Clinical Assistant - NBU

Kennedy Krieger Institute • Baltimore, MD

19d • $32,423 - $50,596

About The Position

Play a key role in the care and support of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities admitted to the inpatient Neurobehavioral Unit (NBU); implementing behavioral and educational protocols while collecting data on patient-specific target behaviors. You’ll work closely with patients — ranging from children to young adults (usually up to age 21) — who are admitted for treatment of severe behavioral challenges. You’ll be part of a dynamic team supporting individuals with a variety of diagnoses, including autism spectrum disorder, developmental delay, intellectual disability, sleep disorders, feeding disorders, stereotypic movement disorder with self-injurious behavior, and various genetic, metabolic and chromosomal disorders. Patients are admitted for the assessment and treatment of severe behavioral problems. Common behavioral problems treated in the NBU include: · Self-injurious behavior (SIB) · Aggression · Destructive or disruptive behavior

Requirements

• Ability to participate and pass Behavior Management Techniques , safe transport techniques (patient lifting, carrying, etc.) and other employee competency trainings provided by department.
• EDUCATION : High School Diploma or GED required, Bachelor’s Degree preferred.
• EXPERIENCE: Six (6) months of experience working with the developmentally disabled and/or individuals with severe behavior problems preferred.
• PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: · Able to perceive the nature of sounds at normal speaking levels with or without correction. · Able to receive detailed information through oral communication and to make the discriminations in sound. · Visual acuity to determine the accuracy, neatness and thoroughness of assigned work. · Able to be physically present at the assigned job site. · Ability to move about and work with children with severe behavioral disorders, including the ability to assume a variety of physical postures sufficient to interact with and manage patient behavior such as standing, walking, squatting, reaching, pushing, pulling, lifting of materials, objects, and/or patients. · Ability to lift and carry child, adolescent and adult patients and provide physical restraint according to protocol.
• May be exposed to such occupational hazards as communicable diseases, blood pathogens, and aggressive or combative patients.

Responsibilities

• Review and implement a variety of patient-specific and general NBU written behavioral and educational protocols.
• Accurately collect and clearly report data on specified patient behaviors; provide daily record of patient care activities.
• Follow unit safety procedures using safe handling techniques and approved physical management procedures (including patient transport and blocking for both patient protections from self-injurious behaviors, and self-protection from staff-directed aggressive behavior) and ensure the safety of your surroundings.
• Provide physical care (washing/bathing, toileting, personal hygiene, dressing, feeding, etc.) to all patients as appropriate to the patient’s level of adaptive skills and needs. Ensure patient has all appropriate personal care and treatment items at all times.
• Implement patient’s daily schedule of unit activities and engage patient even during times of unscheduled specific activity; adhere to general unit schedule.
• Utilize appropriate prompting sequence, as minimally as needed, to assist the patient to participate in task or activity at the highest level of independence; modify tasks to ensure maximum patient participation and engagement; assist in developing and implementing activities designed to increase target appropriate skills.
• Maintain unit cleanliness and organization by replacing materials after use, returning supplies and materials to proper storage locations, ensuring safe, clean and well-supplied programming areas, cleaning up after self and patients and keeping areas free of extraneous materials.
• Assist in training activities for newly hired clinical assistants, as needed.
• Assist in the assessment of adaptive, leisure and self-help skills, potential reinforcers and problem behaviors, as needed.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: High school or GED
• Number of Employees: 501-1,000 employees