Mental Health Technician - Coastal Plain Hospital

UNC Health • Rocky Mount, NC

5d • Onsite

About The Position

The Mental Health Technician assists professional caregivers in delivering patient care, transporting patients and equipment, preparing and maintaining patient rooms, and performing clerical, transcription, and patient-care-unit desk area functions. In the psychiatric setting, the technician supports patients’ emotional and safety needs through reality orientation, participation in behavior modification plans and therapy, informal support, verbal de-escalation, physical management of aggressive or out-of-control patients, age-appropriate play for children, and monitoring therapeutic milieu activities.

Requirements

• Completion of a Nurse Assistant I course approved by the North Carolina Board of Nursing.
• Current listing with the North Carolina Division of Health Service Regulation Health Care Personnel Registry.
• Current North Carolina driver’s license and ability to meet insurance requirements for driving hospital-owned vehicles.
• Current BCLS certification.
• CPI certification required within 90 days of starting on the unit.

Responsibilities

• Assist physicians and other health care providers with routine examinations and procedures, and obtain equipment and supplies during emergencies.
• Support psychiatric patients with reality orientation, behavior modification plans and therapy, informal support, verbal de-escalation, physical management of aggressive or out-of-control patients, and age-appropriate play for children; monitor therapeutic milieu activities.
• Observe, collect, and document patient information, and promptly report significant changes in condition to a registered nurse or physician.
• Assist patients and families with admission, orientation to the hospital, clinic, or home health experience, and discharge.
• Provide care and treatments specified in the plan of care, including measuring vital signs, height and weight; collecting specimens; skin preparation; catheter care; capillary blood glucose checks; simple wound care; range-of-motion exercises; postural drainage; and supportive patient and family interactions.
• Provide direct personal care for activities of daily living, including bathing, dressing, feeding, and ambulation assistance.
• Provide indirect care, including cleaning work areas, changing linens, restocking supplies, cleaning or sterilizing instruments, transporting patients, supplies, and specimens, helping orient new employees and students, and performing routine clerical functions.
• Reinforce routine teaching provided by a registered nurse or physician, document patient understanding, and distribute patient education materials when requested.

What This Job Offers

• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed