Mental Health Nurse Specialist
County of Ventura Ventura, California, United States
- Location: Ventura, California, United States
- Categories: Public Health
- Job Type: Full Time
- Posted: Feb 25, 2025
Job Description:
Mental Health Nurse Specialist
Description
DescriptionJoin our team at Ventura County Behavioral Health (VCBH), where you'll be part of a compassionate community dedicated to reducing suffering and fostering recovery from mental illness and substance use issues. As a vital department of Ventura County Health Care Agency (HCA), we provide comprehensive services tailored to meet the diverse needs of our community. From mobile crisis response to outpatient treatment, our array of programs ensures individuals receive the support they need at every stage of their journey. At VCBH, you'll have the opportunity to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others while working alongside dedicated professionals committed to promoting wellness and resilience in Ventura County.
Registered Nurse-Mental Health positions are distinguished from other nursing classes in that incumbents deliver mental health nursing services and develop and maintain competence in community mental health practices. Incumbents are expected to work at the full scope of their licensure providing clinical care with a decreasing amount of supervision commensurate with their experience.
What We Offer:
The County of Ventura offers an attractive compensation and benefits package, subject to eligibility requirements, that includes:
- EDUCATIONAL/BILINGUAL INCENTIVE: Incumbents may be eligible for an educational incentive of 2.5%, 3.5%, or 5% based on completion of an Associate's, Bachelor's, or Master's degree that is not required for the classification. Incumbents may also be eligible for bilingual incentive depending upon operational need and certification of skill. In order to qualify for this incentive, incumbents in eligible positions must take and pass the applicable bilingual fluency examination.
- CERTIFICATION PAY: $0.813 per hour based on scheduled work week hours for each qualified certification up to a maximum of five (5) certifications. One of the five certifications may be paid at $2.00 per hour for a National Certification.
- EVENING SHIFT DIFFERENTIAL - 7.5%
- NIGHT SHIFT DIFFERENTIAL - 15%
- WEEKEND SHIFT DIFFERENTIAL - $2.00 per hour
- CONTINUOUS COUNTY SERVICE INCENTIVE PAY: 1% for 7 years, 1.25% for 12 years and 1.5% for 17 years
- PRECEPTOR PAY - $2.50 per hour
- HOUSE SUPERVISOR PAY - $4.00 per hour
- CHARGE NURSE PREMIUM PAY - $2.50 per hour
- FLOAT NURSE PREMIUM PAY- $2.50 per hour
- IN HOUSE REGISTRY PAY:
- Non-overtime is 1.75 straight time base hourly rate
- Overtime is 2 times base pay straight time base hourly rate
- STANDBY PREMIUM PAY - ΒΌ of regular hourly wage or Federal minimum wage (whichever is greater)
- FLEXIBLE CREDIT ALLOWANCE: Biweekly contribution towards medical, dental, and/or vision insurance from authorized plans.
- PENSION PLAN: Participation in the County's defined benefit plan.
- To learn more about the benefits, please follow the link: https://vcportal.ventura.org/CEO/HR/MOA/docs/CNA_MOA_2023-2028.pdf
Senior Registered Nurse-Mental Health ( $53.14 - $63.54) - Under general direction, provides clinical supervision and coordination of mental health nursing services on a designated shift.
AGENCY/DEPARTMENT: Health Care Agency - Behavioral Health
Registered Nurse-Mental Health and Senior Registered Nurse-Mental Health are represented by the California Nurses' Association (CNA) and are eligible for overtime compensation . Salary placement will be determined according to the current California Nurses' Association (CNA) memorandum of agreement.
The eligible list established from this recruitment may be used to fill current and future Regular (including Temporary and Fixed-term), Intermittent, and Extra Help vacancies for these positions only. There are currently four (4) Regular vacancies within Behavioral Health.
NOTE: If appointed at the lower level, incumbent may be promoted to the higher level without further examination upon meeting the minimum requirements, demonstrating satisfactory performance, and in accordance with the business needs of the department.
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE:
OPENING DATE: April 9 , 2024
CLOSING DATE: Continuous and may close at any time; therefore, the schedule for the remainder of the process will depend upon when we receive a sufficient number of qualified applications to meet business needs. It is to your advantage to apply as soon as possible.
(Previously: April 23, 2024 at 5:00 p.m.)
Examples Of Duties
Duties may include but are not limited to the following:
- Implements nursing process (assessment, planning, implementation of care, evaluation of patient responses and revision of plan as needed);
- Provides individual counseling, leads or co-leads group counseling sessions, and conducts family conferences;
- Administers medications and monitors their use and side effects;
- May provide functional and clinical supervision to student nurses and other disciplines;
- Maintains all necessary records and patient charts; collects data for research and evaluation;
- Identifies community agencies and resources that can assist patients; serves as a liaison on patient's behalf;
- Provides crisis intervention including evaluation, counseling, and consultation with law enforcement agencies; may be designated to escort patients for involuntary admission under Section 5150 of the Welfare and Institutions Code; explains and enforces legal rights;
- Coordinates various tasks relative to the delivery of services in assigned program; and
- Performs other related duties as required.
- Plans, with a multi-disciplinary team, health service programs to meet the needs of mentally ill patients in an outpatient setting;
- Implements nursing process (assessment, planning, implementation of care, evaluation of patient responses and revision of plan as needed);
- Evaluates and provides clinical supervision to nursing staff in areas of employee development, work performance, and in the development and implementation of effective treatment plans, proper medication procedures, proper use and maintenance of equipment and effective relationships with other staff members and agencies; and
- Performs other related duties as required.
Typical Qualifications
These are entrance requirements to the examination process and assure neither continuance in the process nor placement on an eligible list.
EDUCATION, TRAINING, and EXPERIENCE:
Registered Nurse-Mental Health - Requires one (1) year of full-time professional registered nursing experience providing direct patient care in a mental health setting.
Senior Registered Nurse-Mental Health - Requires four (4) years of full-time professional, registered nursing experience, including two (2) years of full-time experience in nursing care management -- with one (1) of those years in a charge nurse capacity. In addition, some of the required experience must be in the assigned area of specialization.
NECESSARY SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:
- Must possess and maintain a current, valid license as a Registered Nurse issued by the State of California.
- Must have a current, valid Basic Life Support (BLS/CPR) certification by first day of employment.
- Must possess and maintain a valid California driver's license by first day of employment.
- Depending upon area of assignment, additional specialty experience and/or certification(s) may be required.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, and ABILITIES:
Working to thorough knowledge of:
- mental and medical nursing theories and practices; including the varied theories, techniques, and practices related to working with mentally unstable persons;
- theory of human growth and development;
- current mental health treatment approaches;
- community resources and their interrelationships;
- mental health laws as related to patient care;
- social and political factors influencing mental health care delivery;
- California Mental Health laws and their application, and other mental health laws related to patient care;
- the theories, techniques, and practices of professional nursing;
- community, County, State, and Federal resources and their interrelationships;
Working ability to:
- participate in comprehensive planning in consultation with a multidisciplinary team;
- make independent decisions on behalf of patients;
- provide effective functional supervision and leadership;
- maintain confidentiality of patient/client information;
- establish and maintain the confidence of and working relationships with professional staff, patients and families, and other related entities;
- communicate effectively, both orally and in writing;
- implement an effective training program for non-professional and professional co-workers, and other community agencies or groups.
Duties are performed in a variety of settings which, depending on assignment, may include inpatient or outpatient facilities or field work in patient homes. Field work will conclude utilizing private or County vehicles for transportation from office to patient homes. Tasks will range from sedentary to those that may require alertness and strength in a crisis situation.
Recruitment Process
FINAL FILING DATE: T his is a continuous recruitment and may close at any time; therefore, apply as soon as possible if you are interested in it. Your application must be received by County of Ventura Human Resources no later than 5:00 p.m. on the closing date.
(Previously: Applications must be received by County of Ventura Human Resources in Ventura, California, no later than 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 23, 2024.)
To apply on-line, please refer to our web site at www.ventura.org/hr. If you prefer to fill out a paper application form, please call (805) 654-5129 for application materials and submit them to County of Ventura Human Resources, 800 South Victoria Avenue, L-1970, Ventura, CA 93009.
Note to Applicants: It is essential that you complete all sections of your application and supplemental questionnaire thoroughly and accurately to demonstrate your qualifications. A resume and/or other related documents may be attached to supplement the information in your application and supplemental questionnaire; however, it/they may not be submitted in lieu of the application.
LATERAL TRANSFER OPTION: If presently permanently employed in another "merit" or "civil service" public agency/entity in the same or substantively similar position as is advertised, and if appointed to that position by successful performance in a "merit" or "civil service" style examination, then appointment by "Lateral Transfer" may be possible. If interested, please click here for additional information.
SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE - qualifying: All applicants are required to complete and submit the questionnaire for this examination at the time of filing. The supplemental questionnaire may be used throughout the examination process to assist in determining each applicant's qualifications and acceptability for the position. Failure to complete and submit the questionnaire will result in the application being removed from consideration.
APPLICATION EVALUATION - 100%: All applications will be reviewed to determine whether or not the stated requirements are met. A score of 70 will be assigned to each application based on established criteria. Such score will be considered as the final score for placement on the eligible list.
Applicants successfully completing the exam process may be placed on an eligible list for a period of one (1) year.
BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION : A thorough pre-employment, post offer background investigation which may include inquiry into past employment, education, criminal background information, and driving record may be required for this position.
For further information about this recruitment, please contact Vivian Merida by telephone at (805) 677-5231 or by e-mail at Vivian.Merida@ventura.org.
EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY
The County of Ventura is an equal opportunity employer to all, regardless of age, ancestry, color, disability (mental and physical), exercising the right to family care and medical leave, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religious creed, sex (includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and related medical conditions), and sexual orientation.
YOUR BENEFITS AS A COUNTY OF VENTURA EMPLOYEE
California Nurses Association
(CNA)
To learn more about Benefits, Retirement, and the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), see links below.
- Benefits website or you may call (805) 654-2570.
- Retirement FAQ's
- Memorandum of Agreement
Closing Date/Time: Continuous