Reports to: Associate Chief, Student Mental Health and Counseling Services (SMH&CS)
Position Overview:
The Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner provides psychiatric care to undergraduate and graduate MIT Health patients within a team model. The Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner will assess patient mental health status through interview and synthesize this clinical information to formulate mental health status, diagnosis, development of plan of care and treatment, implementation of treatment plan, and evaluation of follow-up strategies according to age-specific plans of care. Said work is done in accordance with MIT Health Policies as well as State and Federal rules, regulations, and standards of care. The Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner also provides health education, supportive counseling, and clinical outreach to the MIT community in collaboration with other individuals or services at MIT Health as well as across the campus community. After-hours on-call is required of this position. Walk-in Clinic coverage may be required of this position at times.
Principal Duties and Responsibilities*
- Promotes high-value mental health care (assessment, crisis intervention, short-term psychotherapy, medication evaluation, and medication management) for undergraduate and graduate patients of MIT Health; assures timely access to care, is attentive to patient experience and cost of care; utilizes shared decision making when appropriate to establish a plan of care.
- Functions independently to perform age-appropriate history and psychiatric exam of patients.
- Assesses health status through interview and review of the medical record as evidenced by documentation in the medical record and presentation.
- Demonstrates assessment and management skills for common ambulatory psychiatric care complaints, such as preventative psychiatric medicine, wellness care, and care of chronic psychiatric illnesses.
- Triages emergencies and coordinates transfer of patients to emergency room when needed.
- Synthesizes clinical information from the interview, appropriate laboratory data, and medical record to differentiate between normal and abnormal findings as documented in the medical record and case presentation.
- Effectively uses clinical judgment and consultation to identify health problems and treatment strategies as documented in the medical record and case presentation.
- Formulates, directs, and monitors appropriate treatment, including prescription writing, which emphasizes a comprehensive approach to the needs of the individual.
- Orders and interprets diagnostic and therapeutic tests relative to patient’s age-specific needs.
- Prescribes appropriate pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatment modalities.
- Responsible for monitoring patient compliance with opioid medication through periodic toxicity screening utilizing Mass Prescription Awareness Tool, communication with referring provider, and opioid risk assessment questionnaires. Monitors the effectiveness of interventions.
- Documents professionally and in a timely manner, the subjective and the objective data, and the clinical impressions and plan of care formulated during the patient encounter; documentation must support any E&M or CPT codes for the encounter.
- Other duties as assigned.
Minimum Required Education and Experience:
- Master’s Degree from a Nurse Practitioner education program (with a specialization in mental health)
- Licensed as a psychiatric nurse practitioner by the Massachusetts Board of Registration
- Minimum 3 years of experience as a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner with 2 or more years of independent practice working with patients