Director Behavioral Health (RN)

Tenet North Cal

Doctors Medical Center of Modesto

Modesto, California

Tenet North Cal is seeking a Registered Nurse (RN) Director Behavioral Health for a nursing job in Modesto, California.

Eligibility: Mental HealthPsychiatricDirector of Nursing

Posted May 12

Shift and hours: Days
Unit and setting: inpatient departments, intakeor be qualified by education and experience in the care of the mentally ill;
License: RN license Current Registered Nursing license for the State of CaliforniaRegistered Nursing license
Term: PermanentFull-time

Do you qualify?

License: Registered Nursing license Current Registered Nursing license for the State of California Check your license
Education: MSN or equivalent in Psychiatric Nursing MSN or equivalent, Psychiatric Nursing
Experience: 5 years in nursing management role Minimum 5years in nursing management role, specifically psychiatric nursing
Experience: psychiatric nursing management

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What it pays

Against similar roles: Top of Modesto staff RN payModesto staff RN postings that state pay run $59/hr to $78/hr, the middle half $59/hr to $75/hr, across 43 postings.

The role and schedule

Day to day: 24-hour responsibility for patient care functions, staffing, leadership, fiscal guidelines, and department relationships
Day to day: foster a supportive and collaborative professional environment focusing on quality and efficiency
Day to day: partner with interdisciplinary team delivering holistic, patient-centered behavioral health care

The workplace

Tenet North Cal

Health system employer

Organization profile

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Your fit

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On your path

Psychiatric Behavioral health spans inpatient, emergency, and community settings.

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Original listing

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Tenet North Cal is seeking a Registered Nurse (RN) Director Behavioral Health for a nursing job in Modesto, California.

Job Description & Requirements

Specialty: Behavioral Health

Discipline: RN

Duration: Ongoing

Employment Type: Staff

Job type: Full Time Shift: Day

Hours

Position Summary

Directly reporting to the Chief Nursing Officer, and to the Behavioral Health Center Administrator, the Director of Patient Care Services is a Master’s Degree in psychiatric or mental health nursing, or its equivalent from a school of nursing accredited by the National League for Nursing, or be qualified by education and experience in the care of the mentally ill; who is responsible for planning, organizing, directing, monitoring, and evaluating patient care given by a designated healthcare team. The Director of Patient Care Services has twenty-four hour responsibility for patient care functions in the inpatient departments, intake, and is accountable for staffing, leadership, decision-making, fiscal guidelines, and effective department relationships. The Director of Patient Care Services maintains an active approach to foster a supportive and collaborative professional environment of physicians, staff, and patients focusing on Quality and efficiency.

Your leadership will directly influence patient outcomes, staff engagement, and access for our community to critical behavioral health services. You will play a key role in advancing care delivery, reducing disparities, and strengthening our community’s mental health support system.

Partner with a dedicated, interdisciplinary team of clinicians, nurses, therapists, and support staff who are united in delivering holistic, patient-centered behavioral health care.

Minimum

Education

MSN or equivalent, Psychiatric Nursing

Minimum Experience/

Skills

Minimum 5years in nursing management role, specifically psychiatric nursing

License/Certificates/Credentials

Current Registered Nursing license for the State of California

Tenet North Cal Job ID #2603009956. Posted job title: Director - Behavioral Health

What's around it?

In Modesto, CA

Modesto, CAFrom Census ACS 2024.

Living costs about 4% above the US average

Median rent: $1,690/mo
Household income: $79,891/yr, all local households, not nurse pay

Life in Modesto, CA

NeighborhoodsYoung professionals often land in Downtown Modesto, a walkable revival (walk score 82) of restored theaters, galleries, and mixed-income housing in the roughly $320k–$480k range, or along the McHenry Avenue Corridor ($340k–$520k, walk 71), a suburban strip of newer retail, restaurants, and services. Established residential pockets include the Orangeburg Area’s tree-lined streets and mixed single-family homes ($330k–$450k), historic bungalows around Graceada Park, Village One’s newer amenities, Sherwood Forest’s quieter streets, plus named areas such as Northwest, Northeast, North, Southeast, and Southwest Modesto, Country Ranch, Sonoma Plaza, Westwood Manor, Sherwood Manor South, and La Loma. Locals on Reddit frequently tell newcomers they would rather live in nearby Turlock, Manteca, or Ripon as the nicer towns around Modesto.

Young professionals often land in Downtown Modesto, a walkable revival (walk score 82) of restored theaters, galleries, and mixed-income housing in the roughly $320k–$480k range, or along the McHenry Avenue Corridor ($340k–$520k, walk 71), a suburban strip of newer retail, restaurants, and services. Established residential pockets include the Orangeburg Area’s tree-lined streets and mixed single-family homes ($330k–$450k), historic bungalows around Graceada Park, Village One’s newer amenities, Sherwood Forest’s quieter streets, plus named areas such as Northwest, Northeast, North, Southeast, and Southwest Modesto, Country Ranch, Sonoma Plaza, Westwood Manor, Sherwood Manor South, and La Loma.

Locals on Reddit frequently tell newcomers they would rather live in nearby Turlock, Manteca, or Ripon as the nicer towns around Modesto.

Sources

As of Sep 11, 2026Source 1: ficustree.ai Source 2: apartments.com Source 3: reddit.com Source 4: apartmentguide.com Source 5: nelsonwesterberg.com

Getting aroundTypical in-city commutes run about 20.65 minutes, but a transit score of 38 means a car is essential for most errands and hospital shifts; Modesto Area Express buses exist, yet coverage is thin versus larger metros. Drivers use CA-99, CA-132, and CA-108; the Modesto BART Commuter Train reaches Turlock, Patterson, and Dublin, Amtrak stops at the Modesto Train Station toward Sacramento and other cities, and Greyhound serves Tracy and Merced. Major healthcare employers named in local guides include Doctors Medical Center and Sutter Health. The Bay Area is 90-plus minutes west and the Sierra Nevada foothills 60-plus minutes east, so weekend trips are planned drives, not casual hops. Sources do not describe hospital parking.

Typical in-city commutes run about 20.65 minutes, but a transit score of 38 means a car is essential for most errands and hospital shifts; Modesto Area Express buses exist, yet coverage is thin versus larger metros. Drivers use CA-99, CA-132, and CA-108; the Modesto BART Commuter Train reaches Turlock, Patterson, and Dublin, Amtrak stops at the Modesto Train Station toward Sacramento and other cities, and Greyhound serves Tracy and Merced.

Major healthcare employers named in local guides include Doctors Medical Center and Sutter Health. The Bay Area is 90-plus minutes west and the Sierra Nevada foothills 60-plus minutes east, so weekend trips are planned drives, not casual hops.

Sources do not describe hospital parking.

Sources

As of Sep 11, 2026Source 1: realestate.usnews.com Source 2: ficustree.ai Source 3: apartmentguide.com Source 4: extraspace.com Source 5: nelsonwesterberg.com

OutdoorsThe city lists 70-plus parks, including historic Graceada Park (designed by Golden Gate Park’s John McLaren), Dry Creek Regional Park, Roosevelt Park, and John Muir Park. A short drive to Knights Ferry adds river hiking, picnics, and Rivers Edge restaurant overlooking the water. Modesto markets itself as halfway to Yosemite and as a farm-stand town: Ott Farms, Rodin Farms, and Dutch Hollow Farms sell produce year-round. July through September heat regularly over 95°F pushes outdoor life to early mornings or indoors unless you have strong air conditioning.

The city lists 70-plus parks, including historic Graceada Park (designed by Golden Gate Park’s John McLaren), Dry Creek Regional Park, Roosevelt Park, and John Muir Park. A short drive to Knights Ferry adds river hiking, picnics, and Rivers Edge restaurant overlooking the water.

Modesto markets itself as halfway to Yosemite and as a farm-stand town: Ott Farms, Rodin Farms, and Dutch Hollow Farms sell produce year-round. July through September heat regularly over 95°F pushes outdoor life to early mornings or indoors unless you have strong air conditioning.

Sources

As of Sep 11, 2026Source 1: apartments.com Source 2: ficustree.ai Source 3: apartmentguide.com Source 4: reddit.com Source 5: visitmodesto.com Source 6: extraspace.com

Others hiring in Modesto, CA

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Moving for this role?

Check the commute at your shift’s start and end, upfront housing costs, and whether moving assistance must be repaid if you leave.

Living in Modesto

Modesto is a Central Valley farm town of about 218,000 that still feels like George Lucas’s American Graffiti hometown—cruise nights on 10th and 11th, Gallo’s winery, and almond orchards—while offering California homeownership at medians roughly $380k–$460k and one-bedrooms around $1,470–$1,500. Nurses will find healthcare employers such as Doctors Medical Center and Sutter Health, typical drives near 21 minutes, and a car-mandatory layout (transit score 38) on Highways 99, 132, and 108. Downtown’s revival—Camp 4, the Gallo Center, Art Walk, food-truck pavilion—and neighborhoods from walkable Downtown and McHenry Corridor to Graceada bungalows and Village One give young professionals real choices; locals still often recommend Turlock, Manteca, or Ripon as quieter. Tradeoffs are blunt: summers over 95°F, air quality, and crime above national averages (safety grade C) mean you pick streets carefully and budget for AC. Seventy-plus parks, Knights Ferry on the river, and a location marketed as halfway to Yosemite round out weekends. It is not coastal California; it is affordable, agricultural, and car-first.

AI area guide

Sources

As of 2026Source 1: ficustree.ai Source 2: realestate.usnews.com Source 3: apartments.com Source 4: visitmodesto.com Source 5: hitraveltales.com Source 6: apartmentguide.com Source 7: reddit.com Source 8: extraspace.com Source 9: nelsonwesterberg.com Source 10: youtube.com

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What it pays

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The workplace

Worth asking

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Your fit

On your path

Original listing

Job Description & Requirements

Hours

Position Summary

Education

Skills

License/Certificates/Credentials

What's around it?

Modesto, CAiFrom Census ACS 2024.

Life in Modesto, CA

Moving for this role?

Nurses on this role

Nurses on this role

Life in Modesto, CA

Moving for this role?

Nurses on this role

Modesto, CAFrom Census ACS 2024.