Clinician Fellow, BH/Clinician – UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital

Are you an experienced nurse looking to take the next step in your career? Are you interested in remaining in direct patient care but also wish to assist with leading members of a clinical team? The Clinician Fellow, BH/Clinician role may be an ideal step forward in your career. UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital is seeking dynamic leaders to assist in the clinical care and management of our inpatient units. All positions will support our Main Campus location in the Oakland neighborhood in the city of Pittsburgh.

Millions of Americans face the reality of living with a mental illness. This is nearly one in five adults. Are you searching for the opportunity to make an impact on these individuals? Are you passionate about dispelling widespread stigma and misunderstanding associated with mental health?

For more than 70 years, UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital has been a national leader in the treatment of mental health and addictive disorders throughout the lifespan.  In conjunction with the Department of Psychiatry of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, we continue to strive to be one of the nation’s foremost academic- based psychiatric care facilities and remain dedicated to providing professionals with state-of-the-art training and assistance.

Sign-On Bonus Eligibility Details 

$15,000 sign-on bonus available for Clinicians with a two-year work agreement!

The Clinician Fellow, Behavioral Health is a highly developed role model of professional nursing practice with focused expertise and accountabilities in one or more of the following: expert clinical practice, teaching/development, and/or evidence-based practice. This role partners with management in the achievement of a culture of excellence in professional nursing practice and patient care. The Clinician Fellow, Behavioral Health under the direction of the Unit Director or Department Manager, assists in the completion of employee evaluations, selection and hiring of staff, and in performance management. The Clinician Fellow has the authority, responsibility, and shift accountability for the delivery of nursing care using the nursing process. The Clinician Fellow, Behavioral Health in collaboration with other health care professionals, applies superior clinical knowledge and skills to achieve quality patient care outcomes. The Clinician Fellow, Behavioral Health is responsible for providing service-based education and clinical expertise for staff including orientation and training, consultation on practice issues and general coordination of clinical activities on a shift basis. They must demonstrate the knowledge and skills to provide care that is relevant to patients under their care, as well as apply principles of growth and development over the life span. The Clinician Fellow, Behavioral Health also must possess the ability to assess and interpret patient data needed to identify each patient’s requirements relative to his or her age specific needs. The Clinician Fellow demonstrates a commitment to the community and to the nursing profession.

We are seeking multiple Clinician Fellow, BH/Clinician candidates for the following departments:

The A-CABS Program on the 11th floor consists of 23 beds which facilitates early identification and treatment of Bipolar Disorder in child/adolescents between the ages of 13 and 18 years old and adults. 

Atrium (ATR) on the 13th floor is a 15 bed is psychiatric unit specializing in the treatment of Trauma/PTSD patients and mood and anxiety disorders.

Center for Autism and Developmental Disorders (CADD) on the 6th floor: The John Merck Program (JMP) is a 28-bed inpatient program designed to treat children and adults with both intellectual disabilities as well as an acute psychiatric illness.

Child and Adolescent, I Unit (CA I) on the 3rd floor is a 26-bed unit which specializes in the treatment of behavioral and emotional problems of children and adolescents typically between 3 and 18 years old. 

Comprehensive Recovery Services (CRS) on the 9th floor is a 29-bed unit which provides comprehensive specialized services to individuals diagnosed with suffering from Schizophrenia, Schizoaffective disorder, and related psychotic illnesses.

Dual Diagnosis (DD) on the 10^th floor is an Adult Drug Abuse and Psychiatric Treatment Unit consisting of a 26-bed inpatient service. The focus is on treating adults with a primary psychiatric disorder and co-occurring chemical dependency problem. 

Integrated Health and Aging Program (IHAP) on the 12th floor is a specialized program consisting of 42 beds serving older adults who are experiencing psychiatric issues in late life but also may be younger that are often complicated by physical, social, and environmental problems.

Transitional Recovery Unit (TRU) on the 8^th floor is the only Extended Acute Treatment program in Allegheny County. This 10-bed program serves individuals with serious and persistent mental illness. These patients require the intensive structure and support of an inpatient program but will also benefit from developing skills and supports for living in the community. Psychiatric Rehabilitation is the primary treatment model. Comprehensive Recovery Unit (CRU) on the 8^th floor is an extension of the Transitional Recovery Unit consisting of 10 private beds. This program also serves individuals with serious and persistent mental health illness. These individuals are displaying a remission of symptomology but still require the intensive structure and support of an inpatient program.

Clinician level candidates will be considered for this role.  The title and pay rate (minimum rate for Clinician is $39.99) for these positions may vary depending on nursing education level and years of nursing/leadership experience.

Responsibilities:

• Serves as a leader in clinical nursing practice, identifying patient and staff focused opportunities for improvement and leading the change process.
• Identifies, educates and supports the psychological and learning needs of staff during change and transition.
• Practices participatory leadership and is an active member of shared leadership at the unit, facility or system level.
• Assumes formal leadership responsibilities for one or more of the following: quality improvement, evidence based practice, GN or new hire on-boarding. Assists the Unit/Department Leader with the peer review process.
• Applies nursing knowledge and skills within the framework of Relationship Based Care, using the nursing process to meet the clinical, psychosocial and spiritual needs of the patient and family.
• Practices solid verbal and written communication skills, and is able to articulate and translate the patient’s condition to other care providers and to negotiate and make recommendations for changes in patient care and unit practices.
• Patient documentation is comprehensive and promotes communication between caregivers.
• Demonstrates critical thinking in the analysis of clinical, social, safety, psychological and spiritual issues for the patient care within an episode of care. Incorporates national professional organization as well as business unit and health system’s goals to improve patient safety, quality and satisfaction of the patient experience in daily work.
• Creates a caring and compassionate patient focused experience by building healing relationships with patients, families and colleagues. Disseminates new knowledge and innovations through presentations, posters, and publications.
• Develops and maintains productive working relationships internally and externally by building teams and relationships through mentoring and modeling uplifting and positive communication.
• Coaches colleagues on cultural diversity and addresses workplace horizontal violence and impairment. Demonstrates accountability to self and others for safe work hours, time management and healthy lifestyles.
• Demonstrates interest in the development of others and positively impacts the lives of patients/families, peers, and members of the healthcare team through mentoring, education, and knowledge sharing.
• Actively participates in the role of preceptor for student nurses, nurse interns, graduate and experienced nurses and assists with the development of new preceptors in their role.
• Mentors and role models quest for continuous learning through formal education and the development of others. Seeks opportunities to share expertise with other members of the healthcare team within and beyond the clinical unit/department.
• Demonstrates knowledge of performance improvement tools and techniques.
• Continuously improves the quality of care and the work environment of outcomes and the integration of research and best practices into daily work. Shares learning from improvements with other units and/or spreads across the business unit or system.