Nursing
Utah State Hospital welcomes nursing students who are in a qualified nursing program for LPN and RN licensure. This is the ideal clinical site to learn about and grow to appreciate psychiatric mental health nursing.
Our facility provides learning opportunities with pediatric, adult and forensic populations.
Licensed Practical Nurse
The primary role of LPNs at Utah State Hospital is to administer medications and provide related medical treatments. LPNs also play an important role in educating patients about their medications, helping to assess patients' needs and sharing that information with members of the treatment team in order to coordinate and provide excellent patient care.
Registered Nurse
RNs play a key role at Utah State Hospital since they are the charge nurse for their shifts. RN duties include patient assessments, critical thinking, and clinical decision making skills to coordinate and implement all patient care needs for the unit they are working on during their shift. While working with, mentoring and supervising Psychiatric Technicians and LPN on shifts, RNs promote a team effort to oversee patient care. RNs are a critical member of the unit's multidisciplinary treatment team.
Qualifications for Capstone Clinical Placements
- Students must be enrolled in a qualified nursing program that has a contract with the Utah State Hospital for clinical placements. Students are in the semester of their undergraduate nursing program that requires a capstone experience.
- Clinical faculty for the nursing program coordinates all capstone experiences with:
Derek Killian
Assistant Nursing Director
dkillian@utah.gov
801-344-4220 - Since capstone students are more engaged in patient care than mental health rotation students they must attend parts of the hospital's New Employee Orientation prior to meeting their assigned mentor for doing required clinical hours.
- Students must complete required paperwork (e,g, HIPAA forms, electronic access forms).
- Students must be emotionally, mentally and physically able to train and learn from their mentor the role of the RN in the multidisciplinary treatment team.
Qualifications for LPN and Undergraduate RN Clinical Mental Health Rotations
- Students must be enrolled in a qualified nursing program that has a contract with the Utah State Hospital for clinical placements.
- Clinical faculty for the nursing program coordinates all clinical mental health rotations with Melinda NiiOkai, BSN, RN. Contact information is:
Email: mlewis@utah.gov
Phone: 801-344-4262 - Students must coordinate with their clinical faculty for when clinical rotations occur and complete required paperwork (e.g. HIPAA forms).