Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner

The Psychiatric and Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHP) serves on the Overnight Shift as a clinical provider within the Access & Assessment Department, practicing at the top of licensure and scope in accordance with Hospital Medical Staff Bylaws, Rules and Regulations of the Medical Staff, and clinical privileges granted by the Medical Executive Committee (MEC). The PMHNP's primary responsibility is to review incoming clinical referrals, assess clinical appropriateness for admission, and determine the appropriate Level of Care (LOC) and admission disposition. The PMHNP partners with physicians, therapists, admissions clinicians, nursing, and operational leadership to ensure timely, clinically appropriate LOC decisions while maintaining the highest standards of patient safety and quality.

In addition to supporting admission decision-making, the PMHNP initiates psychiatric evaluations, enters admission, treatment, and medication orders, provides psychiatric medication management, and offers psychiatric consultation as clinically indicated. The PMHNP serves as the designated Qualified Medical Provider (QMP) for EMTALA purposes as an additional responsibility while supporting quality improvement initiatives, clinical pathway development, clinical documentation, and innovative behavioral health access models.

The PMHNP will maintain direct clinical practice through psychiatric evaluations, diagnostic consultations, telehealth services, and other direct patient care responsibilities as assigned to maintain clinical competency and support organizational patient access needs.

• Review clinical documentation, psychiatric assessments, medical records, laboratory results, and collateral information to determine appropriate LOC.
• Provide psychiatric consultation to Counselors and other Access & Assessment clinicians regarding diagnosis, risk formulation, disposition planning, and medical necessity.
• Make independent admission and level-of-care determinations based upon presenting psychiatric symptoms, medical necessity, safety considerations, and established admission criteria.
• Collaborate with psychiatrists, physicians, therapists, nursing, and operational leadership to facilitate timely admission decisions and continuity of care.
• Participate in multidisciplinary case consultation for high-risk, medically/psychiatrically complex, or diagnostically challenging patients.
• Maintain accurate documentation supporting admission determinations, LOC decisions, and clinical rationale in accordance with recognized professional standards of care and organizational standards, policies, procedures, and clinical pathways.
• Participate in quality improvement initiatives by identifying trends, monitoring clinical outcomes, and recommending process improvements to enhance patient access and department efficiency.
• Assist in the development, implementation, and ongoing evaluation of clinical workflows, admission criteria, screening algorithms, and evidence-based best practices.
• Serve as a clinical mentor and subject matter expert for Access & Assessment staff by providing education, consultation, and clinical guidance.
• Participate in department meetings, clinical rounds, quality reviews, and interdisciplinary committees as requested.
• Monitor department performance metrics including turnaround times, medical clearance requests, admission appropriateness, diagnostic accuracy, and patient throughput.
• Collaborate with department leadership to evaluate opportunities for innovation, process changes, and expansion of behavioral health access services.
• Participate in pilot programs and strategic initiatives focused on improving patient experience, operational efficiency, and access to behavioral healthcare services.
• Maintain direct patient care responsibilities through psychiatric evaluations, telehealth consultations, bridge appointments, or other clinical services as assigned.
• Support organizational initiatives related to patient safety, regulatory compliance, accreditation standards, and quality outcomes.
• Initiate psychiatric evaluations and enter admission, treatment, and medication orders within scope of practice, and including legal status determinations for voluntary or involuntary treatment consistent with the needs of the patient and applicable State regulations.
• Provide psychiatric medication management and ongoing clinical consultation.
• Practice within Hospital Medical Staff Bylaws and granted clinical privileges.
• Serve as the designated Qualified Medical Provider (QMP) for EMTALA screening responsibilities.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Education, Experience, License Requirements:

• Master's or Doctoral degree in Nursing with Board Certification as a PMHNP.
• Current unencumbered license as a PMHNP in MN and meets all standard and conditions for privileges as an active member of the Medical Staff.
• Minimum five (5) years of behavioral health clinical experience as a PMHNP preferred.
• Previous experience providing psychiatric evaluations, diagnostic assessments, risk assessments, and medication consultation.
• Experience across multiple behavioral health levels of care (inpatient, residential treatment services, PHP, IOP, and outpatient clinic based outpatient) strongly preferred.
• Previous leadership, quality improvement, utilization management, or program development experience preferred.
• Experience participating in interdisciplinary treatment planning and complex disposition decisions preferred.
• Strong understanding of behavioral healthcare operations, patient flow, medical necessity criteria, and level-of-care determination across the patient lifespan.

Compensation for this role ranges from $125k-$140k annually, depending on education and experience.

We are committed to providing competitive and equitable compensation. An individual's compensation within the posted range is determined by several factors, including skills, experience, education, and market conditions. Additionally, we consider internal equity to ensure fairness within our organization.

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