Mental Health Technician

Provides basic level of psychiatric nursing care including taking and documenting vital signs, weight, height, abdominal girth; assists with all aspects of direct patient care including providing personal care and hygiene, blood glucose testing, administering treatments and enemas.

Observes and documents patient's condition and behavior and reports significant changes including observed side effects of medications to the appropriate authority; observes a variety of clinical problems and handles the less complex within the limits of knowledge and authority.

Participates actively in interdisciplinary meetings and assists in developing, implementing, evaluating, revising and documenting interdisciplinary treatment plans; provides feedback concerning patient responses, problems, and progress; provides alternative plans for patients who are deemed inappropriate for typical groups offered.

Organizes, schedules, and facilitates individual and group therapy, education, training, leisure, and/ or recreational activities to deal constructively with patients' emotional, psychological and behavioral problems.

Collaborates with other disciplines in facilitating programming activities.

Maintains and updates patients' records and prepares behavioral and assessment summary reports to provide accurate current information on patients' problems and progress on the unit and in specific therapy and programming activities. Confers with the treatment team and patient's family as applicable to provide current direct observation reports and information updates.

Meets with the patients to identify treatment needs and orients patients to unit programming groups and activities. Maintains therapeutic communication with patient. Gives re-direction and/or reality re-orientation as needed.

Takes admitting psychiatric histories and assists in on-going treatment.

Maintains a safe and therapeutic patient environment. Performs and documents patient safety rounds/ room checks following unit policy and procedure. Monitors for suicide/ homicide/elopement behaviors and reports them to RN immediately. Responds to codes calmly and professionally.

Adheres to the principles of non-violent crisis intervention when dealing with aggressive patients. Assists in placing patient in seclusion/ restraint and observes suicide/ seclusion precaution.

Provides care to patients in seclusion/ restraint including but not limited to:

Assists with transport, transfer, and discharge of patient including the care of personal property and labeling. Accompany patients to Baker Act court as necessary.

Conducts patient belonging inventory upon admission and documents in the appropriate form. Checks packages brought in by visitors. Advises RN when contraband are found during inventory.

Recognizes signs and symptoms of withdrawal from alcohol or other substances and reports to RN.

Attends at least 75% of scheduled departmental meetings and in-service programs.

Performs other works as assigned.

Behavioral Health Technician certification- preferred; Non-Violent Crisis Intervention Certificate within 90 days of employment. CPR Certification required.

High School Diploma or equivalent preferred