Behavioral Interventionist - UI Health, General Psychiatric Nursing

The Adult Psychiatry Inpatient Unit is seeking a full time Behavioral Interventionist. This position will work under the direct supervision of a Registered Nurse (RN). The Behavioral Interventionist delivers patient care utilizing the Relationship-Based Care model as a framework. The Behavioral Interventionist also provides care and takes initiative to improve patient outcomes by supporting Shared Leadership, Evidence Based Practice and Magnet's Five Models of Care in clinical practice. Through therapeutic relationships with patients, families, self and colleagues, the Behavioral Interventionist functions as an interdisciplinary team member who provides patient care and fulfills unit and organizational goals

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Provides care for patients who have a mental illness, emotional conditions, and/or developmental disabilities.
• Systematically observes, reports, and documents subjectively and objectively the covert and overt baseline data regarding patients’ psychological and behavioral states such as effect (flat, bright tearful), thought content (logical, illogical), and behavior (withdrawn, agitated);
• Develops and maintains therapeutic alliances with patients and their families; facilitates, leads, and/or participates in scheduled individual or group therapeutic patient activities and/or patient groups, coordinates activities with professional staff members/treatment.
• Plans therapeutic outings, off-unit tests, and procedures; assists patients with the activities of daily living, accompanies patients to off-unit tests/procedures/outings when necessary.
• Evaluates the value of activities as they apply to the improved mental/emotional state of the patient.
• Indirect cooperation with a Registered Nurse, develops, implements, and evaluates a course of action for each patient (such as behavior modification)
• Performs routine measurements of the state of the patient’s physical health (such as measuring weight)
• Implements portions of the nursing care program as assigned by the Registered Nurse, such as monitoring patients’ physical and emotional well-being via continual observation of patients’ behavior modification, assessing calorie counts (anorexics), and reporting to nursing/medical staff/treatment.
• Evaluates patient response and attempts to modify behavior through interventions outlined by the treatment team;
• Assists with verbal de-escalation, distraction, redirection, seclusion, and restraining patients exhibiting explosive and aggressive behaviors
• Participates in patient care conferences, staff meetings, in-service training, the orientation of new staff, and continuing education programs
• Perform other related duties and participate in special projects as assigned.