Senior Mental Health Nurse

Salary : $123,182.66 - $147,288.12 Annually

Location : Santa Paula or Ventura, CA

Job Type : Full-Time Regular

Job Number : 0233HCA-25AA (MD)

Department : Health Care Agency

Opening Date : 09 / 22 / 2025

Closing Date : Continuous

Description

THE POSITION

Under general direction, provides clinical supervision and coordination of mental health nursing services for the Ventura County Inpatient Psychiatric unit. This role focuses on ensuring patients receive appropriate, high-quality, and cost-effective mental health nursing care. It requires collaboration across multidisciplinary teams, adherence to regulatory standards, and active participation in quality and compliance efforts.

The Senior Registered Nurse-Mental Health is distinguished from Senior Registered Nurse-Mental Health Acute Care in that the latter is responsible for the clinical supervision of mental health nursing services on a 24-hour basis and for coordinating nursing services with interdisciplinary functions during assigned shifts.

IDEAL CANDIDATE

The ideal candidate is an experienced Mental Health Nurse with a background in utilization review and discharge planning. They also have extensive years of experience in an Inpatient Mental Health Hospital setting delivering comprehensive care to patients with complex medical and mental health needs. Additionally, they will be compassionate, adaptable, and will demonstrate sound clinical judgment. Finally, the ideal candidate is an experienced leader confident in crisis intervention, medication management, and safety protocols, while consistently demonstrating empathy and effective collaboration.

PAYROLL TITLE AND APPROXIMATE SALARY :

Senior Registered Nurse-Mental Health : $59.22 - $70.81 hourly

WHAT WE OFFER

The County of Ventura offers an attractive compensation and benefits package. In addition to the annual salary, an employee within these positions may also be eligible for additional incentives, subject to the applicable section of the respective Memorandum of Agreement. To learn more about what we have to offer, please click the links below :

• Regular -

AGENCY / DEPARTMENT : Health Care Agency - Ventura County Medical Center

Senior Registered Nurse-Mental Health is represented by the California Nurses' Association (CNA) and is eligible for overtime compensation. Salary placement will be determined according to the current CNA memorandum of agreement.

The eligible list established from this recruitment may be used to fill current and future Regular (including Temporary and Fixed-Term), Intermittent, and Extra Help vacancies. There is currently one (1) Regular vacancy. The shift for the current vacancy will be determined based on the need of the unit.

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE

OPENING DATE : September 22, 2025 CLOSING DATE : Continuous and may close at any time; therefore, the schedule for the remainder of the process will depend upon when we receive a sufficient number of qualified applications to meet business needs.

FIRST REVIEW OF APPLICATIONS : October 6, 2025

Examples Of Duties

Duties include but are not limited to the following :

Typical Qualifications

These are entrance requirements to the examination process and assure neither continuance in the process nor placement on an eligible list.

EDUCATION, TRAINING, and EXPERIENCE :

NECESSARY SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS :

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, and ABILITIES :

Thorough knowledge of : the theories, techniques, and practices of professional nursing; mental health nursing theories and practices, including the varied theories, techniques, and practices related to working with mentally unstable persons; theory of human growth and development; current mental health treatment approaches; community, County, State and Federal resources and their interrelationships; California Mental Health laws and their application, and other mental health laws related to patient care; the social and political factors influencing mental health care delivery.

Working ability to : participate in comprehensive planning in consultation with a multidisciplinary team; make independent decisions on behalf of patients; provide effective functional supervision and leadership; maintain confidentiality of patient / client information; implement an effective training program for non-professional and professional co-workers, and other community agencies or groups; establish and maintain the confidence of and working relationships with professional staff, patients and families, and other related entities; communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.

Supplemental Information : Duties are performed in a variety of inpatient settings and tasks will range from sedentary to those that may require alertness and strength in a crisis situation.

Recruitment Process

FINAL FILING DATE : This is a continuous recruitment and may close at any time; therefore, apply as soon as possible if you are interested. Your application must be received by County of Ventura Human Resources in Ventura, California, no later than 5 : 00 p.m. on the closing date.To apply online, please refer to our website at If you prefer to fill out a paper application form, please call (805) 677-5184 for application materials and submit them to County of Ventura Human Resources - Health Care Agency, 646 County Square Drive, Ventura, CA 93003. LATERAL TRANFER OPTION : If presently permanently employed in another "merit" or "civil service" public agency / entity in the same or substantively similar position as is advertised, and if appointed to that position by successful performance in a "merit" or "civil service" style examination, then appointment by "Lateral Transfer" may be possible. If interested, please click for additional information.

Note to Applicants : It is essential that you complete all sections of your application and supplemental questionnaire thoroughly and accurately to demonstrate your qualifications. A resume and / or other related documents may be attached to supplement the information in your application and supplemental questionnaire; however, it / they may not be submitted in lieu of the application and supplemental questionnaire.

SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE - qualifying : All applicants are required to complete and submit the questionnaire for this examination at the time of filing. The supplemental questionnaire may be used throughout the examination process to assist in determining each applicant's qualifications and acceptability for the position. Failure to complete and submit the questionnaire will result in the application being removed from consideration.

APPLICATION EVALUATION - Pass / Fail : An application evaluation will be conducted to determine whether or not each applicant possesses the required licensure and certification for this recruitment. Those candidates who do will be placed on the eligible list. Candidates successfully completing the examination process may be placed on an eligible list for a period of one (1) year.

BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION : A thorough pre-employment, post offer background investigation which may include inquiry into past employment, education, criminal background information, and driving record may be required for this position.

For further information about this recruitment, please contact Maritza David by e-mail at Maritza.David@venturacounty.gov or by telephone at (805) 677-5162.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY : The County of Ventura is an equal opportunity employer to all, regardless of age, ancestry, color, disability (mental and physical), exercising the right to family care and medical leave, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religious creed, sex (includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and related medical conditions), and sexual orientation.

YOUR BENEFITS AS A COUNTY OF VENTURA EMPLOYEE

California Nurses Association

(CNA)

To learn more about Benefits, Retirement, and the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), see links below.

Union Code : NCN

01

Which option below best describes your full-time Registered Nurse experience?

NOTE : Full time is considered 40 hours per week; anything less than that must be prorated. To receive credit for this experience, you must include each employer in the Work Experience section of your application, and all details for each employer must be included. Failure to do so may result in your application being disqualified.

02

Please describe your registered nursing experience in a mental health setting. In your response, include :

A) Name of employer(s) where you gained this experience

B) Specific setting such as inpatient / outpatient, hospital, treatment facility, etc.

C) Specific mental health nursing duties performed

NOTE : To receive credit for this experience, you must include each employer in the Work Experience section of your application, and all details for each employer must be included. Failure to do so may result in your application being disqualified. If you do not have this kind of experience, type, "No experience".

03

Which of the following best describes your full-time registered nursing experience in a charge nurse role?

NOTE : Full time is considered 40 hours per week; anything less than that must be prorated. To receive credit for this experience, you must include each employer in the Work Experience section of your application, and all details for each employer must be included. Failure to do so may result in your application being disqualified.

04

Please describe your registered nursing experience in a charge nurse role. In your response, include :

A) Name of employer(s) where you gained this experience

B) Specific charge nurse duties performed

NOTE : To receive credit for this experience, you must include each employer in the Work Experience section of your application, and all details for each employer must be included. Failure to do so may result in your application being disqualified. If you do not have this kind of experience, type, "No experience".

05

Do you possess and can you maintain a current, valid license as a Registered Nurse issued by the State of California?

If yes, you must include your date of licensure and a current valid license number in the Certificates and Licenses section of your application. Failure to do so will result in your application being disqualified.

06

Do you currently possess, or can you obtain a Basic Life Support (BLS / CPR) certification by first day of employment and maintain it thereafter?

If you currently possess a (BLS / CPR) certification, be sure to include the certification information in the Certificates and Licenses section of your application.

07

Can you obtain a Crisis Intervention (CPI) certification within six (6) months of hire and maintain it thereafter?

If you currently possess a CPI certification, be sure to include the certification information in the Certificates and Licenses section of your application.

08

Can you obtain a Violence Prevention (AVADE) certification within six (6) months of hire and maintain it thereafter?

If you currently possess an AVADE certification, be sure to include the certification information in the Certificates and Licenses section of your application.

Required Question