This position has a residency waiver and will be accepting applications from residents and non-residents of Colorado. This announcement is open to potential candidates who are legal residents of the United States. All legal residents of the United States are eligible to apply and compete. If appointed to a position, applicants from outside of Colorado will be required to relocate to Colorado prior to their start date, at their own expense.
Please note: This recruitment may be used to fill multiple vacancies.
****SIGN ON INCENTIVE $14,000****
This position will receive a short-staffing temporary pay differential of (8% or 3.17%) from July 1st 2023 - June 30th 2024.
Most State of Colorado employees are eligible for a great benefit package! Please see the Supplemental Information section below for details!
About Fort Logan:
The Colorado Mental Health Hospital at Fort Logan (CMHHIFL) is one of two state hospitals serving our community. The vision of CMHHIFL is to provide the highest quality mental health services to persons with complex, serious, and persistent mental illness within the resources available. Our mission is to support those individuals in achieving their recovery goals and reaching their full potential. CMHHIFL provides inpatient treatment to adult patients, generally between the ages of 18-59. The hospital currently has 138 adult inpatient beds, over six treatment milieus serving civil and forensic individuals. Medical services, occupational therapy, neuropsychological-rehabilitation services, and trauma-informed care services are available for all patients throughout the hospital.
Through our core values listed below, CMHHIFL staff is committed to:
- Individual dignity and respect.
- Person-centered, evidence-based care.
- Trauma informed recovery.
- Multidisciplinary collaboration.
- Diversity and inclusion.
- Strong family and community partnerships
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The purpose of this position:
Provides nursing leadership and direction for staff. Provides therapeutic work in the psychiatric care of mentally ill patients hospitalized at CMHHIFL. Primary responsibilities are applications of knowledge, expertise and experience in providing safe and effective nursing care to patients.
Patient Care:
Assesses plans, coordinates, provides and evaluates nursing care of patients with psychiatric and medical conditions, documenting all pertinent data. Utilizes nursing theory and concepts to develop nursing plans of care and therapeutic interventions to support patients’ recovery, such as individual counseling, psychoeducational and teaching groups, and milieu management. Communicates the nursing plan of care to the interdisciplinary team. Assures that appropriate documentation is completed. Assures that essential information is shared from shift to shift and makes rounds to assess patients’ psychiatric and medical statuses. Notifies medical staff (physicians and licensed independent practitioners) of changes in patient condition and need for evaluations and orders. Reports patient care concerns to supervisor and physicians, as indicated. Directs, coordinates and implements medical and psychiatric crisis intervention in clinical emergencies assuring compliance with nursing standards and policies/procedures (e.g., de-escalation, seclusion/restraint, cardiopulmonary resuscitation). May escort patients to activities and appointments on grounds and in the community, including driving patients to appointments. Assumes responsibility for paperwork, assuring confidentiality.
- Determines whether the needs of a patient returning from a general hospital can be safely met by the nursing staff in terms of staff competency, appropriate equipment and level of staffing during own shift and proximal shifts. In collaboration with Nurse Manager and treatment team, recommends a change in program scheduling to benefit patients.
Milieu Management:
Assures a safe, therapeutic environment for patients using nursing theory and judgment by planning and implementing milieu management techniques such as pro-actively anticipating problems, planning interventions strategies and assigning responsibilities. During specific shifts, functions in the role of Charge Nurse and provides clinical and administrative supervision of nursing staff on duty. Assures that the care provided meets or exceeds community and professional standards. Coordinates provision of replacement staff and extra staff for high acuity, as indicated.
- Determines what assignments and duties are appropriate for nursing staff, newly hired employees, nursing students, and supplemental nursing staff during assigned shifts.
Medication Administration:
Evaluates and administers medication in terms of need, effectiveness, side effects and drug interactions using nursing judgment, standards of care and policy and procedure. Follows all policies and procedures for medical order transcription and medication administration documentation.
- Transcribing and translating physician’s orders per standards of practice.
- Clarifying illegible and confusing orders.
- Transcribing orders in the nurses’ stations with a high level of noise and activity going on concurrently.
- Selecting appropriate medications (ordered PRN, or as needed) based on the assessment of the patient’s needs and the specific indications of the order.
Supervision and Delegation to Licensed and Unlicensed Assistive Personnel:
Accountable for the work of nursing staff, mental health clinicians, nursing students, orientees and others through delegation of work assignments, assuring timely completion of work, providing clinical leadership and teaching clinical interventions. Functions as the Charge Nurse, when assigned, and provides clinical and administrative supervision of nursing staff on duty during specific shift.
- Determines what assignments and duties are appropriate for nursing staff, newly hired employees, nursing students, and supplemental nursing staff during assigned shifts.
- Identifies training needs for staff, provides appropriate coaching and direction in the moment, and recommends to Nurse Manager strategies to improve staff skills in the areas of both medical and psychiatric nursing.
Patient Teaching:
Assesses and teaches preventative health care, illness management, coping skills, social skills, living skills, and indications/side effects of medications to patient and family. Supports patients in building skills and improving their sense of self-efficacy through patient teaching.
- Determines patient’s learning needs, monitoring both the patient’s verbal responses and non-verbal cues, to build an approach that is most effective.
- Changes approach and methods of teaching, based on patient’s responses.
Interdisciplinary treatment planning and treatment implementation:
Provides nursing input, as a member of the inter-disciplinary team, into treatment planning and unit programming. Serves as a liaison/communication link between patient, family, doctor, other health professionals, ancillary staff, and supervisors exchanging information and clarifying rationales for plans and interventions.
- Integrating assessment information, patient’s presenting behavior and patient’s input into an effective plan of care.
- Utilizing the strategies and interventions from the treatment plan as indicated and providing feedback to the treatment planning process when strategies/interventions are not effective and need to be modified.
Maintains Skills/Competence:
Maintains updated skills, knowledge, abilities and competencies necessary to the position through continuing education, clinical supervision, literature review and participating in discipline and team development.
- Stays informed of trainings, relevant professional journals and other resources and determines which are most relevant to attend or review.
- Determines what materials and information is appropriate to pass along to colleagues and nursing staff.
Other Duties as Assigned
Minimum Qualifications:
Education/Licensure/Certification/Experience:
Current, valid licensure as a Registered Nurse from the Colorado Board of Nursing or
any state participating in the Enhanced Nurse Licensure Compact (eNLC)
No Substitutions
Special Qualifications:
- Maintains active and unencumbered Colorado Registered Nurse License. *Due to the juvenile population served at the MHI facilities, incumbents of this position must be at least 21 years of age.
Conditions of Employment:
- Applicants must be available to complete shift work- nights, evenings, back-to-back, weekends and holidays shifts as needed
- Full background check and reference check required
- Use, Handling, or Exposure to hazardous materials – May be exposed to bodily fluids or caustic chemicals
- Must possess a valid, unrestricted U.S. Driver's License
- Travel – May need to escort patients to medical appointments or attend training
- Former State employees who were disciplinarily terminated or resigned in lieu of termination must (1) disclose that information on the application (2) provide an explanation why the prior termination or resignation should not disqualify the applicant from the current position, (3) provide the employee number from the applicant’s prior State employment. Absent extraordinary circumstances, prior disciplinary termination or resignation in lieu of termination and failure to provide this information will disqualify the applicant from future State employment with CDHS
Appeal Rights:
If you receive notice that you have been eliminated from consideration for this position, you may file an appeal with the State Personnel Board or request a review by the State Personnel Director.
An appeal or review must be submitted on the official appeal form, signed by you or your representative. This form must be delivered to the State Personnel Board by email (dpa_state.personnelboard@state.co.us), postmarked in US Mail or hand delivered (1525 Sherman Street, 4th Floor, Denver CO 80203), or faxed (303.866.5038) within ten (10) calendar days from your receipt of notice or acknowledgement of the department’s action.
For more information about the appeals process, the official appeal form, and how to deliver it to the State Personnel Board; go to spb.colorado.gov; contact the State Personnel Board for assistance at (303) 866-3300; or refer to 4 Colorado Code of Regulations (CCR) 801-1, State Personnel Board Rules and Personnel Director's Administrative Procedures, Chapter 8, Resolution of Appeals and Disputes, at spb.colorado.gov under Rules.
How to Apply
The Assessment Process
For additional recruiting questions, please contact Stephanie.Karle@state.co.us
Sign-On Incentive:
The $14,000 sign-on incentive will be provided in three payments: within two pay cycles of when the new employee starts at CDHS, 180-day anniversary, and 270-day anniversary with CDHS. Must be currently employed at the date of the anniversary to receive the next installment. If you are separated from the state for any reason prior to the installment date, you will not be eligible to receive it.
About Us:
If your goal is to build a career that makes a difference, consider joining the dedicated people of the Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS). Our professionals strive to design and deliver high quality human and health services that improve the safety, independence, and well-being of the people of Colorado. In addition to a great location and rewarding and meaningful work, we offer:
*Some positions may qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. For more
information, go to https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/dhr/student-loan-forgiveness-programs.
Our Values:
We believe in a people-first approach: To serve the people of Colorado, we develop a culture and work environment that creates an energized, inspired, and healthy team capable of giving their best to Coloradans.
Balance creates quality of life: We want our team to be resilient through a supportive workplace that values flexibility, health and wellness, and employee engagement.
We hold ourselves accountable: We take responsibility through our actions, programs, and results for the state of health and human services in Colorado.
Transparency matters: We are open and honest with employees, our partners, the Coloradans we serve, and the public.
We are ethical: We abide by what is best for those we serve by doing what is right, not what is easy.
Collaboration helps us rise together: We work together with all partners, employees, and clients to achieve the best outcomes for Coloradans.
We are committed to increasing the diversity of our staff and providing culturally responsive programs and services. Therefore, we encourage responses from people of diverse backgrounds and abilities.
ADAA Accommodations:CDHS is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, our agency will assist individuals who have a disability with any reasonable accommodation requests related to employment, including completing the application process, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, participating in the employee selection process, and/or to perform essential job functions where the requested accommodation does not impose an undue hardship. If you have a disability and require reasonable accommodation to ensure you have a positive experience applying or interviewing for this position, please direct your inquiries to our ADAA Coordinator, Nancy Schmelzer, at cdhs_ada@state.co.us or call 1-800-929-0791.
~THE STATE OF COLORADO IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER~
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