Psychiatric Technician I - Nursing Services Float Pool

Saint Francis Health System

1d•Onsite

About The Position

This position is ECB status, requiring a minimum number of worked hours per month as needed by the department, and offers limited benefit offerings. Working under direct and close supervision, the Psychiatric Technician I provides direct patient care, assists with daily living activities, and helps develop social skills for assigned behavioral health patients. The role involves shadowing more seasoned staff for on-the-job training and being closely monitored by senior staff on more complex cases. Responsibilities include adhering to work schedules, cooperating with department and facility personnel to meet patient needs, and fostering a warm, positive, and calm therapeutic environment. The technician treats patients, family members, visitors, and fellow employees with courtesy, respect, and dignity, ensuring care is provided in privacy and respecting patient confidentiality and rights. Key duties also involve monitoring and assisting with patient personal hygiene, mobility, food, and fluid needs, as well as documenting patient location and behavior. For the Eating Disorders unit, specific tasks include eating meals with patients, caloric dietary counts, and operating a facility motor vehicle for outings. The technician maintains the environment by cleaning equipment, organizing common areas, and keeping patient rooms neat and hazard-free. They are responsible for accurately monitoring vital signs, height, and weight, notifying licensed nursing staff of changes, and recording all information. The role requires understanding and identifying behaviors related to mental illness, effectively communicating patient status to licensed staff, assisting with group therapy, patient admission, and orientation, and inventorying/documenting patient belongings. Consistent and accurate documentation within established timeframes is essential. The technician meets regularly with the Clinical Manager/designee to address problem areas and improve services, participates in Hospital committees, reports grievances, complaints, allegations of abuse, and misappropriation of property. Ongoing safety awareness is crucial, with safety concerns reported to appropriate personnel and assistance sought from senior staff as needed. The role also requires participation in self-development and personal growth activities, including mandatory educational programs, staff meetings, and in-services.

Requirements

High School Diploma or GED
None (Licensure, Registration and/or Certification)
None (Work Experience)
Able to maintain a high degree of confidentiality
Able to remain calm under pressure
Able to follow all safety guidelines and protocols
Able and willing to lift up to 50 lbs

Responsibilities

Adheres to work schedules in completing and performing assigned tasks in a timely manner as instructed by supervisor and/or more senior staff.
Cooperate with department personnel, as well as other facility personnel, to ensure services can be adequately maintained to meet the needs of patients.
Learns to create and maintain an atmosphere of warmth, personal interest and positive emphasis, as well as, a calm environment.
Treats patients, family members, visitors, and fellow employees with courtesy, respect, and dignity.
Ensures all care is provided in privacy.
Knocks before entering patients' room.
Respects patient confidentiality and patient rights according to hospital and program policies and procedures.
Always conducts oneself in a professional and caring manner.
Demonstrates the ability to develop supportive relationships with patients by establishing trust and rapport.
Contributes to establishing a therapeutic environment within the unit program.
Monitors and assists with the personal hygiene of assigned patients.
Uses proper body mechanics to assist patients in their mobility needs.
Responsible for assisting with and monitoring assigned patients' food and fluid needs.
Monitors and documents assigned patient's location and behavior as identified through the observation levels.
Eating Disorders unit specific duties but not limited to: eating meals with the patients, caloric dietary counts, operates facility motor vehicle while accompanying the patients on outings.
Maintains the environment through daily activities such as cleaning equipment, organizing common areas, i.e., the dining room, laundry room and maintaining patient's rooms in a neat and hazard-free manner.
Responsible for the accurate monitoring of patients' vital signs and height and weight according to hospital policy and/or patient condition.
Notifies licensed nursing staff of changes in vital signs and accurately records all information.
Understands and can identify various behaviors related to mental illness.
Can effectively communicate assigned patients' status to the appropriate licensed staff.
Assists with group therapy as directed by licensed staff.
Assists in patient admission and orientation as directed.
Inventories and documents patient belongings on admission and throughout day.
Consistently completes assigned documentation thoroughly and accurately within established timeframes.
Meets with Clinical Manager/designee on a regular basis to assist in identifying and correcting problem areas and/or improving services; accompanied by more senior staff for more complex cases.
Participates in Hospital committees as required.
Reports all grievances and complaints made by patient to the Clinical Manager/designee and completes necessary reports.
Reports all allegations of patient abuse and/or misappropriation of patient property.
Demonstrates ongoing safety awareness at all times and throughout all activities.
Reports safety concerns to appropriate personnel.
Seeks assistance from more senior staff as needed.
Participates in self-development and personal growth activities by attending all mandatory educational programs annually.
Meets the expectation of attending 8-10 staff meetings and minimum of five in- services per year.