Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner - Tufts University

Tufts Boston Student Health Services serves the in-person needs of over 3,000 professional students on Tufts’ Grafton Health Science Campus and supports through virtual means the needs of over 500 professional students on Tufts’ Boston Health Science campus.

The Service contributes to the university's educational mission through various activities devoted to prevention, intervention, and consultation related to mental health needs. Boston Student Health Services is committed to providing a safe, welcoming, inclusive, and culturally informed environment. We are a multicultural team with an ongoing focus on deepening our understanding of the intersectional identities of all members of our community. We bring energy and a collaborative approach to the provision of brief, goal oriented short-term and long-term counseling and psychiatric services. In addition, we are active on campus
doing training, outreach, and liaison work, as well as consulting with the Tufts community of students and staff regarding students of concern. We also provide crisis intervention services to the Boston community as a primary duty, as well as backup support for crisis intervention to the Boston Health Science campus.

This position entails the provision of direct clinical services to students, including assessment and psychiatric triage; medication consultation, prescription and ongoing management; treatment; referral; and crisis  management. Additionally, clinicians are expected to play an active role in outreach to the Tufts University community and act as mental health consultants to students, faculty, and staff. Participation and presentations in in-service training will be required.

This is a 5-day-a-week position, which will be hybrid from July 1, 2024-June 30, 2025, then fully in-person starting on July 1, 2025. General hours of work are 11 am – 7 pm. Sometimes, additional hours and service may be needed, especially in the management of crises.

Essential Functions:

• Provides a full range of psychiatric services to students, including patient education and consultation, evaluation and treatment, and crisis management; may participate in mandated assessments related to safety issues, medical leave, re-entry, and medical/mental health accommodations. Services provided are a mix of in-person and virtual.
• Clinical Support and Administrative responsibilities include: utilization of electronic medical record systems for scheduling and documentation; completion and maintenance of clinical documentation in accordance with Tufts policies and procedures and in accordance with all relevant ethical and legal standards; consultation with external psychiatrists; participation in case rounds with other team members, general team and staff meetings, and other meetings as required; awareness of and utilization of legal and ethical principles, best practices, and current developments in the field are essential.  Performs other clinical duties as assigned.
• Emergency services: Direct assessment and crisis management, safety planning, and arranging assessment at ER when indicated. This often includes successful collaboration with other campus services, including campus police, student health service, Deans, and other members of the Tufts community.
• Outreach and training: Participation in community outreach/liaison activities and programs, the specifics of which will be defined by the site supervisor or Medical Director. Participation in relevant meetings on campus where mental health is an issue. Participation in Orientation activities for incoming and returning students

Basic Requirements:

A master’s degree in psychiatric nursing and certification as a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner is required. Demonstrated familiarity and skill in prescribing psychiatric medications for young adults, preferably in a university setting; strong generalist experience working with psychiatric/medical issues, including anxiety management, eating and body image issues, sexual and other forms of trauma, substance abuse, non-suicidal self-injury, suicidality, depression and mood disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, etc.

Demonstrated training and experience working with diverse populations including, but not limited to, African American and other students of color, LGBTQ+ students, as well as students of different ethnicities, immigration histories, and intersecting identities. Demonstrated cultural competency. Ability to participate in occasional after-hours campus activities.

Preferred Qualifications:

We are committed to strengthening and expanding culturally competent clinical and programming expertise in several areas, including providing relevant and effective services for communities of color; students having non-binary, transgender, and related identities; students on the autism spectrum; students struggling with eating disorders, alcohol, and other drug issues; and first-generation student issues. Bilingual/multilingual candidates are urged to apply.