Mental Health Technician - F/T Days

Mental Health Technician

Our team members are the heart of what makes us better. At Hackensack Meridian Health we help our patients live better, healthier lives and we help one another to succeed. With a culture rooted in connection and collaboration, our employees are team members. Here, competitive benefits are just the beginning. It's also about how we support one another and how we show up for our community. Together, we keep getting better - advancing our mission to transform healthcare and serve as a leader of positive change.

The Mental Health Technician functions as a caregiver for a specific patient population in order to achieve desired outcomes. This position focuses on expanding knowledge and skills, 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. Assists with a variety of patient, unit and environment-related tasks. Participates in patient safety initiatives. May be assigned and floated during shift to any inpatient unit, crisis unit or emergency room to meet patient care needs.

Responsibilities include:

• Provide patient care, based on physical, psychosocial, education, safety, and related criteria, appropriate to the age of the guests/patients served in assigned service.
• Provide for effective and safe guest/patients outcomes through practice, judgment and critical actions.
• Ongoing communication with patients, nursing colleagues and other members of the health care team regarding patient's status and rendered care.
• Take 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.
• Participate in interdisciplinary collaboration of our patient's plan of care from admission to discharge to ensure safe transitioning and continuum of care.
• Participate in Unit/Department Performance Improvement [PI] activities.

Specific Job Functions may include but not limited to:

• Welcomes patients and checks for proper identification bracelets. 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 age of patients on the unit.
• Observes and reports patient's 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 patient record and notifies 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 type of specimen collected, including patients 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 RN.
• Where applicable, provides support to psychiatry consultation liaison service by organizing setup of equipment and direct observation of 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 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 5/15/30 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 room environment is prepared for admission, specifically for behavioral health patients.
• Provides direct hygiene and comfort care to patients including bathing, toileting, oral hygiene, incontinent care, and bed making.
• Assists the patients with dressing/undressing as needed and placing patient belongings in the appropriate bag labeled with completed property checklist and handled consistent with hospital policy. Assists with inspection of all clothing/property brought to patients during visiting hours. Ensures that prohibited material is not brought into the hospital by either the patient or visitors. Monitors the return of clothing to the family of the patient.
• Receives visitors during visiting hours, maintains safety checks and direct observation during visiting hours.
• Performs and documents glucose finger sticks and collects other specimens as needed and directed.
• Provides post mortem care as directed.
• Facilitates group clinical treatment activities, as directed.
• Obtains and documents patient weights and observes and documents patient's intake and output.
• Provides a safe patient environment by answering call lights promptly, communicating with the RN immediately for any change in the patient's condition.
• Identifies the needs of the patient population served and modifies and delivers care that is specific to those needs not limited to (i.e., age, culture, language, hearing and/or visually impaired, etc.). This process includes communicating with the patient, parent, and/or primary caregiver(s) at their level (developmental/age, educational, literacy, etc.).
• Ensures that paperwork and electronic records are completed accurately and within procedural time limits.
• Other duties and/or projects as assigned.
• Adheres to HMH Organizational competencies and standards of behavior.

Qualifications:

Education, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required:

• High School diploma, general equivalency diploma (GED), and/or GED equivalent programs.
• Completion of one of the following: - Certified Nursing Assistant, Medical Assistant or Patient Care Technician program or - Fundamentals of Nursing program from an accredited school of nursing or - HMH PCT Apprenticeship Program - Or equivalent medical or behavioral health background experience, such as EMT, Home Health Aide, CMA, MA, PCT, Nursing Assistant. - Or actively pursuing an Associate's or Bachelor's degree from an accredited college/ university in social work, psychology, nursing or related field. Note: Candidates who apply to work in an Acute Care setting, that have not completed one of the programs but meet the other requirements will be considered for selection into the HMH PCT Apprentice Program. If selected, the candidate will be hired into the role of PCT Apprentice. Upon successful completion of the HMH PCT Apprenticeship Program, the candidate will be transferred to the Mental Health Technician role. Acute Care setting does not include Carrier Clinic.
• The ability to learn quickly and adapt to changing patient needs, a strong sense of accountability for improving the lives of our patients and their caregivers, an exceptional focus on teamwork, dedication to ongoing education and the ability and passion to deliver the highest quality of care and service based on a strong sense of patient focus are all required.

Education, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Preferred:

• Experienced or certified in phlebotomy and checking EKG, vital signs and blood sugar.
• Minimum of one (1) year PCT, MHT, CNA or other behavioral health experience in a hospital setting is strongly preferred.
• Experience with behavioral health patients.
• Certified Nursing Assistant, Certified Medical Assistant, Mental Health Technician or Patient Care Technician who has successfully completed a PCT program which includes Phlebotomy, EKG and nursing assistant course both in the theoretical and clinical setting.

Licenses and Certifications Required:

• AHA Basic Health Care Life Support HCP Certification within 60 days of entering position.

Compensation Minimum rate of $20.68 Hourly HMH is committed to pay equity and transparency for our team members. The posted rate of pay in this job posting is a reasonable good faith estimate of the minimum base pay for this role at the time of posting in accordance with the New Jersey Pay Transparency Act and does not reflect the full value of our market-competitive total rewards package. The starting rate of pay is provided for informational purposes