Head Nurse

Introduction

Are you a dedicated nursing professional looking for an opportunity to make a meaningful impact on the lives of children and families? The State of Connecticut, Department of Children and Families (DCF) is recruiting three (3) Head Nurses for anticipated positions to join our Hospital in Middletown, CT.
Position Highlights:

• Full-time, 40 hours per week
• Second (2nd) shift
• Middletown, CT

Shift

Location

Hours

PCN

Week 1 Days Off

Week 2 Days Off

2nd

Passaic

2:45 pm-11:15 pm (40 hrs/week)

113581

Monday

Saturday, Sunday, Thursday

2nd

Sachem

2:45 pm-11:15 pm (40 hrs/week)

114014

Tuesday

Saturday, Sunday, Wednesday

What’s In It For You:

We provide access to a Platinum Healthcare Plan for state employees and their families. In addition, you’ll benefit from a strong pension plan, supplemental retirement options, and generous paid time off, including 13 paid holidays each year. We prioritize a healthy work-life balance and offer opportunities for professional growth, paid development, and career advancement. After 10 years of service, you may also qualify for Public Service Loan Forgiveness. Join us in building a rewarding career, supporting employee success, making a difference in the public sector, and collaborating in a team-focused environment.

• Visit our new State Employee Benefits Overview page!
• Work for a Forbes top company: 'Forbes' State of Connecticut Ranked One of the Best Employers of 2023 - State of CT Receives National Recognition for Offering Job Growth, Competitive Benefits, and Flexible Schedule.
• IN ADDITION TO THE BASE ANNUAL SALARY, YOU MAY BE APPROVED FOR AN ADDITIONAL COMPENSATION BONUS:
  • Each Registered Nurse who is permanently assigned to the second or third shift shall receive a “recruitment and retention” yearly bonus of three thousand dollars ($3,000.00). This bonus shall be prorated for part-time.
  • In order to be eligible for this bonus, the employee must have completed one year of service in the registered nurse classification.

As a Head Nurse, you will:

• Lead and coordinate nursing staff to deliver world-class patient care
• Develop and implement patient care plans with precision and compassion
• Ensure compliance with healthcare regulations and standards
• Foster a collaborative and inclusive work environment
• Mentor and support nursing staff, promoting professional growth
• Conduct assessments and provide direct patient care when needed
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to achieve outstanding outcomes
• Monitor patient progress and adjust care plans accordingly
• Ensure accurate documentation and reporting of patient information
• Participate in quality improvement initiatives to improve patient care

Who We Are
Albert J. Solnit Children’s Center– South Campus is a state-administered Psychiatric facility for Connecticut’s children who are 13 to 17 years of age. The Solnit Center provides comprehensive care to children and adolescents with severe mental illness and related behavioral and emotional problems who cannot be safely assessed or treated in a less restrictive setting. The South Campus consists of four coed hospital units and three female adolescent psychiatric residential treatment facility cottages (PRTF).

We are seeking an exceptional professional who holds a valid Registered Nurse (RN) license in the State of Connecticut and brings proven experience in a behavioral health hospital setting. Together, we will use your demonstrated ability to work with youth with complex psychiatric profiles, ensuring they receive the care and support they need. With your outstanding leadership and communication skills, we will foster a collaborative and compassionate environment while applying your good organizational and time management abilities to maintain high standards of efficiency. Your dedication to delivering high-quality, patient-centered care will align with our commitment to excellence as we navigate the demands of a fast-paced and dynamic environment. Join us in making a meaningful difference, with the flexibility to work the second shift as outlined.

Selection Plan

• 
  
  FOR THOSE WHO HOLD A RN LICENSE IN A STATE OTHER THAN CONNECTICUT AND WISH TO APPLY FOR A CONNECTICUT LICENSE, PLEASE:
  
  
  • Review the eligibility and documentation requirementsfor CT license by endorsement of an out-of-state license;
  • Complete a CT DPH online applicationonline (expand the ‘Public Health Practitioners’ grouping, select ‘Registered Nurse’ and then ‘Start’;
  • Request verification of your out-of-state license(s) electronically through the National Council of State Boards of Nursing’s :  Nursys®System.  To send verification of your license(s) to CT, read and agree to the terms, enter your biographic information, select your license type and select ‘SEARCH’.  Review the results and select the ‘Next’ button.  Check the box next to  ‘Connecticut’ and complete the transaction.   Once the transaction is completed, you will receive a confirmation email from Nursys and the verification will be available to the DPH.  Note that PA and MI verifications are not provided through Nursys.  Please contact those state boards for information on obtaining verification.
• 
  
  Please visit our 'Applicant Tips on How to Apply' page or view our tutorial.
  
  
• The minimum experience and training requirements must be met by the close date on the job opening, unless otherwise specified.
• Although applicants will receive correspondence via email, as a backup they are also encouraged to sign on to their Personal Status Board on a daily basis to monitor their status, view all emailed notices and complete tasks required in the recruitment process. 
• In order to comply with Public Act 21-69, the State of Connecticut is no longer asking for resumes during the initial application process.  
• This posting may require completion of additional referral questions (RQs). You can access these RQs via an email that will be sent to you after the posting's closing date or by visiting your JobAps Personal Status Board (Certification Questionnaires section). Your responses to these RQs must be submitted by the question's expiration date. Please regularly check your email and JobAps Personal Status Board for notifications. Please check your SPAM and/or Junk folders on a daily basis in the event an email provider places auto-notification emails in a user's spam. 
• Note:  At any point during the recruitment process, applicants may be required to submit additional documentation which support their qualification(s) for this position.  These documents may include:  a cover letter, resume, transcripts, diplomas, performance reviews, attendance records, supervisory references, licensure, etc., at the discretion of the hiring agency.  Applicants must meet the minimum qualifications as indicated to apply for this position. 
• Should you have questions pertaining to this recruitment, please contact Liz Pinette at elizabeth.pinette@ct.gov.
• This position will be filled in accordance with contractual language, reemployment, SEBAC, transfer, promotion and merit employment rules.
• The immediate vacancy is listed above, however, applications to this recruitment may be used for future vacancies in this job class.
• All application materials must be received by the recruiting agency by the time specified on the job opening for the position for which you are applying. Late applications may not be submitted and will not be considered. Exceptions are rare and limited to documented events that incapacitate a candidate during the entire duration of the job posting time period.  It is the candidate’s obligation and responsibility to request an exception and provide a legally recognized justification to accommodate such exception.  Requests should be made to DAS.SHRM@ct.gov.
• For current state employees, salary calculations are not necessarily comparable from one of the three branches of state government (i.e., Executive, Legislative, Judicial) to the other.

PURPOSE OF JOB CLASS (NATURE OF WORK)

In a state agency this class is accountable for administrative and clinical supervision of professional nurses, paraprofessionals and other staff involving direct nursing care of individuals or performing specialized professional nursing work in the areas of community or therapeutic nursing. At the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities or Connecticut Technical Education and Career System this class is accountable for providing primary nursing care for students and facility staff.

EXAMPLES OF DUTIES

WORKING LEAD:

• Leads the planning of care and implementation of the nursing process;
• Plans unit workflow and determines priorities;
• Schedules, assigns, oversees and reviews work;
• Makes recommendations for personnel actions such as selection, discipline and performance; conducts or assist in conducting performance evaluations;
• Leads professional and paraprofessional nursing staff in provision of patient/individual care;
• Maintains and promotes standards of nursing;
• Ensures controlled drugs are properly stored, administered and ordered;
• Identifies staff development needs;
• Provides staff training and assistance;
• Instructs staff regarding policies and procedures;
• Participates in interdisciplinary meetings to promote and ensure adjustment and continuity of patient/individual care programs;
• Responds to emergencies;
• May make recommendations on policies and standards;
• May prepare reports or correspondence;
• May serve as Qualified Intellectual Disability Professional;
• Performs related duties as required.

DIRECT CARE:

• Independently develops, implements and evaluates nursing and/or health care plans; provides nursing consultation in the assigned specialty program;
• Conducts nursing assessments; provides admission and discharge nursing assessments including plans for continuing care;
• Maintains records and makes reports; provides for nursing services to comply with ICF regulations and JCAHO standards;
• Maintains records of stored and secured medications;
• Ensures controlled drugs are properly stored, administered and ordered;
• Independently manages and provides direct care to patients/individuals;
• Participates in individual, group or family therapy;
• Participates as a member of an interdisciplinary team in the assessment, development, implementation and evaluation of patient/individual treatment or health care plans;
• Manages an assigned caseload of other appropriate clinical activities; provides clinical direction and/or training to staff in individual, group and family service delivery programs;
• May participate in home visits and crisis intervention;
• May provide in-service training to nursing and paraprofessional staff with regard to signs and symptoms of illness, dysfunction, injury and prevention of same;
• May conduct patient/individual- centered conferences with nursing personnel; may consult with and make recommendations to physicians concerning health needs;
• May make recommendations on policies or standards;
• May prepare reports or correspondence;
• May serve as Qualified Intellectual Disability Professional;
• Performs related duties as required.

SCHOOL NURSE:

• Independently provides counseling and health education services to students and staff;
• Serves as member of crisis intervention team; provides assessment of medical problems;
• Determines need for physician or medical care; performs basic evaluative procedures and tests;
• Performs primary first aid;
• Ensures that controlled drugs are properly stored; 
• Makes referrals and follows up on health needs;
• Provides counseling on health- related issues;
• Maintains accurate medical records;
• Writes reports;
• May administer medication;
• May administer routine tests or exams;
• Performs related duties as required.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILL AND ABILITY

• Considerable knowledge of
  • and ability to independently apply nursing principles, techniques and standards;
  • specialized individual care applicable to nursing assignment;
  • medications, their actions, interactions, uses and side effects;
• Knowledge of
  • general and mental health conditions and treatment interventions through utilization of assessment, nursing diagnosis, outcome identification, health planning, implementation and re-evaluation;
  • adult learning and family systems theory;
  • and sensitivity to cultural and socio-economic differences;
• Considerable
  • interpersonal skills;
  • oral and written communication skills;
• Ability to
  • establish and maintain collaborative relationships with other professionals, community resources and providers;
  • act as a role model to health care staff;
• Supervisory ability.

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH NURSING POSITIONS:

• Considerable knowledge of behavioral health of individuals;
• Skill working with individuals, groups and families;
• Ability to provide therapeutic treatment with a variety of individuals.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - GENERAL EXPERIENCE

Two (2) years of experience as a Registered Professional Nurse

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - SUBSTITUTIONS ALLOWED

A Bachelor’s degree in Nursing may be substituted for one (1) year of the General Experience.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience working in a behavioral health hospital setting.
• Experience serving youth with complex psychiatric profiles.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

• Incumbents in this class must possess and retain a license or temporary permit as a Registered Professional Nurse in Connecticut.
• Incumbents in this class may be required to be fluent in a foreign language or proficient in the use of the American Sign Language in certain designated positions.
• Incumbents in this class may be required to travel.

CHARACTER REQUIREMENTS

In addition to the checking of references and of facts stated in the application, a thorough background investigation of each candidate may be made before persons are certified for permanent appointment.

WORKING CONDITIONS

Incumbents in this class may be required to lift and restrain individuals; may have exposure to communicable/infectious diseases and risk of injury from assaultive/abusive individuals; may be exposed to disagreeable conditions.

Conclusion

AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

The State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.