Behavioral Health Specialist I

Brown Medicine•Madison, WI

7d•$18 - $30•Onsite

About The Position

The Behavioral Health Specialist I (BHS I) provides care and safety to children and adolescents as a member of an interdisciplinary treatment team. Under the direction of the Clinical Nurse Manager (Inpatient) or Program Director (Partial), the Unit Charge RN, and a Registered Nurse, the BHS I helps develop and implement the day-to-day schedule and structure of a therapeutic milieu, observes and documents the program, and supports patient care planning. Employees are expected to model Brown University Health’s values of Compassion, Accountability, Respect, and Excellence, as well as its Success Factors: Instill Trust and Value Differences, Patient and Community Focus, and Collaborate. This role involves supporting children through daily routines, activities of daily living, personal hygiene, therapeutic groups, and transitions into the hospital environment. The BHS I contributes observations to care planning, communicates patient-specific information to the care team, follows behavioral programs, and responds to distress or crisis using safe, therapeutic, and least-restrictive interventions. The position is based at Bradley Hospital and may involve comparable duties in other clinical settings across the hospital system as program needs arise. The work takes place in a psychiatric setting and may involve stressful situations with psychiatrically impaired, aggressive, or self-injurious individuals. Employees are expected to use de-escalation techniques and may participate in the physical management of patients using approved methods. The schedule is 7:00 a.m.–3:30 p.m., with every other weekend and holiday as assigned; daily hours are 8.

Requirements

Demonstrate aptitude and willingness to learn role-related skills.
Demonstrate knowledge and skills necessary to care for patients across the lifespan, considering aging processes, human development stages, and cultural patterns.
Six months to one year of direct childcare work with emotionally impaired youth.
Maintain current certification in crisis management, CPR, OSHA, ERS, and Safety certifications.
Remain calm in crisis situations, make quick rational decisions, and prioritize immediate patient-care needs.
Use safe body positioning, block and deflect possible aggression, and physically hold struggling patients using approved methods when necessary.
Ability to lift up to 50 pounds; reach with hands and arms; grasp and hold; bend, squat, and kneel without limitation; and physically escort potentially combative patients short distances.
Ability to occasionally run short distances and frequently stand, walk, and sit.
Perform independently within Program policies and practices, and refer complex problems requiring clarification of policies or procedures to a supervisor.

Nice To Haves

Baccalaureate degree in a Human Service field preferred.

Responsibilities

Help maintain a safe, therapeutic environment and actively engage with assigned children throughout the shift.
Participate in developing and carrying out the milieu care plan and therapeutic schedule for assigned patients according to department and unit policies.
Maintain and document patient observation levels as ordered by the physician or Charge RN.
Support visiting parents and provide information as requested by the treatment team.
Supervise children in daily routines and assist with activities of daily living and basic hygiene.
Identify, report, and resolve actual or potential unit problems; promptly report and document critical incidents and complete other applicable documentation.
Participate in restraint debriefings and carry out delegated assignments, reporting back before the change of shift.
Provide timely therapeutic interventions when children are distressed or the milieu is disruptive or destructive, while maintaining appropriate boundaries.
Attend assigned peer reviews, staff meetings, and staff development activities, and maintain required certifications.
Support the initial therapeutic alliance with patients and families on admission and assist with separation and transition to the hospital environment.
Document objective observations in shift notes and share observations with the assigned RN; review milieu care plans and problem lists daily and suggest revisions based on observations.
Communicate patient-specific milieu care plans to unit staff and other interdisciplinary providers, and participate in treatment team activities, rounds, discussions, and hand-offs as assigned.
Accurately and promptly document significant patient and family observations and milieu care in the Kardex and medical record.
Adapt care approaches to meet the needs of different children and adolescents and share experience-based knowledge with staff.
Assist and teach patients in activities of daily living and personal hygiene according to their abilities.
Co-lead community, milieu, social skills, activity, recreation, and therapy groups as assigned; organize unit activities and support recreation therapy programs.
Set consistent, supportive therapeutic limits and follow behavioral programs in collaboration with the assigned RN and treatment team.
Coordinate, supervise, and participate in children’s physical and social development activities; arrange transportation of materials if required.
Participate in teaching visits and family or parent training as assigned, and model appropriate therapeutic interactions with patients and families.
Handle crises safely and effectively using the least restrictive safe patient-care alternative.
Seek formal and informal supervision and incorporate suggestions for improvement.
Perform other related duties as required, assigned, or directed by the Charge RN, including comparable duties in other clinical settings when program needs arise.