New Hire Incentive: The County may provide reimbursement for reasonable relocation expenses, and, at the discretion of the department, can provide flexible relocation assistance and/or cash incentives in the interest of attracting the best talent to the organization.

The Behavioral Wellness Department is currently accepting applications for five (5) full-time Psychiatric Nurse I/II throughout the County of Santa Barbara.  

We are also accepting applications to establish one employment list to fill full-time, part-time, and Extra Help vacancies at All Locations for the Behavioral Wellness Department. Separate lists for different locations will not be established. Therefore, you must check “All Locations” on the application and must be willing to accept an assignment at any location. The selected candidate may need to travel between different sites within Santa Barbara County. The operational area may include: Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, Goleta, Lompoc, Los Olivos, Santa Mara, and Santa Ynez.
 
Founded in 1962, it is the mission of the Department of Behavioral Wellnessto promote the prevention of and recovery from mental illness and addiction among individuals, families and communities, by providing effective leadership and delivering state-of-the-art, culturally competent services. The Department provides treatment, rehabilitation, and support services to 10,000 clients with mental illness and substance use disorders annually through its professional staff of over 400, in addition to its many contracted Community-Based Organization (CBO) providers. The Department’s decisions and service delivery are guided by the following values:

• Quality services for persons of all ages with mental illness and/or substance abuse
• Integrity in individual and organizational actions
• Dignity, respect, and compassion for all persons
• Active involvement of clients and families in treatment, recovery, and policy development
• Diversity throughout our organization and cultural competency in service delivery
• A system of care and recovery that is clearly defined and promotes recovery and resiliency
• Emphasis on prevention and treatment
• Teamwork among department employees in an atmosphere that is respectful and creative
• Continuous quality improvement in service delivery and administration
• Wellness modeled for our clients at all levels; i.e., staff who regularly arrive at the workplace healthy, energetic and resilient
• Safety for everyone 

THE POSITION:  Under general supervision, provides professional psychiatric nursing care to acutely and chronically ill patients; performs related duties as required. Candidates may be assigned to in-patient health facilities or out-patient clinics.
 
Candidates may select and/or be assigned to one of the departmental programs per the needs of the department. For program details, please refer to the supplemental questionnaire.
 
NOTE: Candidates may be appointed at the Psychiatric Nurse I or II level, depending on the candidate’s qualifications and the needs of the department. Information regarding both levels is contained in this bulletin.

• Psychiatric Nurse I/II is a flexibly staffed series. Psychiatric Nurse I is the entry-level class in this series. 
• Psychiatric Nurse II is the journey-level class in this series. Incumbents perform the full range of psychiatric nursing duties.

The Ideal Candidate will:          

• Have excellent oral and written communication. 
• Have some work experience with clients diagnosed with severe and persistent mental illness. 
• Work as part of a multi-disciplinary team. 
• Have proficient computer skills in Microsoft Office. 
• Have the ability to read, write, converse fluently in English and Spanish (preferred for some positions). 
• Experience working with electronic health records.
• Experience working in forensics, detox, acute health, or emergency settings or with dementia or developmentally disabled patients (highly desirable).

The candidate selected may have to travel between North and South County work sites; a valid California Class C driver’s license is required at the time of appointment.
 
BENEFITS OVERVIEW! 

• Vacation:  12 to 25 days per year depending on length of public employment. 
• Holidays:  12 days per year.  
• Sick Leave:  12 days sick leave per year. Unlimited accumulation, one year of which can be converted to service credit upon retirement.   
• Health Plan:  Choice of medical and dental plans (with vision care). County contributes toward the employee’s premium.  
• On-Site Employee Health Clinics in Santa Barbara and Santa Maria:  Provides ongoing and episodic services to eligible employees and their eligible dependents over age 15. 
• Applicants from other public sector employers may qualify for retirement reciprocity and time and service credit towards an advanced vacation accrual rate.