Staff Nurse Float - Behavioral Emergency Response Team (BERT)

Scope of Position

The BERT nurse functions as an integral member of a team of care providers on a patient care unit, who reflect a culture of cooperation, enthusiasm, and mutual respect. The care team provides patient care and supportive services that are directed towards achievement of patient care outcomes, maximizing the patients involvement in his/her own plan of care, improving service levels, reducing length of hospitalization and decreasing costs. Patients and their families will experience the benefits of patient focused care through the integrated skills of all care team members. The BERT nurse will provide bedside consultation and peer support on topics related to specific patient behaviors and psychiatric diseases.

The BERT Nurse Scope of Services (in conjunction with the patients treatment team) include but are not limited to; reviewing treatment plans currently in place and making adjustments to support a trauma informed care approach, reviewing major current known diagnostic considerations that may be contributing to patients behavior, and reviewing patients current behavioral challenges and providing input to developing a behavioral plan for patient. The BERT Nurse will also make recommendations regarding non-pharmacologic interventions for patients behaviors. The BERT Nurse is a responsible party for responding/triaging calls from staff when patient behaviors arise. The BERT Nurse will help problem-solve, assess the need for additional physician consultations, and complete environmental safety education. The BERT Nurse will hold impromptu staff meetings to help educate staff on proper care of psychiatric patients by utilizing Trauma Informed Care and Aegis techniques.

Position Summary

The purpose of the Behavioral Emergency Response Team (BERT) is to improve patient and staff safety by providing support to bedside clinical staff to aid the timely recognition management and treatment of behaviorally complex patients. The patient centered goal of this team is to reduce the time to diagnostic and therapeutic interventions in patients with behavioral management and support needs. BERT will routinely collaborate with psychiatric consultation liaison team and security to optimize the delivery of safe and effective medical/behavioral care to patients.

The BERT nurse has experience and training in behavioral health and will respond to general medical units for peer consultation in handling patients with mental illness and/or behaviors that are disruptive to routine care.

Required Minimum Qualifications

For Hire: Graduate of an accredited school of registered nursing. Degree in Nursing form a CCNE (Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education) or Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) accredited nursing program required. Current Ohio license or interim permit.

2 years of nursing experience preferred.

Ongoing: Maintains current Ohio RN license. Meets mandatory educational and health requirements. Demonstrates computer skills required to meet job function. Maintains knowledge related to patient care issues, quality improvement and cost reduction, current policies, procedures, and protocols.