Psychiatric Technician - Per Diem

Description

Title of Position: Psychiatric Technician - Per Diem

Location: Gateways Hospital - Nursing

Exempt/Non-Exempt: Non-Exempt

Union/ Non-Union: Union

Supervisor: Director of Infection Control & Health Services

Gateways Hospital and Mental Health Center, located in Los Angeles, is a non-profit organization that provides an array of comprehensive mental health services for Children, Adolescents, Transitional Aged Youth, and Adults suffering from mental illness in the Greater Los Angeles area. The organization consists of a standalone fifty-five (55) )-bed hospital and six outlying outpatient facilities that have anywhere from fourteen (14) beds to one hundred and thirty-four (134) beds. The organization has approximately four hundred (400) employees.

SUMMARY OF POSITION:

The Psychiatric Technician performs direct and indirect psychiatric care to promote the comfort, safety and well-being of assigned patients as authorized by established hospital policy and procedure.

Essential Duties

• Perform direct basic nursing care to promote comfort and safety of patient per hospital policies.
• Demonstrate ability to perform CPR, seclusion and restraint per hospital polices.
• Accurately measure and record height, weight, temp, pulse, blood pressure, intake and output per doctors order.
• Promptly report important unusual patient observations to charge nurse.
• Maintain accurate, legible documentation in dietary sheets, 15-min check sheets, point sheets and contraband sheet.
• Assist in providing clean, comfortable and therapeutic environment- to include cleaning and laundry.
• Implement time out, 1:1 observation per hospital orders
• Transport and accompany patients on required hospital appointments.
• Assists in the orientation of new psychiatric technicians.
• Works with the treatment team in patient education and achieves treatment goals.
• Encourages and teaches the patient personal hygiene and dietary habits- monitors ADLs.
• Acts as a co-leader in patient groups as assigned.
• Carries out patient teaching projects with the supervision of the Charge Nurse/Supervisor.
• Implements patient group activities with direction and support of the Charge Nurse/Supervisor.
• Assists in the Management of disturbed and potentially assaultive patients; responds to calls for assistance in emergencies may require hands-on.
• Responds to hospital emergency codes: Code Red, Code Blue, Code Gray, Code Triage, Code Silver and Dr. Emergy Code.
• Completes all tasks in a prompt, accurate manner.
• Willing and able to work independently.
• Exercises good judgment, objective and able to arrive at sound conclusions.
• Participate in unit patient care conferences and staff development program to improve patient care, skills and knowledge.
• Conducts in service classes with the guidance of the Charge Nurse/Supervisor.
• Represents the unit at interdisciplinary team meetings.
• Attends in-service and continuing education classes, on a regular basis to maintain and increased skills.
• Seeks learning opportunities to gain new knowledge/skills which result in continuing quality improvement.
• Seeks appropriate guidance from immediate supervisor to achieve expected outcome.

ESSENTIAL SKILLS:

• Basic understanding of legal aspects of mental health including confidentiality, holds, probable cause hearings, and patients rights.
• Strong inter-personal and communication skills, leadership skills.
• Ability to communicate effectively in English both verbally and in writing.
• Proven ability to work with adolescent and adult patients
• Operate select equipment.
• Basic physical assessment skills
• Understanding of individual, group, and family psychotherapy
• Must demonstrate ability to act as co-leader in a patient group
• Ability to conduct in service education class with supervision
• Ability to plan and carry out patient teaching projects and to plan/implement patient group activities

NON-ESSENTIAL SKILLS:

• Understanding of individual, group, and family psychotherapy.
• Knowledge of Spanish or other languages spoken in the community

Qualifications

EDUCATION & CERTIFICATES:

• Psychiatric Technician Certification- obtained through American Association of Psychiatric Technicians within 90 days of hire

Desired Education:

• Actively working toward additional credentials (e.g. Associate, Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, LPT/LVN or RN license)

EXPERIENCE/QUALIFICATIONS:

• Experience with involuntary patients.
• Six months experience in an adult and/or adolescent inpatient psychiatric unit; May include up to six (6) months experience on an inpatient chemical dependency unit.

REQUIREMENTS

• Must pass Department of Justice (DOJ), Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), and Community Care Licensing (CCL) background clearance.
• TB clearance.
• California Drivers License.
• Driving record acceptable for coverage by Gateways insurance carrier.
• Fire and Safety Training*.
• CPR Certification*
• CPI

* Note: If indicated certifications/licenses are lacking, they must be obtained within 180 days of hire.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

• To perform this job you must be able to carry out all essential functions successfully. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the job.
• Light work: able to lift a minimum of 25 pounds and occasional exertion (fit to work test may be required)
• Heavy work: able to seclude and restrain patients.
• Approximately 20% of time is spent sitting, while frequently required to walk, stand and bend. Occasionally required to stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl. Employee will be required to lift and/or move unassisted up to 25 pounds.