The Arlington County Department of Human Services is currently recruiting for a Nurse Practitioner position within its Psychiatric Services Bureau in the Behavioral Healthcare Division. The organization is a recovery-oriented, trauma-informed, dynamic behavioral healthcare agency, providing critical services to Arlington County residents.
To learn more about Arlington County’s Psychiatric Services, please click here.
The individual selected for this position will support the Psychiatric Services outpatient services team, and participate on an inter-disciplinary team including psychiatrists, public health nurses, pharmacy, staff, and administrative staff to provide services, collaborate with external providers, and incorporate health and wellness needs into the overall plan of care of client’s served.
Specific duties include:
- Conducting psychiatric assessments of clients;
- Ongoing psychiatric management, including psychopharmacological treatment, psychotherapeutic support, and crisis intervention in collaboration with the treatment team and clinical supervisors;
- Assuring comprehensive healthcare needs are identified and treated;
- Educating clients about their illness and providing health management information and techniques;
- Documenting clinical care and services provided; and
- Providing backup psychiatric provider coverage as needed, mainly consisting of after-hours telephone call responsibilities and back-up to crisis stabilization program.
The successful candidate will possess experience with psychopharmacologic management of individuals who have chronic mental illness and/or dual diagnosed. The candidate must be able to work
independently, have effective communication skills and work well with an interdisciplinary team.
Arlington County DHS is committed to delivering client services in an effective, equitable, respectful, and trauma-informed manner. Our staff is dedicated to ensuring our clients are approached, engaged, and cared for in ways that demonstrate competency, sensitivity, and awareness of factors that impact the client experience, including but not limited to: cultural identity, gender, racial, and ethnic diversity, religious/spiritual ascription, physical capability, cognitive and literacy levels, sexual orientation, and linguistic needs.
Selection Criteria
Minimum:
- Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing plus completion of the requirements for graduation from a college or university program accredited by the American Nurses’ Association, the National League for Nursing or the Joint Virginia Boards of Nursing and Medicine as an approved nurse practitioner education program.
- Must be certified as a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner in Virginia.
- One year of experience working in a psychiatric outpatient mental health community center with clients who have serious mental illness.
Substitution: A directly related higher level clinical degree (Doctorate) may substitute for the Master’s Degree education requirement.
Desirable: Preference may be given to applicants with experience in one or more of the following:
- Working in an acute inpatient psychiatric unit or community mental health center.
- Current healthcare provider CPR certification from the American Heart Association.
- Bilingual in Spanish.
Special Requirements
Must be certified as an Advanced Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). The Board of Nursing and the Board of Medicine may issue certification by endorsement to an applicant who has been certified as a Nurse Practitioner by another state, the District of Columbia, or a United States possession or territory.
Must be licensed or eligible for license by endorsement to practice professional nursing as a Registered Nurse in Virginia. The Board of Nursing may issue a license by endorsement to an applicant who has been licensed as a professional nurse by another state, the District of Columbia, or a United States possession or territory.
Applicant must possess, or obtain by the time of appointment, a valid motor vehicle operator’s license from the applicant’s place of residence or the applicant must have the ability and willingness to use alternative methods of transportation to perform assigned duties and responsibilities at locations other than the primary worksite. If the applicant possesses or acquires a license, the applicant must provide or authorize Arlington County to obtain a copy of the applicant’s official state/district driving record. Any offer of employment may be contingent on a favorable review of the applicant’s driving record.
Must have DEA prescriptive authority.
Must complete pre-hire federal background check and State of Virginia Central Registry check.
Working Conditions:
- The worker must be available to work after hours and in emergency situations.
- Work is performed as part of a 24/7 operation and the worker must be available to work shifts as necessary.
- Light Work: Exerting up to 20 pounds of force occasionally and/or negligible amount of force constantly to move objects. If the use of arm and/or leg controls requires exertion of force greater than that for Sedentary Work and the worker sits most of the time, the job is rated for light work.
Employment restrictions: To ensure that dual relationships are avoided and that employees who are also clients do not relate to their service provider as co-professionals, employees will not be hired by the County to provide or support services to the team or program in which they are current clients:
- You cannot concurrently receive behavioral health services from Arlington County Community Service Board (CSB) programs while employed in an Arlington County CSB program (exception Crisis Intervention services).
- At least 24 months must have passed between receipt of CSB services from Arlington County and employment in an Arlington County CSB program.
Additional Information
Work hours: This recruitment may be used to fill Full-Time and Part-Time positions generally Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm.
Your responses to the supplemental questionnaire are considered part of the selection process. Please do not enter “see resume” as a response to the questions. Each section of the application must be completed. A resume may be attached, however, it will not substitute for the completed application. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
This position includes a signing bonus in the amount of $3,000 for new hires in the classification of Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner who have not received a retention bonus previously. Eligible new hires will receive $1,500 upon hire and an additional $1,500 upon completion of the probationary period.
This recruitment may be used to fill future vacancies.
Applicants who have questions or need assistance with the application may telephone (703) 228-3500 or visit the Human Resources Department. Our staff will be happy to work with you to enter your application into the system. Public access computers are available at all County Libraries, and in the Human Resources Department.
The examination process for this position may include: (1) training and experience evaluation; (2) written and oral examination; (3) personal interview; (4) performance test/work sample; and/or (5) physical examination.
Applicants with disabilities may request reasonable accommodation during the application or selection process. Please call the ADA Coordinator at 703-228-3559 (voice) or email pers@arlingtonva.us.
