Registered Nurse (RN), Psychiatry Float Pool

Cincinnati Children's Office of Academic Affairs and Career Development; Cincinnati (OH); On-site; USD 55,000 - 69,000; Full time

Job summary

Cincinnati Children’s is seeking a Registered Nurse for the Psychiatry Float Pool at the College Hill Campus. This full-time, 0.8 FTE evening shift position supports multiple behavioral health programs with flexible staffing to ensure safe, high-quality care for pediatric patients.

The role emphasizes clinical judgment, therapeutic communication, trauma-informed care, and teamwork across interdisciplinary teams, including families, to deliver patient-centered care.

Qualifications

• Active Ohio RN license required.

Responsibilities

• Apply clinical judgment to assess patient needs and coordinate nursing care across physical and mental health.
• Administer medications, monitor effects, and escalate concerns.
• Provide developmentally appropriate care and support activities of daily living.
• Maintain designated observation levels with safety and compassion.

Skills

Clinical judgment

Therapeutic communication

Adaptability

Trauma-informed care

Team collaboration

Education

Associate/Diploma RN

BSN preferred

Tools

Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI)

Job description

Department/Unit

PSRU Psychiatry Float Pool, College Hill Campus

Primary Location

College Hill A

Department

Psychiatric Resource Unit

Shift

Evening (United States of America)

Schedule

Full time

Weekly Hours

32

FTE

0.8

Employee Status

Regular

Registered Nurse, Psychiatry Float Pool

Benefit Eligibility

Full-Time Benefits Eligible

Why Join the PSRU Psychiatry Float Pool?

Cincinnati Children’s Psychiatry Resource Unit (PSRU) provides flexible staffing support across College Hill psychiatric and behavioral health programs. As a Psychiatry Float Pool RN, you will bring strong clinical judgment, therapeutic communication, and adaptability to a team that supports patient care across multiple behavioral health settings.

This role is a strong fit for nurses who enjoy variety, teamwork, and the opportunity to broaden psychiatric nursing skills while making a meaningful difference for children, adolescents, and families.

Working as a PSRU Psychiatry Float Pool RN, you will enjoy:

• Developing broad psychiatric nursing experience by supporting multiple College Hill care areas.
• Using behavioral assessment, therapeutic communication, and trauma-informed care to support youth in crisis.
• Collaborating with interdisciplinary teams across supported psychiatry programs.
• Providing flexible staffing support that helps maintain safe, consistent, high-quality patient care.
• Implementing individualized care plans and documenting behavioral observations, safety needs, medication response, and patient progress.
• Strengthening adaptability, prioritization, and clinical decision-making in a dynamic float pool environment.
• Working in a state-of-the-art mental health facility that opened in October 2023.

Job Responsibilities

Psychiatric Nursing Care and Clinical Judgment

• Apply critical thinking and clinical judgment to assess patient needs and develop, coordinate, and implement nursing care interventions across physical and mental health needs.
• Administer medications, monitor effectiveness, recognize changes in patient condition, and elevate concerns as needed.
• Provide developmentally appropriate care and support activities of daily living in both group and individualized settings.
• Maintain designated observation levels with accuracy, compassion, and attention to safety.

Float Pool Support and Adaptability

• Float across supported College Hill psychiatric and behavioral health areas based on staffing needs and patient care priorities.
• Quickly adapt to unit-specific workflows, patient populations, team structures, and care expectations.
• Serve as a reliable clinical resource who contributes to safe staffing, continuity of care, and strong team communication.
• Demonstrate flexibility while maintaining consistent nursing practice, safety standards, and patient-centered care.

Milieu Support, Patient Safety, and Crisis Prevention

• Create and support safe, stable, and therapeutic environments for patients experiencing psychiatric, behavioral, emotional, or neurodevelopmental needs.
• Use trauma-informed and developmentally appropriate strategies to prevent and respond to behavioral escalation.
• Apply Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI) strategies, including verbal de-escalation and physical intervention when required due to imminent risk.
• Perform safety checks, room and patient searches, and maintain awareness of environmental risk factors in accordance with unit expectations and policy.

Therapeutic Engagement and Team Collaboration

• Build therapeutic rapport while maintaining professional boundaries and advocating for patient and family needs.
• Lead or support structured therapeutic activities and group programming when assigned to applicable care areas.
• Collaborate with physicians, advanced practice providers, social workers, Behavioral Health Specialists, allied health professionals, and families.
• Contribute to shift reports, handoffs, interdisciplinary care planning, and family-centered communication.

Documentation, Compliance, and Professional Practice

• Accurately document assessments, care interventions, medication response, safety checks, incident reports, and patient progress.
• Maintain current knowledge of regulatory, accreditation, departmental, and hospital standards.
• Complete required certifications, licensure renewals, and Safety College trainings on schedule.
• Engage in shared decision-making, peer feedback, professional development, and ongoing education to maintain competency and promote growth.
• Collaborate effectively using the Interprofessional Practice Model (IPM) to support cohesive, coordinated care.

Qualifications

Required

• Associate/Diploma prepared RN from an ACEN, CCNE, or NLN CNEA accredited institution.
• If hired as an external candidate without a BSN or MSN, must enroll in a BSN or MSN program within 1 year of hire date and complete the program within 5 years of hire date.
• Active Ohio RN license. May be required to obtain other state licensure.
• Foreign graduates must have license validated through TruMerit per Ohio Board of Nursing code for foreign graduates.
• Must pass Therapeutic Crisis Intervention Certification Course during orientation.

Preferred

• BSN from an ACEN or CCNE accredited institution or MSN.
• Psychiatric, behavioral health, pediatric, emergency, inpatient, residential, or float pool nursing experience.
• Comfort working across multiple clinical environments and adapting to changing staffing needs.
• Strong therapeutic communication, de-escalation, teamwork, and prioritization skills.

Comprehensive Job Description

Comprehensive job description provided upon request.

About Us

At Cincinnati Children’s, we come to work with one goal: to make children’s health better. We believe in a holistic team approach, both in caring for patients and their families, and in advancing science and discovery. We strive to do better and find energy and inspiration in our shared purpose. If you want to be the best you can be, you can do it at Cincinnati Children’s.

Cincinnati Children’s Is

• Recognized by U.S. News & World Report as atop 10 best Children's Hospitals in the nation for more than 15 years
• Consistently among the top 3 Children's Hospitals for National Institutes of Health (NIH)Funding
• Recognized as one of America’s Best Large Employers (2025), America’s Best Employers for New Grads (2025)
• One of the nation'sAmerica’s Most Innovative Companiesas noted by Fortune
• Consistently certified as great place to work
• A Leading Disability Employeras noted by theNational Organization on Disability
• Magnet designated for the fourth consecutive time by theAmerican Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC)

We Embrace Innovation—Together. We believe in empowering our teams with the tools that help us work smarter and care better. That’s why we support the responsible use of artificial intelligence. By encouraging innovation, we’re creating space for new ideas, better outcomes, and a stronger future—for all of us.

Comprehensive Job Description Provided Upon Request

Cincinnati Children’s is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to creating an environment of dignity and respect for all our employees, patients, and families. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, genetic information, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or protected veteran status. EEO/Veteran/Disability