Health Specialist Jobs

About The Position

Requirements

• Six months to one year of direct childcare work with emotionally impaired youth.
• Demonstrated aptitude and willingness to learn role-related skills.
• Knowledge and skills needed to care for patients across the life span, considering aging processes, human development stages, and cultural patterns.
• Ability to remain calm during crises, make quick rational decisions, and prioritize immediate patient-care needs.
• Ability to use de-escalation techniques and participate in the physical management of patients using approved methods.
• Ability to lift up to 50 pounds; reach with hands and arms; grasp and hold with hands; bend, squat, and kneel without limitation; and physically escort potentially combative patients short distances.
• Ability to run occasionally for short distances and to stand, walk, and sit frequently.
• Current certification in crisis management, CPR, OSHA, ERS, and safety certifications must be maintained.

Nice To Haves

• A baccalaureate degree in a human service field is preferred; other education and experience may be considered as substitutes at the Hiring Manager’s discretion.

Responsibilities

• Participate in maintaining a safe and therapeutic environment and actively engage with assigned children throughout the shift.
• Help develop and operationalize milieu care plans in accordance with department and unit procedures and policies.
• Maintain and document patient observation levels as ordered by the physician or Charge RN.
• Support visiting parents and provide information as requested by the treatment team.
• Supervise children during daily routines and assist with activities of daily living and basic hygiene needs.
• Identify, report, and resolve potential or actual problems on the unit; report critical incidents promptly to the Charge RN and document them in the medical record.
• Complete applicable documentation, including shift notes, incident reports, intakes, Kardex entries, and medical-record documentation.
• Participate in restraint debriefings and carry out delegated assignments, reporting back before the change of shift.
• Provide timely therapeutic interventions when children are distressed or the milieu becomes disruptive or destructive, while maintaining appropriate boundaries.
• Attend assigned peer-review, staff, unit, hospital, and staff-development meetings.
• Maintain current crisis management, CPR, OSHA, ERS, and safety certifications.
• Support the patient-care planning process under the direction of the primary or Charge RN, including helping establish a therapeutic alliance and supporting patients’ transition into the hospital environment.
• Share objective observations with the assigned RN, review milieu care plans and problem lists daily, and suggest revisions based on observations.
• Communicate individual milieu care plans to unit staff and other interdisciplinary treatment providers; participate in treatment-team meetings, rounds, patient-specific discussions, and handoff reports as assigned.
• Adapt care approaches to the needs of different children and adolescents and share relevant experience with staff through formal or informal development forums.
• Assist and teach patients in activities of daily living and personal hygiene according to their abilities.
• Co-lead community, milieu, social skills, activity, recreation, and therapy groups as assigned; organize unit activities and support recreation therapy programs.
• Set consistent, supportive therapeutic limits and follow patient-specific behavioral programs in collaboration with the assigned RN and treatment team.
• Coordinate, supervise, and participate in children’s physical and social development activities, arranging transportation of materials if required.
• Participate in teaching visits and family or parent training as assigned, and model appropriate therapeutic interactions with patients and families.
• Handle crises safely and effectively, using the least restrictive safe patient-care alternative.
• Seek supervision and incorporate feedback to improve job performance.
• Perform other related duties as required, assigned, or directed by the Charge RN, including comparable duties in other clinical settings when program needs arise.