Head Nurse

Are you an experienced Registered Nurse looking for a career where you can make a difference in the lives of children and their families? 

If so, we want you to become part of our team!

 

The State of Connecticut, Department of Children and Families (DCF) is accepting applications for multiple Head Nurse positions at the Albert J. Solnit Children's Center-South Campus in Middletown, CT. These full-time opportunities are 40 hours per week. The position details are listed below.

 

Position# / Unit location / Schedule

First shift: 7:00 am to 3:30 pm

• 44548 Sachem Week 1: Saturday, Sunday, Thursday off, Week 2: Monday off

• 44849 Acadia Week 1: Friday Tuesday off, Week 2: Saturday, Sunday off

• 44459 Acadia Week 1: Saturday, Sunday, Thursday off, Week 2: Monday off

• 114012 Passaic Week 1: Friday, Monday off, Week 2: Saturday and Sunday off

• 119612 Acadia Week 1: Friday, Tuesday off, Week 2: Saturday, Sunday off

• 119609 Passaic Week 1: Saturday, Sunday off, Week 2: Friday, Wednesday off

• 84728 Acadia Week 1: Saturday, Sunday, Thursday off, Week 2: Monday off

• 119607 Sachem Week 1: Friday, Monday off Week 2: Saturday, Sunday off

• 119608 Passaic Week 1: Saturday, Sunday off Week 2: Friday, Wednesday off

Second shift: 2:45 pm to 11:15 pm

• 44746 Passaic Week 1: Friday, Tuesday off, Week 2: Saturday, Sunday off

• 44838 Manhassett Week 1: Friday, Monday off, Week 2: Saturday, Sunday off

• 114011 Acadia Week 1: Saturday, Sunday, Thursday off, Week 2: Wednesday off

Third shift: 11:10 pm to 7:10 am

• 44773 Acadia Week 1: Friday, Saturday, Thursday off, Week 2: Sunday off

• 44620 Manhassett Week 1: Sunday off, Week 2: Friday, Saturday, Tuesday off

• 44591 Sachem Week 1: Monday off, Week 2: Friday, Saturday, Wednesday off

• 114009 Acadia Week 1: Sunday off, Week 2: Friday, Saturday, Thursday off

Albert J. Solnit Children's Center

At the Albert J. Solnit Children's Center, we treat our youth and each other with dignity and respect. It is in this relational, cultural and gender-sensitive surrounding that our therapeutic milieu is based. Interdisciplinary teams develop, implement and continually assess individualized treatment plans.

 

Solnit - South Campus is a state-administered Psychiatric facility for Connecticut's children who are under the age of eighteen, located on a 67-acre campus overlooking the Connecticut River in Middletown, CT. The center provides comprehensive care to children and adolescents with severe mental illness and related behavior and emotional problems who cannot be safely assessed or treated in a less restrictive setting.

 

The campus includes: Four coed hospital units, three female adolescent Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility cottages (PRTF), two schools, an indoor pool, playgrounds, ball field, two gyms, recreation rooms, and outdoor picnic area. 

Why our State

We offer competitive benefits including health and dental insurance, a retirement plan, group life insurance, and other supplemental benefits. Paid time off is also offered, including 13 paid holidays per calendar year, in addition to vacation, sick and personal leave accruals.

 

FOR SECOND AND THIRD SHIFT POSITIONS - 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 pro-rated for part-time Registered Nurses. In order to be eligible for this bonus, the Employee must have completed one year of service in the registered nurse classification.  

 

We are passionate about helping advance Connecticut into the future. Every single day is an opportunity to positively impact the lives of Connecticut citizens. Our employees:

• Serve the public through meaningful work

• Seek limitless opportunities to grow

• Enjoy a work/life balance

• Are interested in diversity and fresh perspectives

There are so many things to love about living, working, and playing in our state including these Key Facts and Figures:

• #4 in the U.S. for employees with advanced degrees

• #7 in private R&D investments

• #3 in the country for quality of K-12 education

• #5 for quality of life in the U.S.

• 2,000 miles of hiking/bike paths

• 618 miles of scenic coastline

• 21 world-class art museums

• Five Tony-Award winning regional theatres, and more!

Apply Today!

As indicated on the Work tab within the application, ensure you are providing descriptive, well-written details about your experiences, skills and accomplishments that relate to this position.

These positions will be filled in accordance with contractual language, reemployment, SEBAC, transfer, promotion and merit employment rules.

This position may be subject to Federal requirements for COVID 19 Vaccination Immunization.

 

To Apply:

• In order to be considered for this job opening, you must meet the Minimum Qualifications as listed on this job opening. You must specify your qualifications on your application.

• Please select all location(s), shift(s), and employment status(es) (Full-time, Part-time, etc.) in which you are willing to work on your application. Failure to indicate the location(s), shift(s), and employment status(es) may result in not being considered for vacancies in that specific location, shift, and/or employment status.

• The minimum experience and training requirements must be met by the close date on the job opening, unless otherwise specified.

• In order to comply with Public Act 21-69, the State of Connecticut is no longer asking for resumes during the initial application process.

• FOR THOSE WHO HOLD A RN LICENSE IN A STATE OTHER THAN CONNECTICUT AND WISH TO APPLY FOR A CONNECTICUT LICENSE, PLEASE: 

  1. Review the eligibility and documentation requirements for CT license by endorsement of an out-of-state license;
  2. Complete a CT DPH online application online (expand the ‘Public Health Practitioners’ grouping, select ‘Registered Nurse’ and then ‘Start’;
  3. 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.

Important Next Step Information for After You Apply:

• 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.

• 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.

• 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, 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.

• The immediate vacancy is listed above, however, applications to this recruitment may be used for future vacancies in this job class.

• Interviews will be limited to candidates whose experience and training most closely meet the requirements of the position.

• 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.

#INDHP

 

Connect With Us:

• If you have any questions pertaining to this recruitment please contact Elizabeth Weston at Elizabeth.Weston@ct.gov and reference the recruitment number.

• Due to the large volume of applications received, the Department of Administrative Services is unable to provide confirmation of receipt or status during the recruitment process. Updates will be available through your JobAps portal account.

• Follow the State of Connecticut on LinkedIn.

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 patients/individuals or performing specialized professional nursing work in the areas of community or therapeutic nursing. At the State Universities or State Vocational Technical Schools this class is accountable for providing primary nursing care for students and facility staff.

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;
• May participate in home visits and crisis intervention;
• 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 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 exam;
• Performs related duties as required.

• Considerable knowledge of
  • and ability to independently apply nursing principles, techniques and standards;
  • specialized patient/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 individual patients/individuals, groups and families;
• Ability to provide therapeutic treatment with a variety of patients/individuals.

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

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

• 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.

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.

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

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.