Lead Mental Health Technician (Assessment and Referral) (Santa Rosa)

Northern California Behavioral Health System•Santa Rosa, CA

2h•$27

About The Position

The Mental Health Technician IV provides direct patient care to all patients with emotional or psychiatric disorders; supports therapeutic milieu; and ensures safety and well-being of patients. Carry out general nursing assistance necessary to treatment of adolescent, adult, or older adult patients as assigned. The Lead Mental Health Technician (Assessment and Referral) maintains knowledge of, participates in further training provided, and understands the potential risks regarding occupational health hazards (e.g. bloodborne pathogen exposures).

Requirements

High school, GED, or equivalent required.
Current Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) certification required, or obtained within initial orientation period.
Verbal de-escalation and physical intervention program as approved by the CNO.
1 year of inpatient psychiatric experience
High school level reading and writing skills; legible handwriting
Current Handle With Care Certificate (or obtained within the first 30 days of hire).
Ability to maintain professional boundaries
Demonstrates appropriate professional boundaries; treats patients with respect and considers clients valued customers.
Properly assesses routine situations, determines and takes appropriate action.
Works in conjunction with the Nursing Educator to provide training at initial orientation and ongoing as needed to Mental Health Technicians including but not limited to Handle With Care, Verbal De-escalation Training, and Mental Health Technician Competencies.
Provides orientation and ongoing training to Mental Health Technicians I-III as needed
Acts as liaison between Nursing Management to relay announcements and changes to policies and procedures and quality improvement plans
Demonstrates the ability to set limits for clients and uses de-escalation techniques appropriately.
Accepts feedback in a positive manner and applies it to improve performance and further learning.
Follows all safety procedures; is alert to changing situations and contributes to preventing opportunities for danger to develop.
Monitors and redirects Mental Health Technicians as appropriate, ie. Monitor rounding, patient engagement, etc.
Provides support to Phlebotomy to ensure patient participation in blood draws as needed
Ensure proper organization/cleanliness of patient belonging rooms.
Focus on supporting activities of daily living and obtains patient vital signs as outlined by treatment team.
Follows safety procedures in a calm manner and responds quickly when an alarm sounds or a code is announced.
Directly works with Inpatient Psychiatric Registered Nurse to ensure safety during the assessment process and on the unit(s) and communicates clearly about any clinical updates pertinent to the patient’s care.
Conducts and documents 15-minute (or more frequent including 1:1) rounds on patients in a timely manner.
Leads code response in absence of Registered Nurse
Ensures appropriate staff have radios when accompanying patients off the unit
Works with nursing team to ensure that the unit maintains safe and therapeutic including appropriate use of a safety monitor.
Speaks with authority in a calm and clear voice, uses proper selection of words and has knowledge of when and how to use them.
Communicates with all customers (family, referral sources, caseworkers, etc.) in a professional manner; is service oriented; and is courteous, friendly, and empathetic.
Works in conjunction with the Staffing Coordinator to fill staffing needs based on acuity.
Assists the Registered Nurses in providing coverage for breaks to Mental Health Technicians
Exhibits calm and controlled attitude; does not overreact to allow his/her own actions to further deteriorate the situation.
Answers the telephone in a professional manner; directs calls appropriately, and takes messages.
Maintains confidentiality of patients at all times.
Sensitivity to and willingness to interact with persons of various social, cultural, economic and educational backgrounds.
Ability to work independently and as part of a team and be flexible with scheduling variations.
Good judgment, problem solving and decision-making skills.
Maintains accurate account of time worked and completes rest-period breaks according to hospital policy.
Ability to work in a fast-paced, expanding environment
Ability to exercise self-control in potentially volatile situations such as being verbally or physically confronted in a threatening or aggressive manner; must be able to work and concentrate amidst distractions such as noise, conversation and foot traffic; ability to handle interruptions often and be able to move from one task to another; must be flexible and not easily frustrated in dealing with differences of opinions.
Ability to stoop, kneel, crouch, crawl, reach, stand, walk, push, pull, lift, grasp, and be able to perceive the attributes of objects such as size, shape, temperature, and/or texture by touching with skin, particularly that of the fingertips. Ability to express and exchange ideas via spoken word during activities in which they must convey detail or important spoken instructions to others accurately, sometimes quickly and loudly. Hearing to perceive the nature of sound with no less than 40 db loss @ Hz, 1000 Hz, and 2000 Hz with or without correction; ability to perceive detailed information through oral communication and to make fine discriminations in sound. Perform repetitive motions with wrists, hands, and fingers.
Individual must be able to exert up to 50 pounds of force occasionally and to be able to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects. Work requires a minimum standard of visual acuity with or without correction that will enable people in the role to complete administrative and clerical tasks and visually observe patients on the unit and in therapeutic activities. 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.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with medical and psychological terminology and human behavior principles preferred
Basic knowledge of human growth and development helpful
Experience with therapeutic limit-setting helpful or an understanding of level systems or other behavior management modalities helpful
Skills in teaching or assisting with activities of daily living helpful.

Responsibilities

Safety: Orients clients to the admission process, searches personal effects, and documents appropriately in the patient record. Is knowledgeable of procedure for monitoring clients one-to-one and performs one-to-one observation for high-risk clients as assigned and promptly reports any client activities that are a danger to the client or others. Properly demonstrates the techniques for searching belongings and documents accordingly.
Crisis Management: Use principles learned in the hospital provided Managing Assaultive Behaviors course to assess and intervene with the patient in a safe, appropriate, and effective manner. Participates in debriefing with clinical team post seclusion and/or manual hold or other clinically significant event(s).
Patient Care: Participate in implementing patients' treatment plans by: (a) monitoring patients' during the admission process; (b) communicating information regarding patients' behavior to other members of the admission team; c) maintains communication with patient, family members (when appropriate), in patients' interest; (d) supervises patients to ensure their safety and their involvement in treatment.
Safety Monitor: An important role in the care of the patient includes the assignment as Safety Monitor. The Safety Monitor is responsible for the safety and security of both staff and patients. The Safety Monitor observes the interaction between patients as well as the interactions between staff and patients that occur in the intake department during the admission process. The Safety Monitor must report all suspicious activity to the appropriate nurse in charge, as soon as possible and also notify intake staff of potential boundary violations.
Patient Attendant: Accompany and transport patients as assigned. Orient new patients to the admission department and process. Assists patients in carrying out activities of daily living, when congruent with the patients' treatment plan and needs, age, and developmental level.Maintains a safe, orderly, and therapeutic physical environment for patients. Participate in maintaining the therapeutic milieu on the unit, enforces the level system or other methods of behavior management.
Patient Records: Maintain patient, program, department, and related documentation. Carry out clerical and administrative assignment to support patient care and department and organization operations.
Training Activities: Complete orientation and competency assessments as required for position. Participate in activities enhancing professional growth and development.
Other Duties: Upholds the Organization's ethics and customer service standards. Performs related duties, as requested.