City and County of San Francisco

Under general supervision directs the professional nursing and auxiliary staff of a number of psychiatric patient-care units; plans and directs activities to provide maximum care within the limits of budgetary provisions; participates in guidance, educational and in-service training; directs procurement of supplies and equipment; coordinates services with those of other departments; engages in research activities to improve psychiatric nursing services and patient care; and performs related duties as required.

Requires responsibility for: carrying out, interpreting, coordinating and enforcing existing policies, methods and procedures pertaining to psychiatric hospital nursing services; achieving considerable economies and preventing considerable losses through enforcement of proper use and handling of hospital equipment, materials and supplies; making regular contacts with professional nursing and auxiliary personnel, physician specialists and persons in other departments concerning psychiatric nursing matters and with relatives and visitors of patients; checking and reviewing detailed reports and medical records of patients in assigned wards. Nature of duties requires sustained physical effort with exposure to the dangers inherent in rendering nursing care to psychiatric patients.

1. Directs and supervises the professional nursing staff and auxiliary personnel engaged in rendering patient care in various assigned psychiatric units; prepares work schedules, makes assignments and supervises activities and evaluates work performance.

2. Coordinates services rendered with those of other departments; checks each unit to assure compliance with instructions.

3. Checks assigned personnel on units supervised; prepares and reviews related time and work performance reports and makes changes in personnel assignments as required or as directed by superior.

4. Personally makes periodic routine ward visits; confers with head nurses and staff nurses concerning all new patients; makes visits to all seriously ill psychiatric patients; discusses specific problems with assigned nurses or physician specialists.

5. Investigates complaints of patients and staff members; resolves difficulties or refers same to superior; utilizes and makes interpretations of existing policies as related to psychiatric nursing care; reports unusual occurrences to superior; strives to establish and maintain good relations and good morale among all assigned personnel.

6. Participates in planning and cooperating with other hospital department personnel in order to promote and provide maximum patient care; maintains high quality of in-service training and adequacy of training materials in order to insure continuous best performances.

Requires advanced working knowledge of: the field of psychiatric nursing theory and practice and its application and understanding to achieve best patient care; the principles, methods and procedures involved in planning, organizing and directing a staff of profes-sional nurses and auxiliary personnel in a psychiatric setting.

Requires exceptional ability and skill in the organization and direction of all hospital activities in the assigned psychiatric unit and in carrying out and enforcing the established policies, regulations and procedures.