Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner

Paragon Behavioral Health Connections

Job Description: Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner

About Paragon Behavioral Health Connections

Paragon Behavioral Health Connections is a Colorado technology-powered behavioral health organization offering seamless digital health and in-home services. Paragon offers comprehensive care that is convenient for where people live. Our vision is to provide services to families with complex needs, help resolve challenges, and obtain skills and resources to achieve well-being.
Paragon’s comprehensive services support youth and families through challenges as they step down from inpatient hospitalization, comprehensive support for child welfare-involved families, and services for youth with complex needs including depression, behavioral challenges, trauma, family conflict, and substance use.

We are hiring therapists and social workers licensed and unlicensed in Colorado to be a part of our diverse multidisciplinary team. At Paragon we believe in providing services for the whole family system to ensure exceptional effectiveness. With Paragon, you and your team can focus on providing outstanding care for families, while we handle the administrative work (obtaining referrals, verifying insurance, credentialing, billing, support, audits, and compliance).

Why Join Paragon?
We are not regionally based, which means we can provide services statewide to those in need. This allows you to support not only those who live in your region but also those who have a harder time accessing care in rural communities of Colorado.

• Autonomous Environment: You have flexibility to manage and accomplish tasks, use creative problem-solving, and work independently – as long as the end product of your efforts meets organizational goals.
• Clinical Leadership & Support: Paragon’s executive team includes licensed providers engaged in business decisions and planning, ensuring the provider perspective is always included. They also provide licensure supervision as an added perk of employment and is provided at no additional cost to you.
• Benefits: Paragon pays the full health insurance premiums for employees and their families through United Healthcare. Employees also have access to the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) with ComPsych, provided through employer-paid Equitable benefits. Additionally, Paragon offers fully paid dental, vision, short-term and long-term disability, and life insurance coverage through Equitable, ensuring you receive your maximum take-home salary—well after taxes, of course.
• Career Development: Paragon is consistently growing, which means there is room for growth. As we expand our services and community reach, staff can grow in their areas of interest and expertise.

Job Title: Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner

Job Summary:

We seek a compassionate and skilled Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP-BC) to join our mobile healthcare team. This role focuses on providing comprehensive mental health and substance use disorder treatment, mainly providing medication-assisted treatment (MAT/MOUD) for opioid use disorder. The ideal candidate will demonstrate a solid commitment to improving the lives of individuals struggling with mental health and substance use issues with a desire to decrease barriers, making treatment more accessible in the community. The ideal candidate will also have experience in trauma-informed SUD care with a strong focus on harm reduction.

Key Responsibilities:

• Conduct comprehensive psychiatric assessments and clinical evaluations for clients with mental health and substance use disorders.
• Develop individualized treatment plans incorporating medication management, psychotherapy, and supportive services.
• Order and administer injections using an aseptic technique.
• Provide medication-assisted treatment (MAT/MOUD) for individuals with opioid use disorder, including prescribing and monitoring medications such as buprenorphine or naltrexone.
• Educate clients and their families about mental health conditions, treatment options, and recovery strategies.
• Maintain accurate and timely documentation of assessments, treatment plans, and progress notes in compliance with regulatory standards.
• Participate in community outreach initiatives to promote mental health awareness and reduce the stigma associated with substance use disorders.
• Stay current with best practices, relevant legislation, and developments in mental health and SUD treatment.
• Deliver patient-centered care using a harm-reduction strategy that is integrated and trauma-informed.
• Provide direct patient care and services such as support with case management, crisis services, initial intake program screenings, MAT counseling, MAT induction guidance for clients, and administering scales to assess withdrawal, social determinants, recovery capital, and other patient outcome measures such as therapeutic alliance, PHQ-9, and GAD-7.
• Co-lead and co-manage with nurse case manager home and standard MOUD inductions. Experience with the Massachusetts Collaborative Care Model a plus.
• Monitor and assess clients' ongoing mental, medical, and social needs, including recovery capital. Collaborates with internal and external clinicians to integrate psychiatric and medical treatments. Serves as a psychosocial educational resource, aiding clients in learning about their mental illness, physical health concerns, medications, and how to safeguard and improve their general health.
• Collaborate and coordinate care with other members of the Paragon multi-disciplinary health care teams, including clinicians, RN, case managers, peer specialists, and other administrative staff as required.
• Adhere to infection prevention guidelines and Paragon policy to effectively mitigate the transmission of communicable diseases in a mobile setting,
• Order laboratory procedures.
• Participate in team meetings, training, and supervisory coaching sessions as required.
• Complete required onboarding, orientation, annual competencies, and assigned continuing education.
• Participate in team-based or interdisciplinary quality improvement initiatives and performance improvement.
• Coordinate with community organizations, agencies, and healthcare providers to ensure continuity of care.
• Support outreach efforts to engage underserved populations and promote program awareness.
• Participate in program development, evaluation, and quality improvement initiatives.
• Stay updated on best practices and emerging mental health and behavioral care trends.

• Support adults with serious and persistent mental illness and co-occurring substance use disorders using Assertive Community Treatment (ACT)-informed practices.
• Aid in developing new policies, procedures, and tools to improve service delivery.
• Complete orientation and training on the City’s databases.
• Develop referral plans for services not provided at Paragon, such as primary and specialty care, intensive behavioral services, detoxification services, etc.
• Develop strategies to retain people in behavioral health services provided on the mobile medical vehicle or through the referral plan.
• Develop and maintain a list of potential partners, the services they could provide, and how this could complement existing services.
• Perform other duties as assigned by management.

Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in nursing with an emphasis on Psychiatric Mental Health.
• Current and unrestricted PMHNP licensure in Colorado.
• Certification through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) or equivalent.
• CARN-AP highly preferred
• Experience working with individuals with mental health and substance use disorders, preferably in a mobile or community-based setting.
• Knowledge and experience in medication-assisted treatment (MAT/MOUD) protocols for opioid use disorder is highly desirable, especially utilizing home induction low or high-dose techniques.
• Strong clinical assessment and critical thinking skills.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to engage effectively with clients and their families.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a dynamic, mobile environment.
• Valid driver’s license and willingness to travel to various locations within the community.
• Ability to utilize telehealth for follow-up appointments.
• Certification in Basic Life Support.
• A 16-hour Buprenorphine Basics course from PCSS is required in the first 30 days of hire.

Physical Requirements:

• Ability to lift and move patients as necessary.
• Must be able to stand, walk, and perform other physical activities as required.

Location: Denver Metro Area

Type: Full-Time

Total Compensation:

• Salary: $124,000-$160,000

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• Dental Insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Flexible schedule
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Professional development assistance
• Vision insurance