Mental Health Worker II full time 1st shift

Commonwealth of Massachusetts•Tewksbury, MA

18h•Onsite

About The Position

The Department of Mental Health (DMH) is seeking dynamic candidates who will provide direct care services to individuals by participating in and instructing activities of daily living including, but not limited to personal care, community integration and recreation/leisure to ensure daily needs, rehabilitation needs and human rights are met. Mental Health Workers treat all patients with dignity and respect through interactions which affirm the individual’s needs and preferences and by optimally integrating their perspective into all facets of care. This position is full-time, 40 hours per week. 1st shift, 7:00am-3:30, days off: Thursday/Friday. Employees in this position will be required to perform mandatory overtime. Tewksbury Hospital operates a 370-bed facility and a campus of over 700 acres of land. Its patient care services are provided under the auspices of the Department of Public Health and Mental Health. It is a Joint Commission accredited LTAC hospital that provides high quality, comprehensive treatment, care, and comfort to adults with chronic medical and mental illness. A full range of services are provided including 24/7 Nursing, Nurse Practitioners, Medicine as well as psychiatric and psychological services, a 6-bed dialysis unit, clinical laboratory, radiology, respiratory care, nutrition, speech/language, pathology, occupational therapy, physical therapy, therapeutic recreation and arts, and pharmacy.

Requirements

Ability to follow written and oral instructions.
Capacity to perform basic mathematics.
Proven ability to gather information through observing and questioning individuals.
Talent for communicating effectively in oral expression, writing clearly and concisely, and developing ideas in logical sequence.
Skilled in interacting with people who are under emotional stress with the ability to maintain a calm manner in stressful or emergency situations.
At least one (1) year of full-time, or equivalent part-time, experience in providing direct care services to individuals with a mental illness or physical disabilities.
Incumbents may be required to have a current and valid motor vehicle driver’s license at a class level specific to assignment.
Based on assignment: Incumbents are required upon successful completion of a training program to obtain and maintain one or more of the following certifications: Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), first aid, and Medication Administration Program (MAP) certification.

Nice To Haves

Experience working with individuals with serious, persistent mental illness, substance abuse and/or who have experienced homelessness.
Bilingual or multilingual fluency.

Responsibilities

Provide direct care services in the activities of daily living by instructing and/or assisting patients in feeding, bathing, toileting, dressing, clothing maintenance, oral and physical hygiene, self-preservation, etc. to ensure daily needs, dignity and human rights of the patients are met.
Assist in the implementation of the individual treatment plan by discussing and reporting observations regarding patient behavior, needs, desires or problems to ensure consistency of care.
Work effectively with other staff to better serve patient needs, promoting a non-threatening, and therapeutic milieu.
Perform tasks of other staff in their absence to ensure continuity of services.
Practice principles of COLLABORATION, ASSESSMENT, RECOVERY and ENVIRONMENT (CARE), to provide a safe environment.
Perform patient related housekeeping duties as needed, observing and reporting need for maintenance repairs to ensure a clean safe environment for patients.
Document in MIS includes but not limited to progress notes, incident reports, restraint/seclusion forms, to provide communication regarding patient progress.
Accompany patients to appointments, programs and treatment areas, assists professional or medical staff in providing services to patients to ensure health needs of the patient are being met.
Provide leisure activities for patients during unstructured time to promote and enhance patient social skills.
Instruct patients in fire safety and preservation skills to ensure their safety in an emergency.
Attend meetings and trainings to improve knowledge and skills to be aware of and stay informed of hospital and departmental policies and procedures as well as HCFA and The Joint Commission regulations to provide a safe therapeutic environment.
Actively involved in the Improved Operational Performance process at both unit and hospital wide level to promote improved patient care.
May be required to provide “specialized” services to patients in the hospital or at other locations to provide support and ensure safety.
Works with other staff in the planning and implementation of therapeutic and educational programs for the patients and their families to provide an opportunity for learning and meeting individual patient needs.
Perform other related duties as assigned.