Mental Health Technician

UHS•Winston-Salem, NC

About The Position

Old Vineyard Behavioral Health Services is a 164-bed private psychiatric hospital serving adolescents through older adults in the Piedmont Triad. Its services include inpatient assessment and treatment, psychiatric evaluation and medication stabilization, group therapy, aftercare planning, and partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient programs. The hospital is accredited by The Joint Commission and certified by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The full-time Mental Health Technician (MHT) works 36 hours per week, every Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. The role supports patients throughout the care continuum by building therapeutic relationships, monitoring safety, assisting with patient care, promoting infection prevention, supporting patient and staff education, and collaborating with the care team.

Requirements

Must be at least 21 years of age.
Bachelor’s degree in health or human services; alternatively, candidates without a degree or with a degree in another field must have three years of prior work experience in behavioral health or social services.
Provide contact information for two current or previous supervisors/managers and two current or previous peer professionals for a professional reference survey; survey results must meet hiring guidelines before an offer is made.
Sufficient body mobility to perform essential functions, including sitting and standing for extended periods, bending, stooping, kneeling, and frequent walking and standing.
Ability to communicate fluently and effectively in English, verbally and in writing, including documenting patient behavior and information legibly and grammatically.
Normal or corrected vision and hearing within the normal range.
Ability to perform Non-Violent Crisis Intervention using physical, verbal, and non-verbal techniques.
Ability to interact appropriately and professionally with program staff, patients, visitors, attending physicians, and other department representatives.

Nice To Haves

Knowledge of human behavior or psychology, including therapeutic relationships and processes, age-specific growth and development, limit setting, crisis management, and behavior management.

Responsibilities

Develop and maintain therapeutic relationships with patients throughout the healthcare continuum.
Monitor patients, perform observation rounds and unit safety checks, and inventory patient belongings to prevent contraband from entering patient-care areas.
Monitor and control access to hazards and contraband; use verbal de-escalation and other approved interventions during crisis situations.
Take patient vital signs and report unusual results to the unit nurse.
Recognize changes in patients’ conditions, take immediate action to assist, and report changes to the unit nurse.
Assist patients with basic needs and activities of daily living.
Facilitate structured groups and assist with patient admission and discharge processes.
Follow infection-control procedures, including hand hygiene and cleaning blood pressure cuffs and high-touch surfaces.
Support the learning needs of patients and families, use appropriate resources to promote positive outcomes, and encourage educational growth among peers and colleagues.
Respect and work effectively with peers and other clinical disciplines as a member of the patient-care team.