Nursing Manager - Inpatient Psychiatric Care - Prescott Valley, AZ
Overview & Highlights:
- Location: Prescott Valley, Arizona (greater Prescott area)
- Schedule: Full-time, on-site
- Compensation: $100,000 - $120,000 annually
- Position Type: Full-time interim, contract-based engagement
- Work Setting: Inpatient acute psychiatric hospital units
- On-Site / Hybrid / Remote: On-site
- Benefits: Reviewed during the interview process
Location & Logistics:
- Work Environment: Inpatient acute psychiatric units
- Department or Team: Nursing leadership over Registered Nurses and Behavioral Health Technicians, working alongside an interdisciplinary treatment team
- Patient-Facing Responsibilities: Yes - an active presence on the nursing units is expected, including hands-on nursing coverage during staffing shortages, emergencies or periods of increased patient acuity
- Systems / Software: Electronic health records, clinical documentation and communication systems; specific platforms reviewed during the interview process
- Travel: Reviewed during the interview process
- Reporting Structure: Reviewed during the interview process
About the Opportunity / A Day in the Life:
We are looking for an experienced Nursing Manager to oversee daily nursing operations across inpatient acute psychiatric units in Prescott Valley, Arizona. This is a full-time, on-site leadership role responsible for coordinating clinical workflows, supervising nursing and behavioral health support staff, maintaining appropriate staffing levels, and making sure patient care stays safe and effective.
Your day starts on the units. You will lead daily clinical huddles, shift reports and interdisciplinary treatment team meetings, set nursing assignments and nurse-to-patient ratios against census and acuity, and round through the units to check environmental safety and infection prevention. Between those touchpoints you will review incident reports, medication variances and patient grievances, and work with quality management on root-cause analyses and corrective action plans.
You are also the clinical leader people look for when a psychiatric emergency happens - directing therapeutic de-escalation, overseeing restraint and seclusion practice from initiation through monitoring, documentation and discontinuation, and supporting the safe management of patients experiencing acute psychiatric symptoms, detoxification or withdrawal. When the schedule is short or acuity spikes, you step in and take patients yourself.
The rest of the role is people. You will supervise, mentor and evaluate Registered Nurses and Behavioral Health Technicians, run competency assessments and performance evaluations, support new employee orientation and ongoing education, and coach staff toward stronger clinical performance and professional growth.
Why This Role Stands Out:
- A true working-leader role - you keep your clinical skills sharp instead of leaving the units behind for a desk.
- Direct ownership of nursing operations: staffing, workflow, documentation quality and unit safety all sit with you.
- A seat at the interdisciplinary table, with daily influence over how individualized treatment plans actually get carried out.
- Visible impact on staff development - the Registered Nurses and Behavioral Health Technicians you coach are the ones delivering care on your units.
- Regulatory work with real weight: ADHS licensing, The Joint Commission standards, CMS Conditions of Participation and AHCCCS requirements.
- A recovery-oriented, trauma-informed model of care that treats psychiatric safety as everyone's responsibility.
What We're Looking For:
- An experienced, hands-on nursing leader who is comfortable in a fast-paced inpatient psychiatric environment.
- Strong clinical judgment and decision-making in high-acuity situations, and the ability to stay calm and effective during behavioral emergencies.
- Someone who leads by example, communicates clearly, and holds a team accountable without losing its trust.
- Sharp organizational instincts across scheduling, clinical documentation, regulatory compliance and quality improvement.
- A genuine commitment to trauma-informed, recovery-oriented patient care and to a positive environment for staff.
- Willingness to pick up direct nursing care when operations demand it.
Job Duties & Responsibilities:
- Oversee daily nursing operations and clinical workflows across inpatient acute psychiatric units, coordinating patient care delivery so nursing services stay safe, efficient and high quality.
- Manage nursing schedules, staffing assignments and nurse-to-patient ratios based on patient census and acuity.
- Lead daily clinical huddles, shift reports and interdisciplinary treatment team meetings.
- Conduct routine unit rounds, environmental safety assessments and infection prevention checks.
- Collaborate with interdisciplinary colleagues to support individualized treatment plans and continuity of care.
- Maintain compliance with Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) licensing requirements, The Joint Commission (TJC) standards and CMS Conditions of Participation.
- Ensure nursing documentation is accurate, timely and compliant with AHCCCS requirements and individualized treatment plans.
- Review incident reports, medication variances, patient grievances and other quality indicators, and partner with nursing leadership and quality management teams on root-cause analyses and corrective action plans.
- Monitor clinical practice to support regulatory readiness and continuous quality improvement, and promote adherence to established clinical policies, safety procedures and professional nursing standards.
- Provide clinical leadership during psychiatric emergencies and behavioral crises - ensuring appropriate therapeutic de-escalation and nonviolent crisis intervention, overseeing compliance with applicable restraint and seclusion regulations from initiation through monitoring, documentation and discontinuation, and fostering a safe, therapeutic, trauma-informed environment for patients and staff.
- Monitor medication administration practices, controlled substance reconciliation and medication safety protocols, and support the safe clinical management of patients experiencing acute psychiatric symptoms, detoxification or withdrawal.
- Supervise, mentor, evaluate and support Registered Nurses and Behavioral Health Technicians - coordinating staff scheduling, performance evaluations, competency assessments, orientation and ongoing education, promoting teamwork and clear communication across nursing and interdisciplinary teams, and providing direct patient care and hands-on nursing coverage during staffing shortages, emergencies or increased operational demands.
Required Qualifications:
- Current, active and unrestricted Registered Nurse (RN) license in Arizona, or a valid multistate compact RN license.
- Current Basic Life Support (BLS)/CPR certification.
- Crisis Prevention and Intervention (CPI) certification or equivalent de-escalation training.
- 3 to 5 years of professional nursing experience.
- At least 2 years of nursing supervisory or management experience in an acute psychiatric hospital or inpatient psychiatric setting.
- Demonstrated experience overseeing nursing operations, staffing, clinical workflows and patient safety.
- Working knowledge of ADHS licensing regulations, TJC accreditation standards, CMS Conditions of Participation and AHCCCS behavioral health requirements.
- Experience managing psychiatric emergencies, crisis intervention and behavioral health patient care.
- Valid Arizona driver's license.
- Ability to obtain or maintain an Arizona Department of Public Safety Level One Fingerprint Clearance Card.
- Ability to work on-site in an inpatient psychiatric care environment, respond effectively during psychiatric emergencies, perform administrative duties involving computers, electronic health records and communication systems, sit for extended periods, and occasionally lift or move 5 or more pounds - with or without reasonable accommodation.
Preferred Background:
- Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN).
- An Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) is considered with significant psychiatric hospital leadership experience.
- Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing Certification (RN-BC).
This Role Is Likely a Fit If You...
- You are an RN leader who wants unit-level ownership rather than a purely administrative post.
- You are energized by high-acuity psychiatric work and stay steady when a unit gets loud.
- Coaching newer nurses and Behavioral Health Technicians is the part of the job you look forward to.
- You are comfortable with regulatory detail and treat documentation quality as patient safety.
- You want a role where leadership and hands-on nursing are the same job.
This Role May Not Be a Fit If You...
- You do not hold a current, active and unrestricted Arizona or multistate compact RN license.
- You have not spent at least 2 years supervising or managing nursing staff in an acute psychiatric hospital or inpatient psychiatric setting.
- You do not hold current BLS/CPR certification, or CPI certification or equivalent de-escalation training.
- You are looking for a remote, hybrid or entirely off-unit management role.
- You are not open to an interim, contract-based engagement.
- You would rather not step into direct patient care when staffing or acuity requires it.
Why Join Us:
Our nursing team works in an environment where safety, clinical excellence and recovery-focused treatment are the standard rather than the aspiration. You will have real authority over how care is delivered on your units day to day, and the backing of an interdisciplinary team that expects nursing leadership to be in the room.
If you are an experienced psychiatric nurse leader who wants to combine clinical expertise with genuine operational ownership, we would like to hear from you. Please apply with your most updated Resume/CV. A cover letter and references are preferred but optional. We look forward to meeting you.
Requirements
- Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) preferred.
- Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) considered with significant psychiatric hospital leadership experience.
- Current, active, and unrestricted Registered Nurse (RN) license in Arizona or a valid multistate compact RN license.
- Current Basic Life Support (BLS)/CPR certification.
- Crisis Prevention and Intervention (CPI) certification or equivalent de-escalation training.
- Minimum of 3–5 years of professional nursing experience.
- At least 2 years of nursing supervisory or management experience in an acute psychiatric hospital or inpatient psychiatric setting.