LPN / RN - Assertive Community Treatment (ACT)

Job title: LPN / RN - Assertive Community Treatment (ACT)

About the Role A combined LPN/RN role providing psychiatric nursing support and wellness initiatives for Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) within MPNN BH. Services are delivered in the community and individuals' homes to help adults with severe mental illness achieve personal goals, in alignment with ACT Fidelity Model and recovery-based care.

What You'll Do

• Follow established protocol to ensure security and safety of the Medication Room including logging, packaging, transporting, and delivering medication from local and state pharmacies.
• Maintain compliance with MPNN BH and Board of Pharmacy policies for the maintenance of an alternative delivery site (including destroying outdated medications).
• Employ a stage-based treatment model that is non-confrontational, considers interactions of mental illness and substance abuse, and has individual-determined goals. Be comfortable with Harm Reduction approaches.
• Perform general and psychiatric nursing duties: medication administration and education, intramuscular injections, weights, vital signs, consumer crisis intervention, and mental status examinations.
• Transcribe medication orders to the Medication Administration Record (MAR) and provide oversight of MAR completion to ensure accuracy; nursing staff are responsible for generating MARs for new consumers and updating/printing new monthly MARs for all ACT individuals on medication rounds, medication boxes, and long-acting antipsychotic injections. Provide guidance to ACT teammates as appropriate to correct MARs. Reviews the new month’s MARs prior to the start of the new month to double check for errors in transcriptions from the prior month’s MARs.
• Assist in the provision of medical services, such as delivering and monitoring medications, collaboration with medical providers, assistance with inventorying/ordering/refilling medical supplies and external non-psychiatric medications, and requesting medical records from primary care providers, and other providers. Assists and participates in all hospital diversion, hospital care coordination, and hospital discharge/re-integration services, including accessing backup contractual pharmacies/community pharmacies to obtain new/needed medications from discharge prescriptions.
• Administer medications as directed by psychiatric care provider. Reports and records medication errors. Observes individuals for medication reactions and refers and follows-up for any needed medical evaluation or care.
• Works with the ACT Team Leader, ACT Psychiatric Care Provider and ACT RN in program planning as it relates to medication administration. Perform community visits as needed to carry out physician orders; this may include home visits and trips to the local pharmacy.
• Complies with established legislation, mandates, program standards, and MPNN BH requirements regarding the individual’s services and documentation. Acts as a liaison with contractual pharmacy on daily medication deliveries and ordering of medications for repacking to help ensure timely delivery and distribution of the individual’s medications.
• Assists psychiatric care provider with obtaining and completion of medication prior authorization forms from various insurance and contracting companies to help facilitate the individuals access to recommended/prescribed medications. Participates in team meetings, clinical staffing and supervision.

What We're Looking For

• Active Virginia LPN license or RN license. The employee must be able to transport persons served in an MPNN BH vehicle and work a flexible schedule including evenings, weekends, and holidays; on-call crisis support.
• Strong interpersonal skills; ability to exercise tact and courtesy in contact with staff, individuals, families, public, and service providers; able to work in a team-oriented environment.
• Experience in psychiatric/behavioral health or Assertive Community Treatment settings preferred.
• Proficiency with MAR/EMR documentation and medication safety; ability to coordinate with pharmacists and primary care providers; knowledge of Board of Pharmacy regulations.
• Valid driver’s license and ability to transport clients; willingness to perform home visits and community-based services.
• Commitment to recovery-based care and harm reduction principles.