Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner (on call) - Crisis Stabilization and Resource Center

Founded in Omaha in 1875, Heartland Family Service strengthens individuals, families, and communities through advocacy, education, counseling, and support services. Last year we connected with roughly 153,000 people across 20 locations in east central Nebraska and southwest Iowa. Our vision is simple and ambitious: Strong Communities, So Everyone Can.

We're committed to a culture that is trauma-informed and that values and celebrates diversity and inclusion — because when people bring their whole selves to work, we deliver better care and better ideas. Trauma-Informed Care shapes how we engage the people we serve and how we support one another as a workforce.

If you believe in creating healthy families and communities and thrive in a fast-paced, collaborative, team-oriented environment, Heartland Family Service is the agency for you.

At Heartland Family Service, we are committed to building a culture that is trauma informed and values and celebrates diversity and inclusion. We believe this allows for better service delivery and innovation, as it encourages our employees to bring various experiences and uniqueness to the workplace.

Trauma Informed Care is an approach to engaging people with histories of trauma that recognizes the presence of trauma symptoms and acknowledges the role that trauma has played in their lives.  Trauma Informed Care also acknowledges the effects of working with trauma survivors on our workforce and seeks to build collaborative and supportive working environments and relationships.

If you believe in our mission of creating healthy families and communities, and like a fast pace, collaborative and team-oriented environment, then Heartland Family Service is the agency for you.

SUMMARY DESCRIPTION OF WORK

This is voluntary, community-based crisis care — not a hospital ward and not a revolving door. It's a warm, respite-style environment where your evaluations, your prescribing, and your clinical judgment directly shape whether someone stabilizes close to home or has to be sent somewhere far away. If you want your expertise to matter on a human scale, this is the room to be in.

 You'll provide psychiatric evaluation, diagnosis, medication management, and clinical leadership for individuals experiencing acute behavioral health crises — always in step with the Nebraska Nurse Practice Act, Nebraska DHHS behavioral health regulations, and our organizational policies.

Compensation: determined by total years of relevant experience.
Work Schedule: on-call hours as needed

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Master’s degree in nursing from an accredited (ANCC) educational institution.
• Five years of progressive experience in the Behavioral Health Nursing field.
• Licensed with the Drug Enforcement Administration.
• Current license in your state of residence.
• Licensed in Nebraska as an PMHNP.

Nice to have (and we'd love it if you did)

• Experience in crisis stabilization, emergency psychiatry, or residential behavioral health.
• Experience treating co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders.
• Experience in community-based behavioral health systems.

PREFERED EXPERIENCE

• Experience in crisis stabilization, emergency psychiatry, or residential behavioral health settings.
• Experience treating co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders.
• Experience in community-based behavioral health systems.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Evaluate & diagnose

  • Conduct comprehensive psychiatric and biopsychosocial evaluations, including full IDIs, within 24 hours of admission — routine and urgent/emergent alike.
  • Diagnose mental health and co-occurring substance use disorders within your scope of practice.
  • Complete suicide and violence risk assessments, and decide on admission, continued stay, or transfer to a higher level of care.

  Manage medications

  • Prescribe, adjust, and discontinue psychiatric medications in accordance with Nebraska law.
  • Reconcile medications at admission and discharge, and monitor for therapeutic response, side effects, and safety.
  • Partner closely with nursing staff on administration and any clinical concerns.

  Stabilize the crisis

  • Deliver psychiatric crisis intervention and build crisis treatment plans that get people steady.
  • Use the least restrictive interventions consistent with regulatory standards and best practice.
  • Call for emergency referral or hospitalization when it's clinically the right move.

  Care for the whole person

  • Assess physical health needs and order diagnostic tests as indicated.
  • Identify substance use risks and mild withdrawal concerns. The Crisis Center is not a detox facility — individuals needing medical detox are referred or transferred per policy.
  • Coordinate with primary care and outside medical providers for seamless care.

  Plan treatment & guide recovery

  • Develop, implement, and evaluate individualized, recovery-focused treatment plans.
  • Offer brief therapeutic interventions and psychoeducation to individuals and families.
  • Support people through stabilization and their return to community life.

  Lead the team

  • Serve as a clinical leader and consultant to RNs, therapists, and other team members.
  • Contribute to treatment team meetings, case reviews, and multi-agency continuity planning.
  • Share your knowledge — provide education and training on psychiatric and medical topics.

  Keep it sound & compliant

  • Document evaluations, diagnoses, orders, and treatment plans accurately and on time.
  • Meet Nebraska DHHS licensing standards, payer requirements, HIPAA, and confidentiality laws.
  • Take part in quality assurance and performance improvement — and treat everyone you meet with courtesy, respect, and care.