TECH - PSYCHIATRIC (LIC)

LVN/LPT Opportunity At River Vista Behavioral Health

River Vista Behavioral Health, a new 128-bed facility along the San Joaquin River bluffs, is dedicated to providing advanced behavioral health services to Central Valley residents and visitors. The hospital will employ over 250 staff members, including clinicians, nurses, mental health technicians, support staff, and administration. We are currently seeking a forward-thinking and compassionate LVN/LPT to join our Nursing Team.

The LVN/LPT administers nursing care to designated patients under the direction and supervision of a Registered Nurse. They perform a variety of direct and indirect patient care duties.

Job Requirements:

• Education: Graduate from an accredited Vocational School of Nursing or Psychiatric Technician program required; Current licensure as a Licensed Vocational Nurse or Licensed Psychiatric Technician with the State of California Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians.
• BLS Certification
• Experience: Clinical experience in a psychiatric setting preferred
• Additional Requirements: CPR certification and successful completion of Crisis Prevention Intervention (CPI) training.

Knowledge/Skills:

• Ability to communicate effectively
• Concentrated and complex mental activity with frequent involvement in complex and/or highly technical situations
• Ability to work successfully under highly stressful conditions
• Sound, independent judgments based on scientific and/or ethical principles
• Comprehension and performance of oral and written instructions and procedures
• Collaboration with other multidisciplinary team members
• Adapting to varying workloads and work assignments
• Effective comprehensive reading skills, strong communication skills, written and verbal
• Math skills to enable calculation of drug dosages and infusion rates

General Working Environment:

• Psychiatric hospital setting
• Risk of aggressive patients
• Day, evening, night, weekend, and/or holiday shifts
• Exposure to outdoor weather conditions, toxic or caustic chemicals, blood borne pathogens, and loud noise levels

Physical Requirements:

• Ability to communicate effectively with patients, their families, staff, and others
• Physical agility to manage patients
• Ability to read and write
• Competent and full performance of Handle with Care techniques
• Physical abilities for walking, fingering, lifting, reaching, crouching, stooping, and smelling
• Physical abilities for standing, speaking, hearing, and seeing with correction for close, distance, and peripheral vision

Equipment/Materials Used:

• Telephone, computer, tape player, copier, fax machine, video player, small hand tools, writing instruments, and clinical equipment

Job Specifications:

• Assists in the delivery of patient care in an acute psychiatric setting
• Provides nursing care within the scope of practice
• Collects data related to patient's condition and reports findings to the Charge/Staff Nurse
• Assists in assessing for pain and documents accordingly
• Assists in organizing and delivering patient care and supervising staff
• Documents patient activity and behavior accurately and timely
• Recognizes when patient is in need of 1:1 intervention and interacts therapeutically
• Reports significant developments to Charge/Staff Nurse
• Provides 1:1 interventions as directed

Service Excellence Criteria:

• Treats everyone as a guest
• Makes a positive first impression and continues that positive impression
• Anticipates the needs and expectations of all people encountered
• Displays service recovery skills
• Demonstrates professionalism and excellence in all things
• Demonstrates professionalism in look, what to do, and what to say
• Holds self accountable and is a positive role model
• Delivers excellence that goes beyond departmental and individual job responsibility
• Practices teamwork
• Participates in decision-making and process improvement
• Communicates effectively within and beyond assigned team
• Focuses on the problem or issue, not the person

Behaviors:

• Always says "please" and "thank you"
• Makes a good first impression by projecting a positive attitude
• Always wears name badge
• Demonstrates a professional image through manner of dress, respectful communication, and adherence to hospital badge policy
• Holds self accountable for getting the information needed to do the job
• Responds to client and customer questions, concerns, and grievances in a timely manner
• Reads all hospital related written communication
• Uses language appropriate to the situation and to the guest
• Is a team player, showing respect for peers, supervisors, patients, and guests
• Greets guests with eye contact and a smile
• Staff is timely when responding to patient needs and requests
• Always end an interaction with the guest by asking, "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

General Criteria:

• Consistently reports to work on time and is ready to work at start of shift
• Appropriately utilizes personal days/sick time
• Clocks in/out per policy and procedure; begins/returns from meal periods and rest breaks within established policy time frame
• Uses only approved overtime
• Follows all departmental and hospital safety, security, and infection control policies
• Self-Development: Maintains required licensure/certification for position; renews by expiration date; Maintains CPR; renews by expiration date. Maintains HANDLE WITH CARE training; renews by expiration date. Completes all required mandatory inservices/training at hire and annually and in a timely manner. Gains additional formal qualifications beyond the minimum requirements of the job; as well as additional job duties and skills. Follows up on any personal development plan. Maintains current knowledge of policies and procedures, protocols, and practices. Attends inservice programs.
• Professional Appearance and Attitude: Complies with the Personal Appearance policy. Consistently demonstrates a self-directed, mature and disciplined approach to completing work duties. Demonstrates emotional capacity to perform within position responsibilities. Maintains and respects patient and employee confidentiality. Follows proper lines of authority and organizational structure.

Age Group Encountered:

• Adolescent – (12-17 yr. old)
• Adult – (18 - 61 yr. old)
• Geriatric – (62 or above)
• Must be able to demonstrate knowledge of patient rights, advanced directives and ethical issues for all age specific groups.
• Must be able to demonstrate the skills and knowledge to provide appropriate interventions based on the needs of various age groups.
• Must be able to demonstrate knowledge and ability to advocate, communicate and educate patients of all age groups served, including those with physical, emotional, social, mental, language and cognitive impairments.
• Must be able to demonstrate knowledge and ability to collaborate with medical staff, other health professionals to achieve desired outcomes for age specific groups served.
• Must be able to demonstrate knowledge and skills to interpret age related data and appropriately consulting with other team members and/or planning care based on those results.
• Must be able to demonstrate ability to involve patients/family/guardian/care taker in decision making related to care and treatment appropriate for various ages served.
• Must be able to demonstrate ability to provide patient/family education, explaining care, treatments, discharges instruction etc. using correct terminology and technique to address educational needs of each age group served.
• Must be able to demonstrate knowledge and ability to assess and provide appropriate interventions in the event of abnormal family dynamics for various age groups including; child abuse, domestic violence, and elder abuse.
• Must be able to demonstrate knowledge and ability to provide a safe environment of care and recognize safety risks/considerations of each age group served.

Additional Requirements:

• A strong knowledge of The Joint Commission, HCFA, OSHA regulations, and patient rights standards and all other applicable federal and state laws and regulations governing mental health care facilities