Behavioral Health Technician - Emergency Department Psychiatric Area (BHED)

Description Your passion belongs at UNC Health. Join more than 56,000 teammates working together to improve the health and well‑being of the communities we serve across North Carolina. The UNC Hospitals Behavioral Health Emergency Department (BHED) is looking for Behavioral Health Technicians to join their team. Must be a Certified Nursing Assistant and must have 1 year working in a behavioral health/neurosciences unit. Position Offering Shift: Rotating Day & Night, with current need being day shift; including rotating weekends Hours: Full Time; 36 hours a week; three 12‑hour shifts Entity: UNC Medical Center Location: Butner, NC About the Department The BHED provides care to approximately 5,000 patients annually, operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. With a state‑of‑the‑art Emergency Department Transitional Unit, the BHED can accommodate up to 42 beds for patients seeking mental health care in a patient‑centered environment. The staff partner and work closely with Emergency Medicine to provide compassionate, quality mental health care, focusing on the unique needs of patients and families, including those struggling with mental illness and/or substance use disorders. Summary Under close supervision, responsible for providing a safe, supportive and therapeutic environment for psychiatric patients. Provides direct patient care and may conduct therapeutic group sessions under the direction and supervision of the RN. Provides input to the RN to help develop the plan of care and assists in carrying out the plan of care for assigned patients. Assists with the admission of new patients and orients new patients and families to the unit. Responsibilities Aids patients in reality orientation, participates in behavior modification plans/therapy, provides informal support therapy to patients/families, provides verbal de‑escalation of potentially aggressive patients, aids in the physical management of aggressive/out‑of‑control patients, facilitates age appropriate play for children, and monitors the therapeutic milieu activities on assigned unit to ensure that emotional and safety needs of patients are met. Assists in interviewing patients and their families for routine admission data. Orients patients and families to the facility. Provides data input during team discussions and meetings to assist in developing therapeutic plans and objectives. Interacts with patients on a one‑to‑one as well as small group basis. Facilitates assigned groups in ways that encourage and require maximum patient participation and interaction, appropriate to functional level of group members. Observes, collects, and documents patient information obtained while providing care and promptly reports significant changes in the patient’s condition to a registered nurse or physician. Provides direct personal care to patients as outlined in plan of care for routine activities of daily living including bathing, personal hygiene, feeding and dressing. Assists patients with position changes, range of motion exercises, transfers and walking. Obtains and records vital signs, intake and output amounts or other measures as delegated. Observes patients and assesses progress on a daily basis and reports significant changes in patients’ condition and/or behavior to supervising RN. Provides protection and control for patients as required to ensure patient safety in the facility. Participates in restraining combative patients as necessary. Provides care and monitoring of patients in seclusion and/or restraint. Reinforces routine teaching given to patients by the registered nurse or physician and documents patient understanding of instructions. Distributes patient education materials at the request of patients and/or health care providers. Qualifications Education: High School Diploma or General Education Development (GED). Licensure / Certification: Listed as a Nursing Assistant I by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services; Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI) certification within 60 days from date of hire; Basic Life Support (BLS) Certification. Experience: One (1) year of relevant experience in a behavioral health environment. Knowledge, Skills & Abilities: Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with patients and hospital staff; ability to work with, express sensitivity and understanding, and secure the cooperation of patients, including maintaining an empathetic attitude toward patients; ability to work with groups of patients or individuals in didactic or recreational groups; ability to keep calm in stressful situations. Must be fluent in verbal and written English. Capability to develop computer skills if not competent. Benefits Extensive benefit package including paid time off accrued based on number of worked hours. Requires ability to attend the required week‑long hospital orientation offered every two weeks. EEO Statement Qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, status as a protected veteran or political affiliation. UNC Health makes reasonable accommodations for applicants' and employees' religious practices and beliefs, as well as applicants and employees with disabilities. #J-18808-Ljbffr UNC Health Care