Behavioral Health Medical Assistant

At New Narrative, we believe mental health care is community care. As a nonprofit organization, we partner with individuals to promote healing, housing stability, and long-term wellness through compassionate, equitable support.

If you’re passionate about community impact, we invite you to join our team.

Pay Rate: Starting at $25/hr and can increase DOE.

Purpose: (General description and summary)

The Behavioral Health Medical Assistant plays a key role in supporting the delivery of integrated behavioral health services by providing high-quality medical, clinical, administrative, and participant-centered support to the medical team. This position assists with vital signs collection, phlebotomy, injections, court-mandated urine drug screening, coordination of nursing and laboratory schedules, medical equipment quality checks, and accurate documentation to promote efficient workflows. The Behavioral Health Medical Assistant helps maintain a therapeutic, organized, and responsive care environment that upholds trauma-informed, person-centered practices and supports recovery, dignity, and positive health outcomes for individuals receiving behavioral health services.

Accountabilities: (Responsibilities of the job)

Clinical Support

•  Perform patient intake procedures including obtaining and documenting accurate vital signs and conducting scope-appropriate assessments.

• Conduct phlebotomy and prepare specimens for laboratory processing in accordance with clinical protocols.

• Manage third party phlebotomist schedules for routine phlebotomy needs.

• Schedule and administer court-mandated urine drug screenings following chain-of-custody requirements and organizational policy.

• Assist medical providers and nursing staff during clinical procedures and participant encounters.

Medical Operations & Coordination

• Support coordination of the nursing and laboratory schedules to maintain continuity of care and efficient daily operations.

• Perform injections if RN is not available under Nurse Manager or PMHNP supervision.

• Perform routine quality checks, maintenance, and restocking of medical equipment and supplies to ensure readiness and compliance with standards.

• Maintain a clean, safe, and organized clinical environment consistent with infection-control and trauma-informed principles.

Documentation & Workflow Efficiency

• Document all participant encounters, procedures, and clinical data accurately and promptly in the electronic health record.

• Ensure documentation meets regulatory, organizational, and program-specific requirements.

• Assist in improving workflows by identifying operational gaps and recommending solutions that support efficient, participant-centered care.

Participant Support

• Engage participants using traumatically informed, respectful, and person-centered communication.

• Support participants in navigating medical workflows and accessing services as directed by the medical team.

• Uphold participant privacy, dignity, and safety always.

Team Collaboration

• Collaborate closely with providers, nursing staff, behavioral health teams, and administrative personnel to support integrated team-based care delivery.

• Participate in team meetings, training, and quality improvement activities as required.

• Communicate effectively to support smooth handoffs, shared understanding and coordinated care.

Compliance & Safety

• Follow all organizational policies and procedures, clinical protocols, and applicable regulatory requirements.

• Maintain current knowledge of safety practices, emergency protocols, and infection-control standards.

• Report safety concerns, equipment issues, or participant risks promptly to the appropriate supervisor. 

Other General Expectations:

• Demonstrate strong team-based communication skills by sharing relevant information promptly, accurately, and respectfully with all members of the interdisciplinary care team.

• Promote a culture of collaboration by actively participating in coordinated care discussion, morning huddles, debriefs, and quality improvement activities.

• Ensure smooth handoffs by providing clear, concise updates regarding participant status, clinical tasks, and any concerns requiring follow-up.

• Engage in open, solution-focused dialogue with colleagues to address workflow challenges, enhance efficiency, and improve participant experiences.

• Maintain professionalism in all interactions, modeling respectful communication, active listening, and trauma-informed engagement with both participants and team members.

• Respond to internal messages, requests and documentation needs in a timely manner to support safe and coordinated care delivery.

• Contribute to a positive and growth-focused team environment by supporting team members, helping as needed, and participating in fostering shared accountability for high-quality care. 

• Uphold organizational values by demonstrating reliability, integrity, and a commitment to exceptional service in all aspects of communication and teamwork. 

Core Competencies:

Clinical Proficiency

• Demonstrates competency in basic clinical procedures, including vital signs collection, phlebotomy, point of care testing, specimen handling, and scope-appropriate clinical support.

Trauma-Informed & Person-Centered Care

• Applies trauma-informed principles in all interactions, ensuring empathy, safety, dignity and respect for participants.

Team-Based Communication

• Communicates clearly, timely, and collaboratively with all members of the interdisciplinary care team to support coordinated, integrated care.

Organization & Workflow Management

• Effectively prioritizes tasks, manages time, and maintains organized clinical spaces to support efficient daily operations.

Documentation Accuracy

• Accurately documents clinical data, procedures and participant interactions in electronic health records in accordance with regulatory and organizational requirements.

Professionalism & Ethical Conduct

• Maintains professionalism, confidentiality, and adherence to organizational policies, regulatory standards, and ethical guidelines.

Adaptability & Solution Finding

• Demonstrates flexibility in a dynamic clinical environment, identifying workflow challenges, and contributing to solutions that enhance care delivery.

Safety & Compliance Awareness

• Follow safety protocols, infection-control standards, and emergency procedures while maintaining awareness of regulatory guidelines.

Positions Reporting: (Listing of job incumbents reporting into this position)

This position does not have supervisory responsibilities and does not oversee any direct reports. The Behavioral Health Medical Assistant collaborates closely with medical providers, nursing staff, behavioral health teams, and administrative personnel but does not serve in a management or supervisory capacity. The Behavioral Health Medical Assistant reports directly to the Nurse Manager. 

Education/Certificates/Licenses/Registration:

• High school diploma or equivalent required.

• Completion of an accredited Medical Assistant training program is strongly preferred.

• Current Medical Assistant certification (CMA, RMA, CCMA, NCMA) is preferred.

• Current Basic Life Support (BLS) certification at time of hire is required.

• Phlebotomy training is required.

• Valid driver’s license may be required depending on program needs. 

Experience/Qualifications: 

• Prior experience as a Medical Assistant in a team-based clinic environment strongly preferred.

• Experience working in community health, behavioral health, primary care, or similar outpatient care settings are strongly preferred.

• Experience supporting diverse, vulnerable, or underserved populations within community-based programs and residential services.

• Experience using electronic health records for documentation, data entry, and coordination of clinical workflows.

• Ability to work effectively in multidisciplinary teams, including medical providers, nursing staff, behavioral health professionals, and administrative personnel. 

• Strong organizational and time-management skills, with the ability to handle multiple priorities in a fast-paced, evolving community health environment.

• Demonstrated reliability, sound judgment and adherence to confidentiality, ethical standards, and regulatory guidelines.

• Comfort working in community settings includes occasional exposure to varied environments and participant needs.

Organizational Impact:

The Behavioral Health Medical Assistant has a significant impact on the quality, safety and effectiveness of integrated behavioral health services by delivering accurate clinical support, including vital signs collection, phlebotomy, and court-mandated drug screenings, which ensures timely and person-centered medical care for participants. Through coordination of nursing and laboratory schedules, performing equipment quality checks, and maintaining a clean and organized clinical environment, this role supports efficient daily operations and contributes to a safe and responsive care setting. Prompt and accurate electronic health record documentation strengthens regulatory compliance and workflow reliability, while the BHMA’s ability to identify operational gaps contributes to ongoing improvements in care delivery. By engaging participants with trauma-informed, respectful communication, the BHMA fosters trust, dignity and improved access to behavioral and medical services. Collaboration with providers, nursing staff, behavioral health teams, and administrative personnel ensures integrated, team-based care and smooth handoffs that enhance continuity of care and the participant experience. Collectively, these contributions make the Behavioral Health Medical Assistant essential to advancing the organization’s mission of delivering integrated, coordinated, and trauma-informed health care.

All of our job openings are located in Portland, Oregon, and the surrounding metro areas.