NURSING

Hospital-Based Areas

Nurses care for those with mental health issues, psychiatric disorders, and co-occurring psychiatric and substance use disorders. They partner with individuals to achieve their recovery goals, provide health promotion and maintenance, conduct intake screenings, perform assessments, and collaborate with others as an essential part of the multidisciplinary team. They provide case management, teach self-care activities, and administer and monitor medications and potential side effects. They practice crisis intervention and stabilization. There is also a focus on other medical health needs and supporting routine care for a person’s whole health. They focus on developing partnerships with their patients to improve outcomes, promote independence, and improve coping abilities, living skills, and managing symptoms.

There are opportunities for both floor nursing and shift leads for psychiatric hospital-based care:

• Triage Unit – A 10-bed unit, patients needing acute mental health treatment are evaluated by crisis clinicians and psychiatric staff. Patients in this area are often high need and may be recovering from taking substances or an acute exacerbation of a mental illness. There is a focus on teamwork and collaboration.

• Thota Rao, M.D., & Aruna Rau, M.D., Crisis Intervention Unit

• Kathi & Bob Postlethwait Mental Health Recovery Center

Outpatient Areas

Sandra Eskenazi Mental Health Center is the oldest and one of the largest community mental health centers in Indiana. Services are available to all in the community, regardless of ability to pay. The team plays a critical role in the greater Indianapolis area of providing comprehensive mental health care to thousands of patients across the lifespan with serious and persistent mental illness.

Nursing staff members are embedded in clinical teams across Marion County and essential members of the multidisciplinary team approach to patient care. Nurses conduct structured assessments, identify mental and other health needs of the patient, support wraparound care of the patient, communicate with other professionals involved in the patient’s care, perform procedures, and train patients and their support system in strategies that support medication adherence.

Residential Services

Nursing staff members’ needs within Sandra Eskenazi Mental Health Center Residential Services include daily medication support, communication with psychiatric and medical providers and pharmacy services, and other medical monitoring for patients residing in group home and supportive housing environments. Nurses round regularly with patients in the semi-independent living program and offer medication training and support. Please visit the Sandra Eskenazi Mental Health Center Residential Services webpage for more information.