Psychiatric Provider Aide

Sea Mar Community Health Centers, a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) founded in 1978, is a community-based organization committed to providing quality, comprehensive health, human, housing, educational and cultural services to diverse communities, specializing in service to Latinos in Washington State. Sea Mar proudly serves all persons without regard to race, ethnicity, immigration status, gender, or sexual orientation, and regardless of ability to pay for services. Sea Mar's network of services includes more than 90 medical, dental, and behavioral health clinics and a wide variety of nutritional, social, and educational services. We are recruiting for the following position:

Sea Mar is a mandatory COVID-19 and flu vaccine organization

Position Summary

The Psychiatric Provider Aide supports Psychiatric prescribers in administrative and clinical areas. This

position also works with Mental Health Therapists and Chemical Dependency Professionals in

coordinating care to ensure continuity of care for clients. The Psychiatric Provider Aide provides

screenings and case management in coordination with other teams or parties involved in treatment.

He/She participates actively as a team member in the delivery of client services, and the coordination of

community support services. This job description does not suggest or imply that these are the only

duties to be performed by this employee. He/She will be required to follow other instructions and to

perform other duties as assigned by his/her supervisor.

Duties and Responsibilities

As a mission-driven organization, the core values of, and the services offered at Sea Mar are based on

the belief that everyone deserves to be respectfully treated in a way that preserves dignity and enhances

self-worth. Sea Mar is an advocate for its clients and aims to achieve industry-leading, client-centered,

culturally-aware services.

Sea Mar employees serve as an extension of this mission and demonstrate their commitment to an

excellent client experience by:

• Understanding and empathizing with client needs

• Surpassing client expectations

• Demonstrating a high level of integrity

• Exhibiting compassion and commitment

• Advocating for social justice

• Taking pride in individual work as well as that of the team

• Continually learning to stay current with industry standards, best practices and technology

As a Sea Mar employee, the individual in this position commits to adherence to these values to their

utmost ability and endeavors to strengthen and embody this mission daily.

ADMINISTRATIVE DUTIES

• Assists in insuring agency compliance with WAC's, RCW's, and other pertinent laws,

regulations, and contracts.

• Ensure that charts, prescription refill requests, and all information or paperwork the

psychiatric prescriber will need is prepared ahead of time and organized in the fashion

preferred by the prescriber.

• Ensure medication storage, maintenance, dispensation and waste logs are maintained in

accordance with Sea Mar policies and procedures. Any area of non-compliance should be

reported immediately to the supervisor/manager, if applicable.

• Ensures that all medical, nursing, health & safety and personnel policies and procedures are

being followed and implemented.

CLINICAL DUTIES

• Assists psychiatric staff with client flow and provides quality of care in a timely manner.

• Completes routine checks and monitors clients to detect unusual or harmful behavior and

reports observations to psychiatric staff.

• Prepare the patient for their office visits with the provider including obtaining subjective data

and vital signs, ensuring charting is in accordance with Sea Mar’s policy.

• Works as part of an integrated care team that may include psychiatrists, social workers,

behavioral health professionals, chemical dependency professionals and case managers.

• Provides mentally impaired or emotionally disturbed clients with routine physical, emotional,

psychological, or rehabilitation care under the direction of psychiatric staff.

• Encourages client participation in social, educational, recreational and employment activities.

• Receives and processes medication refill requests from pharmacies by preparing refill requests

for provider review and approval, and ensures prescriptions are faxed to the pharmacy.

• Checks EHR to confirm requests are valid. If valid, the aide will send the prescriber a refill

request through EHR. If invalid, the aide will communicate with the pharmacy.

• Checks medication history in EHR as requested by prescriber.

• Collaborates with prescriber to determine next steps.

• Fields phone calls from clients regarding questions about side effects and/or status of refills.

• Facilitates client enrollment in prescription assistance programs.

• Demonstrates knowledge and skills necessary to provide care appropriate to the age of the

clients served.

• Demonstrates knowledge of the principles of growth and development over the life span.

• Able to identify and categorize each client’s age-specific grouping of needs, such as those for

infant, adolescent, or geriatric clients.

• Provides medication monitoring including effects on the client and provides feedback to the

psychiatrist regarding positive and negative side effects.

• Screen for suicide risk and inform psychiatric prescriber and mental health therapist. Use case

management and build community support as needed to provide follow-up care.

• Maintain confidentiality; prevent splitting between staff and clients, and offer concrete ideas on

handling challenging situations.

• Provide advocacy as needed and encourage cooperation when implementing the Service Plan

or to resolve problems which are interfering with active participation in plan (such as

transportation or language barrier).

• Assists client in accomplishing necessary tasks in service accessibility such as filling out

appropriate forms, obtaining necessary documentation or authorization, and finding

transportation.

• Makes referrals based on identified needs to appropriate agencies and/or community services.

Provides information and assists clients for self-referral.

• Maintains files that document case management activities as required by the State and the

agency.

• Participates in regular interdisciplinary team case reviews.

• Promotes a positive team approach. Collaborates with all staff members to provide

comprehensive services that are individualized to best serve each client.

• Welcomes and orients all new staff and visitors in a positive manner.

• Maintains professional standards and follows the treatment policies and procedures of the

agency, as well as applicable federal, state, and local regulations.

• Completes daily record keeping as directed by the Program Manager.

• Reports any unusual incidents to the Program Manager and agrees to report to the State any

suspected case of child/elder abuse or neglect as mandated by WAC.

• Must be able to support a full-time provider (MD/ARNP) to see an average of 14 patients per

day, see attached productivity requirements.

• Assist providers with GYN exams, I & D’s, and other minor procedures.

• Demonstrate clear and concise written and verbal communication. When patients are

determined a priority due to abnormal vital signs, the Psychiatric Aide will contact the

provider immediately.

• Utilize aseptic (sterile) technique.

• Complete point of care referrals for patients including specialty care, care coordination and

other services. Informing patients regarding specialty referral, faxing information to specialist’s

offices for point of care referral processing will be made by the Medical Assistant.

• Assist with obtaining laboratory tests and results.

• Maintain positive collaborative working relationships with co-workers, specialists and

community organizations.

• Ensure customer service is delivered at each patient visit including escorting each patient to

and from the treatment rooms.

• Responsible for communicating provider delays and delays in patient flow to the front desk

staffs, as well as the patient.

• Demonstrate proficiency in the nursing parameters of the Electronic Health Record and

Practice Management Application programs.

• Demonstrates knowledge, proficiency and compliance with regulatory requirements including,

but not limited to: Joint Commission, NPSG, Department of Health, HEDIS, PCMH, QI and

various contractual obligations.

• Demonstrates proficiency in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and can perform CPR

independently.

• Measures and records fluid and food intake and output.

• Recognizes, responds to and reports client's or resident's emotional, social, cultural and

mental health needs.

• Addresses individual behavioral needs of the client or resident.

• Depending on the work environment, the Psychiatric Provider Aide will perform all duties

under WAC 246-841-400.

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.

The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential

functions.

• The person in this position must be of good character and be able to maintain the

understanding, physical health, emotional stability, and personality suited to meet the physical,

mental, emotional, and social needs of the population served.

• Speak, write, and read proficiently in English. The ability to speak and interpret in Spanish

and/or Russian is preferred and may be required depending upon the needs of the clinic.

• Basic mathematical skills are required including adding, subtracting, multiplying, and division.

Convert pounds to kilograms, etc.

• Solve practical problems in a variety of situations, where limited standardization exists.

Interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or scheduled form. Must

be able to anticipate the needs of the client(s) and provider(s) based on clinical information.

• The person needs to be familiar with many different types of software including Microsoft

Office Windows, business websites (examples: SharePoint, Arcadia, One Health Portal, Health

Plan Finder), and proprietary software (examples: electronic medical records, EKG monitors,

retinal camera, etc.) Employee must be proficient with agency PM and EHR systems before

end of probationary period.

• An understanding of mental health and chemical dependency treatment.

• Must have good organizational and communication skills.

• Demonstrates professionalism and appropriate boundaries in all interactions. Ability to work

on a team. Disposition to receive and give constructive criticism.

• The person in this position shall have no history or evidence of alcohol or other drug misuse

for a period of three (3) years immediately prior to the date of employment at Sea Mar, and

no misuse of alcohol or other drugs while employed at this center. This individual cannot be a

person who has been convicted of a felony within the last seven years, or has ever been

convicted of child abuse and/or any crime involving physical harm to another person nor be a

perpetrator of substantiated child abuse.

• Demonstrates respect and appreciation for diversity and has an understanding of the

community system. Must have demonstrated experience with, and the ability to form and

maintain effective relationships with clients, team members, and community providers.

• This person must pass a Washington State Patrol background check.

• This person must sign a permanent oath of confidentiality covering all client related

information.

• The employee must have a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) license. The licenses/certifications

must be from the Washington State Department of Health or a comparable certification from

another state.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

• Must possess a current First Aid Certificate

• Pre-hire and annual employee health screening is required. Must pass a TB test at time of hire, and

annually thereafter. Annual influenza vaccine required. Only exception is for employees with a

medical or religious exemption approved by Administration. Employees with an approved medical or

religious exemption must wear a mask at all times during the flu season.

Education, Certificates, Licenses, Registrations, and Medical Screening

• Must have a valid Washington State driver's license

• Must obtain Basic Life Support (BLS) CPR within 90 days of hire date and must maintain current BLS

CPR throughout employment.

• Must receive a satisfactory background check.

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee

encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be

made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to

successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to

enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to use hands to finger,

handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; and talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to

stand, walk, and sit. The employee is occasionally required to climb or balance and stoop, kneel, crouch,

or crawl. The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds, and occasionally lift and/or

move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision,

color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.

Hourly - Hourly Plan, 21.30 USD Hourly

What We Offer:

Sea Mar offers talented and motivated people the opportunity to work in a dynamic and growing community health organization. Working at Sea Mar Community Health Centers is more than just a job, it’s a fulfilling career with opportunity for advancement. The fringe benefits surpass most companies. For example, Full-time employees working 30 hours or more, receive an excellent benefit package of:

• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• Prescription coverage
• Life Insurance
• Long Term Disability
• EAP (Employee Assistance Program)
• Paid-time-off starting at 24 days per year + 10 paid Holidays.
• We also offer 401(k)/Retirement options and an exciting opportunity to work in a culturally diverse environment. 

Sea Mar is an equal opportunity employer.

Please visit our website to learn more about us at www.seamar.org. You may also apply thru our Career page at this link.