Mental Health Technician - Adolescent Unit - PT Days with Benefits

Mental Health Technician, Admissions

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The Mental Health Technician, Admissions, functions as a caregiver for a specific patient population in order to achieve desired outcomes. This position focuses on expanding knowledge and skills and on providing effective direct and indirect care, as part of the interdisciplinary team, to a variety of complex patients. Under the direction of the registered nurse, promotes patient satisfaction, comfort, and safety.

The incumbent assists with a variety of patient, unit, and environment-related tasks and participates in patient safety initiatives. May be assigned and floated to Communication Specialists during the shift. The Mental Health Technician's primary location will be at a Carrier Clinic facility.

Responsibilities include:

• Providing patient care, based on physical, psychosocial, educational, safety, and related criteria, appropriate to the age of the guests/patients served in the assigned service.
• Providing for effective and safe guest/patient outcomes through practice, judgment, and critical actions.
• Ongoing communication with patients, nursing colleagues, and other members of the health care team regarding the patient's status and rendered care.
• Taking self-directed or self-motivated initiative to do more than is expected or required in the job, acting before being required to by events, improving job performance, and/or creating new opportunities
• Participating in interdisciplinary collaboration of our patients' plan of care from admission to ensure safe transitioning and continuum of care
• Participating in Unit/Department Performance Improvement [PI] activities

Specific Job Functions may include, but not limited to:

• Welcomes patients and completes initial triage in collaboration with the admissions triage nurse coordinator and/or admissions specialist. Participates in the orientation of patients to the unit/area and develops rapport with patients, family members, and significant others.
• Prepares the patient for assessment/admission, physical examination, and procedures.
• Participates in patient search at admission, upon return from pass, or as clinically indicated, under the direction of a Registered Nurse consistent with network policy.
• Recognizes and responds to opportunities to enhance patient satisfaction.
• Demonstrates the knowledge and skill necessary to provide care appropriate to the age of patients on the unit.
• Observes and reports patients' conditions, behavior, reaction to treatment, and complaints to the nurse, psychiatrist, and/or other advanced practice professional.
• As needed, obtains clinical data, temperature, pulse, respirations, blood pressure, O2 saturation, and documents findings in the patient record and notifies the RN immediately of abnormal results.
• Draws intravenous or capillary blood as needed from newborn through geriatric-aged patients using proper aseptic collection techniques, assure appropriate labeling and processing of specimens to expedite throughput of patients.
• Performs venipuncture for laboratory tests as needed.
• Demonstrates a reliable and dependable ability to follow through with designated responsibilities in the collecting, labeling, and transporting of specimens to the proper area at the appropriate time: always correctly labels the type of specimen collected, including the patient's name and room number.
• Performs EKG for patients as needed and directed.
• Assures the presence, functionality, and cleanliness of all necessary equipment.
• Applies bandages, slings, compression boots, and hypothermia blankets according to standard, as needed and directed by the RN.
• Where applicable, provides support to the psychiatry consultation liaison service by organizing the setup of equipment and direct observation of the patient and equipment during the consultation via telehealth.
• Assists in the transport of patients to departments or units upon request.
• Provides 1:1 direct observation as needed to monitor safety.
• Assists in the seclusion, restraint, and monitoring of agitated patients under the direction of the RN.
• Documents data on seclusion, restraint, precaution, and 15-minute check sheets in line with the network restraint policy.
• Performs 15-minute safety checks and documents data.
• Assists with preparation as necessary assuring the patient is assisted with meals/ or fed as needed.
• Checks inventory of assigned area and restocks as directed by RN.
• Ensures the room environment is prepared for admission, specifically for behavioral health patients.
• Provides…