Mental Health Technician - Nursing

ABOUT US:

Formerly Aurora Santa Rosa Hospital, SRBHH was opened in 2016 and is regarded as an integral part of the greater Santa Rosa and Northern California mental health system of care. Conveniently located in the North Bay, this hospital consists of 144 acute psychiatric inpatient beds.

Santa Rosa Behavioral Healthcare Hospital (SRBHH) is regarded as an integral part of the greater Santa Rosa and Northern California mental health system of care.

Conveniently located in the North Bay, SRBHH serves adolescents and adults. We treat both mental health and co-occurring psychiatric and substance abuse conditions.

POSITION TITLE: Mental Health Technician

PAY RANGE: $23.84-$27.50 Per Hour

REPORTS TO: Chief Nursing Officer

DESCRIPTION OF POSITION:

The Mental Health Worker provides direct patient care to all patients with emotional or psychiatric disorders, supports therapeutic milieu, ensures safety and well-being of patients and carries out general nursing assistance necessary to treatment of adolescents, adults, or older adult patients as assigned. The Mental Health Worker is the primary person responsible for the safety of the unit milieu. Environmental safety rounds are required each shift and ongoing safety assessments including securing contraband found within the milieu will be completed by the Mental Health Worker. Safety Observations are required to be documented and recorded in the patient’s medical record as ordered by the psychiatric provider or under the direction of the Registered Nurse. The Mental Health Technician maintains knowledge of, participates in further training provided, and understands the potential risks regarding occupational health hazards (e.g. bloodborne pathogen exposures).

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Participate in treatment planning
• Helps identify patients' problems, needs, and strengths
• Suggests modifications to treatment plan based on observations of patients' behavior
• Provides input into discharge planning.

• Participate in implementing patients' treatment plans by monitoring patients' progress
• Communicating information regarding patients' behavior to other members of treatment team
• Maintains communication with patient, family members, and referral sources in patients' interests
• Co-facilitates didactic, educational, and community groups within the context of the adolescent treatment program
• Encourages and facilitates patients' participation in therapeutic activities
• Supervises patients to ensure their safety and their involvement in treatment
• Provides input during shift report.
• Accompany and transport patients as assigned.
• Orient new patients to unit, program, and milieu.
•  Assists patients in carrying out activities of daily living, when congruent with the patients' treatment plan and needs, age, and developmental level.
• Maintains a safe, orderly, and therapeutic physical environment for patients.
• Participates in maintaining the therapeutic milieu on the unit, enforces the level system or other methods of behavior management.
• Maintain patient, program, department, and related documentation.
• Carry out clerical and administrative assignment to support patient care and department and organization operations.
• Complete orientation and competency assessments as required for position.
• Participate in activities enhancing professional growth and development.
• Assist patients with activities of daily living such as hygiene and toileting.
• Upholds the Organization's ethics and customer service standards. Performs related duties, as requested.

Education/Licensure

• High school, GED, or equivalent required.
• Current Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) certification required, or obtained within initial orientation period. 
• Verbal de-escalation and physical intervention program as approved by the CNO.
• English proficiency required.

Knowledge and Experience:

• High school level reading and writing skills; legible handwriting
• Familiarity with medical and psychological terminology and human behavior principles preferred
• Basic knowledge of human growth and development helpful
• Experience with therapeutic limit-setting helpful or an understanding of level systems or other behavior management modalities helpful
• Ability to maintain professional boundaries

Skills and Abilities:

• Demonstrates appropriate professional boundaries; treats patients with respect and considers clients valued customers.
• Accepts feedback in a positive manner and applies it to improve performance and further learning.

• Follows all safety procedures; is alert to changing situations and contributes to preventing opportunities for danger to develop.
• Focus on supporting activities of daily living and obtains patient vital signs as outlined by treatment team.
• Follows safety procedures in a calm manner and responds quickly when an alarm sounds or a code is announced.
• Directly works with Inpatient Psychiatric Registered Nurse to ensure safety on the unit(s) and communicates clearly about any clinical updates pertinent to the patient’s care.
• Conducts and documents 15-minute (or more frequent including 1:1) rounds on patients in a timely manner.
• Works with nursing team to ensure that the unit maintains safe and therapeutic including appropriate use of a hall monitor.
• Speaks with authority in a calm and clear voice, uses proper selection of words and has knowledge of when and how to use them.
• Communicates with all customers (family, referral sources, caseworkers, etc.) in a professional manner; is service oriented; and is courteous, friendly, and empathetic.
• Exhibits calm and controlled attitude; does not overreact to allow his/her own actions to further deteriorate the situation.
• Answers the telephone in a professional manner; directs calls appropriately, and takes messages.
• Maintains confidentiality of patients at all times.
• Sensitivity and willingness to interact with persons of various social, cultural, economic, and educational backgrounds.
• Skills in teaching or assisting with activities of daily living helpful.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team and be flexible with scheduling variations.
• Good judgment, problem solving, and decision-making skills.
• Maintains accurate account of time work and completes rest-period breaks according to hospital policy.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, expanding environment.

Physical Requirements:  

Ability to exercise self-control in potentially volatile situations such as being verbally or physically confronted in a threatening or aggressive manner; must be able to work and concentrate amidst distractions such as noise, conversation and foot traffic; ability to handle interruptions often and be able to move from one task to another; must be flexible and not easily frustrated in dealing with differences of opinions.

Ability to stoop, kneel, crouch, crawl, reach, stand, walk, push, pull, lift, grasp, and be able to perceive the attributes of objects such as size, shape, temperature, and/or texture by touching with skin, particularly that of the fingertips.  Ability to express and exchange ideas via spoken word during activities in which they must convey detail or important spoken instructions to others accurately, sometimes quickly and loudly. Hearing to perceive the nature of sound with no less than 40 db loss @ Hz, 1000 Hz, and 2000 Hz with or without correction; ability to perceive detailed information through oral communication and to make fine discriminations in sound.  Perform repetitive motions with wrists, hands, and fingers.

Individual must be able to exert up to 50 pounds of force occasionally and to be able to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects.  Work requires a minimum standard of visual acuity with or without correction that will enable people in the role to complete administrative and clerical tasks and visually observe patients on the unit and in therapeutic activities.  While worker may possibly be subjected to temperature changes, the worker is generally not substantially exposed to adverse environmental conditions as the work is predominantly inside.

• Health Insurance
• Vision Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• 401k Retirement Plan
• Healthcare Spending Account
• Life Insurance
  (Supplemental Life, Term and Universal plans are also available)
• Short and Long-Term Disability
  (with additional buy-in opportunities)
• PTO Plan with Holiday Premium Pay
• Discounted Cafeteria Meal Plan
• Tuition Reimbursement