Responsibilities:

• Provides for Patients' activities of daily living (ADL's).
• Assists in the examination and treatment of patients under the direction of the Registered Nurse.
• Identifies patient physical care and comfort needs; performs care.
• Performs routine procedures as designated. Secures patient belongings and valuables and documents their disposition.
• Assists with Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) preparation and provides care as designated by the Registered Nurse pre-op and post-op.
• Performs ongoing observation of patient response to illness and treatment; promotes optimal patient outcome.
• Collects data through observation; provides clinical expertise in the evaluation and treatment of patients.
• Participates in the identification of patients learning needs.
• Assists with patient teaching.
• Participates in admission process by orienting patient and family members to the milieu.
• Plans and organizes group activities; recreational, psycho-educational and supportive groups focused on contributing to patients treatment with the milieu.
• Plans and implements safe milieu interventions consistent with treatment goals.
• Assists in the development and maintenance of a developmental climate that meets the needs of Behavioral Health with warmth, respect and responsiveness.
• Ensures group therapies occur on schedule.
• Carries out specific interventions to assure patient safety including rounds, primary searches and visitor control.
• Complies with documentation policy and procedures according to Behavioral Health Medicine guidelines.
• Accurately monitors and documents special precautions.
• Documents patient group activities, patient behavior, interventions completed and patient response to interventions.
• Identifies and contributes ideas to improve processes or procedures.
• Assists with training and orientation of new employees or students.
• Other duties as assigned.

Education:

• High School Diploma or equivalent
• Associate's or Bachelor's Degree in Behavioral Health may substitute for two years Behavioral Medicine/Health experience.
• Knowledge to recognize signs and symptoms of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) based diagnosis; general knowledge of Modes of Treatment and appropriate interventions preferred.

Languages:

Certifications:

• Non-Violent Crisis Intervention training (NVCI) within 14 days of hire and prior to patient contact
• Basic Life Support (BLS) through American Heart Association (AHA) required.

Complexity of Work:

• Requires non-judgmental communication, effective listening techniques and ability to acknowledge and reflect back to speaker, paraphrase and use open-ended questions.
• Promotes harmonious relationships and positive attitudes with peers, medical staff, patients and visitors.
• Holds self and others accountable for assigned tasks.
• Requires ability to handle a crisis situation including proper application and maintenance of restraints inclusive of population served with RN guidance.
• Must be able to work in a stressful environment and take appropriate action.
• Requires flexibility and working on other units.
• Utilizes appropriate channels of communication to resolve and relay pertinent information.

Work Experience:

• Two years experience in Behavioral Medicine/Health Field or equivalent advanced education required.

Physical Requirements:

• Good general physical health with no previous history of back problems; strength and willingness to intervene physically in a therapeutic manner with combative patients based on established protocols.
• Requires full range of body motion including handling and lifting patient, manual and finger dexterity, and eye-hand coordination. Requires frequent standing and walking.
• Lifts and carries items weighing up to 50 pounds, exerting 50 to 100 pounds of force occasionally, and/or 25 to 50 pounds of force frequently.
• Requires corrected vision and hearing to normal range.
• Requires working under stressful conditions and irregular hours.
• Exposure to communicable diseases and/or body fluids.
• Light Work - Exerting up to 20 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 10 pounds of force frequently, and/or a negligible amount of force constantly (Constantly: activity or condition exists 2/3 or more of the time) to move objects.
• Even though the weight lifted may be only a negligible amount, a job should be rated Light Work: (1) when it requires walking or standing to a significant degree; or (2) when it requires sitting most of the time but entails pushing and/or pulling of arm or leg controls; and/or (3) when the job requires working at a production rate pace entailing the constant pushing and/or pulling of materials even though the weight of those materials is negligible.
• Note: The constant stress and strain of maintaining a production rate pace, especially in an industrial setting, can be and is physically demanding of a worker even though the amount of force exerted is negligible.

Personal Protective Equipment:

• Follows standard precautions using personal protective equipment as required.
• Requires competency in initiation and utilization of special equipment.