Mental Health Technician, Per Diem, Variable Shift

Adventist Health•Vallejo, CA

About The Position

Adventist Health Vallejo is a 61-bed freestanding facility providing short-term psychiatric care for children, adolescents, and adults, as well as partial hospitalization programs for adults. The Mental Health Technician provides direct and indirect care to a patient or assigned group of patients under the direction of a registered nurse (RN), meeting patient care needs through the nursing process. The technician cares for patients across age groups using age-related interventions as assigned by the RN.

Requirements

High school education, GED, or equivalent is required.
AHA-BLS or ARC-BLS certification is required.
All required vaccinations as a condition of employment and annually thereafter, where applicable; medical and religious exemptions may apply.

Nice To Haves

Associate’s or technical degree, or an equivalent combination of education and related experience.
Two years of experience in a behavioral healthcare setting.
Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) certification.
Nonviolent Crisis Intervention (NCI) certification.
Management of Assaultive Behavior certification.

Responsibilities

Implement psychosocial interventions and assist patients with activities of daily living, including bathing, dressing, oral hygiene, ambulating, transferring, elimination needs, and therapeutic program participation.
Help maintain program function, including meal supervision and patient safety checks.
Assist with structured therapeutic activities and supportive interactions with patients.
Use seclusion and restraint interventions as needed.
Conduct therapeutic interventions with patients experiencing significant emotional, cognitive, or physical behavioral disturbances.
Facilitate or co-facilitate therapeutic groups, including verbal process, patient education, and activities that encourage nonverbal expression and communication.
Recognize and report abnormal patient behaviors or physical symptoms to the RN so interventions can be implemented.
Collect data and perform physical examinations for patients, and participate with the RN in care planning and implementation of interventions.
Work with team members to develop plans for meeting patients’ daily care needs, as determined by the care plan.
Conduct required patient monitoring according to policy and document individual patient care information.
Support patients and families through empathetic interaction and education within scope of practice.
Identify and reinforce patient and family teaching plans.
Encourage patient participation in the program environment and support patients in coping with immediate situations.
Assist nursing staff with clerical duties, including preparing new charts on admission, completing routine forms, and answering telephones.
Perform other job-related duties as assigned.