the desired effects to include side effects, and complications of their use, as well as the accurate administration of the psychopharmacologic agent. Must possess a working knowledge of the administrative requirements for proper documentation of patient conditions, including disease progress, acknowledgement of teaching, and follow-up care.
• Ability to establish a nursing plan of care that effectively applies core disease management principles to mental health conditions and includes in that plan: a) assessment and identification of target populations; b) implementation and execution of Clinical Practice Guidelines or standards; c) collaboration and coordination of activities with other healthcare members; d) promotion and education of patient self-management actions.
• Skillful and tactful in communicating with people who may be physically or mentally ill, uncooperative, fearful, emotionally distraught, and occasionally dangerous. Organizational, problem-solving, and communication skills to articulate medical requirements to patients, families/caregivers, medical and non-medical staff professionally and courteously.
• Must have at least 12 months of direct hands-on experience in the last 24 months with computer operations, basic word processing, data entry, and use of an automated medical record system.
• Attendance at a five day mandatory DoD/Air Force BHCF training is required, location TBD. The ability to complete training and meet core competencies must be demonstrated within three (3) months of hire. The three-month threshold for demonstration of core competency skills will be extended if the Air Force is unable to provide training opportunities within three months.
• Working Knowledge of the military health care system, including TRICARE health benefits, is preferred.
• Computer literate (Microsoft Office; ability to work with databases)
• US Citizenship required.

FRENCH CONSULTING IS PROUD TO BE AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY WORKPLACE AND IS AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EMPLOYER. WE ARE COMMITTED TO EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY REGARDLESS OF RACE, COLOR, ANCESTRY, RELIGION, SEX, NATIONAL ORIGIN, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, AGE, CITIZENSHIP, MARITAL STATUS, DISABILITY, GENDER IDENTITY, OR VETERAN STATUS. WE ALSO CONSIDER QUALIFIED APPLICANTS REGARDLESS OF CRIMINAL HISTORIES, CONSISTENT WITH LEGAL REQUIREMENTS.

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• Proactively identify and evaluate patients and targeted populations for mental health case management, care coordination and facilitation, and condition monitoring
• Conduct a systematic, ongoing, thorough assessment of the patient’s emotional, psychological, social, and medical status, prescribed medications, behavioral health referrals/treatments, and other pertinent information
• Coordinate patient care through a continuum of care and the levels of care to achieve optimal health outcomes in relation to care, quality, and cost effectiveness. Assesses, coordinates, facilitates, and delivers care for adult patients relevant to the practice environment and procedures performed. Provides patient and family education according to the credentialed provider’s instruction and documentsthe patient and family understanding.
• Ensures compliance with standards of care and practice in accordance with all established policies, procedures, and guidelines used in the medical treatment facility. Provides care within ethical and legal boundaries. Participates in peer review and monitoring of professional nursing practice with the ability to provide and receive feedback regarding advancement of professional practice and safe patient care.
• Evaluates and cares for patients utilizing the nursing process as a basis for professional practice. Demonstrates proper patient preparation for examination and treatment. Performs dosage calculations as required to accurately administer ordered pharmacologic agents. Assesses patient’s compliance, barriers to compliance and develops a nursing plan of care accordingly.
• Effectively communicates and collaborates with a diverse group for the purpose of informing and coordinating care to the healthcare team of plans/actions, for teaching/education to benefit the patient/family and organization.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills to perform accurate documentation
• Utilizes critical thinking to synthesize data from multiple sources and makes appropriate clinical decisions, implementing nursing care theories and existing evidence-based practices to return the patient to pre hospital and/or acute illness baseline prior to discharge to home or transferring to next level of care.
• Recognize patients at risk for harm to self and/or others or experiencing adverse signs and symptoms and react quickly in emergency situations. Ability to calmly assess like-threating situations and appropriately coordinate/expedite life-saving intervention. Competence in all required emergency procedures for the population cared for.
• Perform nursing care and duties with minimal to no supervisory direction according to appropriate/relevant Nursing Care Standard and Nursing Code of Ethics.
• Serves and participates in committees, functions, and other meetings as directed.
• Provides relevant and timely information to these groups, and assists with decision-making and process improvement. Participates in customer service initiatives, performance and quality improvement measures and medical readiness activities, designed to enhance health services.
• Participates in local, AF, DoD and national teleconferences as required and relative to the program operations and reporting requirements.
• Develop, execute and provide ongoing monitoring of appropriate patient-specific plan of care including short and long term goals, objectives and actions. Coordinate and collaborate on the care plan along with the patient, family/caregiver, and healthcare team.
• Identify, develop and execute appropriate targeted population-based mental health disease management activities such as, but not limited to individual and/or group patient contacts and training programs.
• Serve as an advocate for and ensure appropriate education is provided to the patient or targeted populations for the purpose of promoting adherence to treatment plans, self-care actions, and education programs. Ensure activities match the level of the patient’s clinical risk, readiness to change and health literacy.
• Identify, collect, monitor, interpret and evaluate measureable outcome data within established time frames according to local/AF/DoD requirements.
• Educate/train the healthcare team and facility staff on policies and procedures for utilization and implementation of guidelines, protocols and other behavioral health and mental health disease management activities.
• Coordinate participate in interdisciplinary team meetings, designated facility meetings, and Care Coordination meetings. Share knowledge and experiences gained from own clinical nursing practice and education relevant to mental health nursing and case management. Participate in local, AF, DoD and national teleconferences as required and relative to the program operations and reporting requirements.
• Maintain accurate and current notes in the Mental Health records, inpatient medical records and electronic medical records of all patients seen, as appropriate, and produces reports of evaluation and/or treatment, as required.
• Complete electronic medical record documentation, coding and designated tracking logs and data reporting as required by local MTF/AF/DoD instructions, policies and guidance.