Health Care Technician III - Outpatient Services

Lead Behavioral Health Technician

The Lead Behavioral Health Technician (Health Care Tech III) position works in the Outpatient Clinic with individuals involuntarily certified for treatment. Patients receiving treatment through the Clinic have severe and persistent mental illness, criminal legal involvement, and may have traumatic brain injury, trauma disorders, and other complex dynamics. The treatment team is multidisciplinary, including psychiatry, nursing, social workers and counselors, addiction specialists, case managers and other mental health clinicians, all working to help stabilize clients in the community, and transition them to lower levels of care as they recover.

You are required to work at your assigned work location during your scheduled work times. Monday- Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Please note: Work arrangements are subject to change at any time.

What You'll be doing:

Patient Care and Treatment:

• Counsels patients on psychiatric care needs during group therapies per leadership direction.
• Meets with patients for group and 1:1 therapies, talking and reinforcing behavior on patient and patient's family/significant others on medications and treatment plan.
• Utilizes clean, aseptic technique and sterile technique when required as it relates to medication administration.
• Utilize active and passive patient identification prior to administration of medications, by identifying patients by a minimum of two methods.
• Understands how to: Obtain emergency pack from CSS to include after hours, procuring narcotics from clinic after pharmacy hours, and narcotic control.
• Addresses patient complaints/complaints of family, and resolving patient grievances at the unit level.
• Aware of patient allergies, sensitivities of food/drug interactions, drug/drug interactions.
• Supports client nutrition and meals, as provided by clinic catering. Immediately deliver information to other team members regarding client medical and psychiatric needs.
• Is appropriate in all communications with co-workers.
• Alerts care team to assess the need for PRN (as needed) medication prior to administration.
• Alerts care team and acts on patients expressing suicidal ideation or having issues that could lead to privileges needing to be held. Transports patients from home to clinic and home again, and transports patients off grounds.

Transportation:

• Responsible for therapeutic transportation of clients and, at times, of other staff.
• Drive into the community to engage clients in their home environments and transport them to the clinic, transport clients from the clinic to home, transport clients into the community, and drive to the community for client outreach and engagement.
• During this transportation process, this position will work to engage clients in a therapeutic manner, using basic skills including motivational interviewing and de-escalation and redirection to support clients in their treatment and in compliance with any and all court orders.
• Will require a clean motor vehicle history and good driving practices.
• May transport other staff as part of client and community outreach, and help coordinate transportation for other staff daily.

Documentation:

• Document in approved electronic database for client contacts and group sessions in approved Clinic format.
• Group documentations must be individualized, reflecting how each client participated in each group session.
• All documentation must be completed in no more than 5 business days, including day of treatment provision.
• Document incident reports as indicated, in no more than 24 hours. Document calls to guardians and client managers.

Other Duties as Assigned:

• Any other duties that may arise while completing the tasks of this position to meet the needs of the unit and Clinic

Minimum Qualifications, Substitutions, Conditions of Employment & Appeal Rights

• High school diploma or General Education Diploma (GED)
• Two (2) years of work experience working in a direct care role in a mental health or behavioral health field

Substitutions: Additional appropriate education in human services, behavioral health, psychology, social work, or closely related fields will substitute for the required experience on a year-for-year basis.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bilingual in Spanish is strongly preferred.
• Previous experience as a QMAP.
• Previous experience with serious mental illness.

Conditions of Employment:

• Shall not initiate or engage in sexual, social, personal or financial relationships with patients either during or any time after hospitalization, even if the patient requests or initiates such a relationship. All relationships with current or former patients must be disclosed on your application;
• Successfully pass all modules of the Outpatient Services New Employee Orientation core curriculum to include English reading comprehension, relevant competency assessments and written/practical exams in Defensive Tactics;
• Possess the physical ability to successfully complete CPR;
• Rotate body 90 degrees with feet planted for using a defensive tactic;
• Kneel on one or both knees and stand up again with multiple repetitions;
• Must be able to see and hear in order to observe, address and respond to potential breaches in safety;
• Demonstrate body agility, strength of all four limbs and the ability to walk and climb stairs consistently;
• Work in situations involving assaultive behavior, physical control of another person and/or restraint situations;
• Ability to read and comprehend the English language; effectively and fluently communicates in English, both verbally and in writing;
• Work in an environment with fluctuating noise and temperature (hot and cold) which may include working outdoors in inclement weather and/or concrete floor/wall work settings;
• Willing and able to travel;
• 2-step TB (tuberculosis) screening is required of all new employees upon hire;
• Annual influenza vaccination;
• Other vaccinations as required by the State of Colorado.

Full background check and reference check required

This position requires State of Colorado residency at the time of application (unless otherwise identified in the posting), and residency within the state throughout the duration of employment in this position.

Motor Vehicle Check, if the employee will drive a state-owned vehicle, either in an ongoing capacity while performing their normal day-to-day job duties OR on occasion for training/meetings/client visits/etc.

Must possess a valid, non-restricted Colorado Driver's License or an non-restricted U.S. Driver's License for positions within 30 miles of the CO state border

Out-of-State Driver's License holders must obtain a valid, non-restricted Colorado Driver's License within 30 days of employment start date.

Other Conditions of Employment specific to Program

Former State employees who were disciplinarily terminated or resigned in lieu of termination must:

1. Disclose that information on the application.
2. Explain why the prior termination or resignation should not disqualify you from the current position.
3. Provide your employee number from your prior State employment. Absent extraordinary circumstances, prior disciplinary termination or resignation in lieu of termination and failure to provide this information will disqualify the applicant from future State employment with CDHS.

CDHS Selection Process Explanation: Employment history is calculated on a full-time basis (40/hrs per week). Part-time employment is calculated on a prorated basis to determine qualifications. Be sure your application specifically addresses your qualifications, experience, work products, and accomplishments as they relate to the position and minimum requirements.

You must meet the minimum qualifications to continue in the selection process. Part-time work experience will be prorated. Comparative Analysis Process Structured Application Review:

After minimum qualification screening, the comparative analysis process will involve reviewing and rating of all the information you submit. The comparative analysis step may also include your results from standardized testing.

Your Work Experience/Job Duties Document your work experience/job duties to the extent to which you possess the skills, education, experience, minimum qualifications, and preferred qualifications.

If listed, answer all supplemental questions as your answers to these questions will be evaluated during this phase. Provide at least 4-8 sentences for each supplemental question.

Supplemental Questions: Answer the supplemental questions completely and thoughtfully. We will rate your answers based on the content of your response and your writing skills (spelling, grammar, and clarity of your writing).

Appeal Rights: You may file an appeal with the State Personnel Board or request a review by the State Personnel Director if your application is eliminated. You will find the appeals process,