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Per Diem Psychiatric Rn Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Psychiatric RN-Per Diem- Sylmar

Sylmar, CA · On-site

$1.8K - $2.5K/wk

Responsible for the delivery of psychiatric nursing care/services to members being treated in the ... Provides prescribed medications to patients per physicians orders following appropriate protocol.

RN - Psychiatric

Saint Helena, CA · On-site

$2.2K - $3.0K/wk

RN - Psychiatric Are you an experienced Psychiatric RN looking for your next exciting travel assignment, or are you ready to start your travel healthcare career? At Voca, we offer an unmatched ...

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Per Diem Psychiatric Rn information

See California salary details

$1.1K

$2K

$2.9K

How much do per diem psychiatric rn jobs pay per week?

As of Aug 15, 2026, the average weekly pay for per diem psychiatric rn in California is $2,028.88, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $1,707.69 and $2,344.23 per week, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a per diem psychiatric RN?

A Per Diem Psychiatric Registered Nurse (RN) is a licensed nurse who works on an as-needed or on-call basis in mental health settings such as hospitals, clinics, or psychiatric facilities. Instead of having a fixed schedule, per diem nurses fill in for staff shortages, cover busy shifts, or help with temporary increases in patient volume. Their responsibilities include assessing patients’ mental health, administering medications, providing therapeutic interventions, and collaborating with the healthcare team. This role offers flexibility and often pays a higher hourly wage compared to full-time positions, but typically does not provide benefits like health insurance or paid time off.

How does a per diem psychiatric RN typically integrate with full-time staff and multidisciplinary teams in a mental health facility?

As a Per Diem Psychiatric RN, you will often collaborate closely with full-time nurses, psychiatrists, social workers, and therapists. While you may not have a fixed schedule, strong communication skills are key to quickly understanding patient needs and care plans during each shift. You'll be expected to adapt to different team dynamics and contribute valuable insights, ensuring continuity of care for patients. Flexibility and the ability to work independently are important, as you'll frequently acclimate to new units or patient populations.

What is the difference between Per Diem Psychiatric Rn vs Staff Psychiatric Nurse?

AspectPer Diem Psychiatric RnStaff Psychiatric Nurse
CertificationsRN license, possibly specialized in psychiatric careRN license, often with psychiatric certification
Work EnvironmentVaries; hospitals, clinics, mental health facilities, on a per-diem basisFull-time or part-time in psychiatric units or mental health settings
Employment TypePer diem, flexible schedulingTypically salaried or hourly, with scheduled shifts
Job FocusProviding psychiatric nursing care on an as-needed basisProviding ongoing psychiatric nursing care and patient management

Per Diem Psychiatric Rns work on a flexible, as-needed basis, often filling in for staff shortages or covering shifts. Staff Psychiatric Nurses usually have a regular schedule, providing consistent patient care. Both roles require RN licensure and psychiatric knowledge, but differ mainly in employment structure and scheduling.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a per diem psychiatric RN, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Per Diem Psychiatric RN, you need a valid RN license, psychiatric nursing experience, and a strong understanding of mental health disorders and crisis intervention. Familiarity with EHR systems, psychiatric assessment tools, and de-escalation techniques is typically required. Excellent communication, flexibility, and emotional resilience are critical soft skills for engaging with patients and adapting to varying shift assignments. These skills ensure safe, effective patient care and help manage the unique challenges of psychiatric settings on a flexible, per diem basis.

What cities in California are hiring for Per Diem Psychiatric Rn jobs?

Cities in California with the most Per Diem Psychiatric Rn job openings:

Infographic showing various Per Diem Psychiatric Rn job openings in California as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 3% As Needed, 58% Full Time, 14% Part Time, 2% Temporary, and 23% Contract. Highlights an 99% Physical, and 1% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $105,502 per year, or $50.7 per hour.

Inpatient Psychiatric Registered Nurse (Relocation Package) (Santa Rosa)

Sacramento Behavioral Healthcare Hospital

Santa Rosa, CA • On-site

$63 - $75/hr

Other

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Re-posted 9 days ago


Job description

ABOUT US:

Formerly Aurora Santa Rosa Hospital, SRBHH was opened in 2016 and is regarded as an integral part of the greater Santa Rosa and Northern California mental health system of care. Conveniently located in the North Bay, this hospital consists of 144 acute psychiatric inpatient beds.

Santa Rosa Behavioral Healthcare Hospital (SRBHH) is regarded as an integral part of the greater Santa Rosa and Northern California mental health system of care.

Conveniently located in the North Bay, SRBHH serves adolescents and adults. We treat both mental health and co-occurring psychiatric and substance abuse conditions.

POSITION TITLE: Inpatient Psychiatric Registered Nurse

PAY RANGE: $63.00-$75.00 Per Hour

REPORTS TO: Chief Nursing Officer

DESCRIPTION OF POSITION:

The Inpatient Psychiatric RN top priority is to deliver high quality safe care to psychiatric inpatients in the acute locked hospital facility. The Inpatient Psychiatric RN provides direct care and treatment to inpatients and coordinates the care provided by other nursing personnel. The Inpatient Psychiatric RN plans and coordinates each patient’s individual nursing care plans, and implements nursing related aspects of the multidisciplinary treatment plan (MDTP). The Inpatient Psychiatric RN embraces Santa Rosa Behavioral Healthcare Hospital’s (SRBHH) mission, vision and value statements and adheres to and follows all the hospital policies and procedures. The Inpatient Psychiatric RN understands the regulations and standards that govern acute psychiatric hospital services and provides clear direction to their immediate nursing team to meet all regulations, standards, and requirements. The Registered Nurse maintains knowledge of, participates in further training provided, and understands the potential risks regarding occupational health hazards (e.g. bloodborne pathogen exposures).

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

  • Assess inpatient needs, nursing staff resources and complete inpatient/unit assignments based on acuity, inpatient treatment plan goals, and unit operations.

  • Assess all inpatients’ status, provide direct care to assigned group of inpatients, documents patient care and assessments rendered, prepares and administers medications as needed, and ensure necessary documentation is completed at the end of each shift.

  • Provide clinical summary information to other team members at treatment team meetings, shift reports and other hand-offs. The Inpatient Psychiatric RN provides continual oversight of all inpatients and inpatient psychiatric unit operations.

  • Work with nursing and other clinical staff to plan and document patient care. Document care plans on the MDTP and include inpatient problems, goals for hospitalization, and short-term goals. Includes interventions provided by team members to assist inpatients in returning to a reasonable mental health status and ultimately lower level of care.

  • Provide patient care by routinely demonstrating knowledge of mental health diagnoses, standards of care, evidenced based practice, medications (including old and new psychotropic medications), high risks for mental health patients, National Patient Safety Goals, and models of care.

  • Apply nursing process and process improvement principles to all levels of the organization. The scope of this process ranges from patient needs to the hospital needs as a whole. This includes ability to assess, collect data, define problems, set goals, initiate interventions and evaluate interventions. Complete timely Incident Reports and submits them to the Nurse Manager or RN House Supervisor.

  • Identify staffing needs based on staffing plan and acuity assessments.

  • Provide direct clinical oversight to other nursing staff throughout the shift in conjunction with the Nurse Manager, RN House Supervisor, or Director of Nursing (DON) as appropriate.

  • Coordinate team members’ immediate response during psychiatric crises of inpatients and provide effective leadership at all times.

  • Perform other related duties as assigned.

Requirements

Education/Licensure:

  • Current California RN License

  • Current Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) certification required, or obtained within initial orientation period.

  • Verbal de-escalation and physical intervention program as approved by the CNO.

  • Knowledge and experience of psychiatric diagnosis and associated risks, medications, biological systems, nursing process, treatment planning, inpatient hospital unit operations, and leadership. New RN graduates may meet these requirements if they have completed a psychiatric rotation as part of nursing school or have psychiatric experience in another role.

  • 5+ years of psych experience required

  • English proficiency required.

Skills and Competencies:

The Inpatient Psychiatric RN will pass initial and annual competency evaluations including (not limited to): suicide prevention, safe use of restraints, de-escalation interventions, medication knowledge, code blue/emergency interventions, infection prevention, and appropriate use of seclusion and restraints. The Inpatient Psychiatric RN will demonstrate skill in applying knowledge and competency in daily nursing practice. Maintain a working knowledge of commonly used policies, awareness of policy changes and knows where to find additional polices and needed information.

Physical Requirements

While performing the duties of this job, this position is frequently required to do the following:

  • Stoop, kneel, crouch, reach, and stand for sustained period of time.

  • Walk, push, pull, lift, carry objects from a lower to higher position or horizontally from position to position or otherwise move objects.

  • Feel sizes, shapes, temperatures, and textures by touching with skin, particularly that of the fingertips.

  • Express or exchange ideas orally and potentially loudly, accurately, or quickly.

  • Perceive the nature of sound with no less than a 40 db loss @ 1000 Hz and 2000 Hz with or without correction.

  • Exert up to 100 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 20 pounds of force frequently.

  • Able to provide manual and mechanical restraints for patients who are physically acting out and are potentially dangerous (at times this occurs on the floor.)

  • Minimum standard of visual acuity with or without correction.

  • While worker may possibly be subjected to temperature changes, the worker is generally not substantially exposed to adverse environmental conditions as the work is predominantly inside.

Benefits

  • Health Insurance

  • Vision Insurance

  • Dental Insurance

  • 401k Retirement Plan

  • Healthcare Spending Account

  • Life Insurance

(Supplemental Life, Term and Universal plans are also available)

  • Short and Long-Term Disability

(with additional buy-in opportunities)

  • PTO Plan with Holiday Premium Pay

  • Discounted Cafeteria Meal Plan

  • Tuition Reimbursement

  • Relocation Packages