Job Title
Registered Nurse - Psychiatric (RN)
Job Summary
We are seeking a dedicated and compassionate Registered Nurse (RN) to join an acute inpatient psychiatric unit in Ithaca, New York. This specialized unit provides comprehensive care for both adult (20 beds) and adolescent (6 beds) patient populations experiencing acute psychiatric needs.
The Psychiatric RN will deliver direct patient and family-centered nursing care within their full scope of practice. This role involves applying the nursing process—assessment, planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation—to develop and execute evidence-based care plans, ensuring holistic support for patients' physical, psychological, emotional, educational, and spiritual needs.
The successful candidate will work collaboratively within an interdisciplinary team, demonstrating critical thinking, strong communication skills, and a commitment to patient advocacy and high-quality care delivery.
Key Responsibilities
- Provide direct, patient-centered nursing care to adult and adolescent patients on an acute inpatient psychiatric unit.
- Execute the full nursing process, including comprehensive assessment, development, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of individualized care plans.
- Collaborate effectively with the interdisciplinary healthcare team to ensure coordinated and holistic patient care.
- Involve patients and their families in establishing care goals and facilitate connections to other disciplines and services as needed.
- Implement evidence-based interventions to achieve established care goals and promote positive patient outcomes.
- Demonstrate proficiency and compliance with established practices in clinical documentation.
- Utilize critical thinking skills to make appropriate clinical decisions, prioritize planned and unplanned events, and proactively address potential patient issues.
- Act as a resource and mentor to peers, assisting in the acquisition of department-specific knowledge, skills, and behaviors.
- Appropriately delegate tasks to members of the care team, following established delegation processes and evaluating outcomes.
- Adhere strictly to organizational policies, procedures, and standards, maintaining current knowledge of best practices.
Required Qualifications
- Active Registered Nurse (RN) license in the state of New York.
- Ability to work in an acute inpatient psychiatric setting.
- Not specified.
Preferred Qualifications
Skills & Competencies
- Clinical Skills: Comprehensive nursing assessment, care planning, intervention implementation, patient monitoring, evaluation of outcomes, medication administration, crisis intervention, de-escalation techniques.
- Equipment: General medical equipment used in an inpatient setting.
- Soft Skills: Excellent verbal and written communication, critical thinking, clinical decision-making, leadership at the point of care, patient advocacy, interdisciplinary collaboration, compassion, integrity, reliability, emotional maturity, self-direction, flexibility, strong customer service orientation.
- Professionalism: Adherence to ethical standards, commitment to evidence-based practice, continuous learning, and professional development.
Shift Details
- Shift Type: Evening/Night (PM)
- Hours: 12-hour shifts, 7:00 PM - 7:00 AM
- Days per Week: 3 days per week
- Contract Length: 13 weeks
- Assignment Dates: September 13, 2026 - December 12, 2026
- Call Requirements: Not specified.
- Weekend Rotations: Not specified.
Licensing Requirements
- Current and unencumbered Registered Nurse (RN) license in the State of New York.
- Certifications: Not specified.