Psychiatric Health Specialist I/II

Salary: Depends on Qualifications
Location : Woodland, CA
Job Type: Regular / Full Time
Job Number: 2026-00080
Department: Health and Human Services Agency
Division: Adult & Aging
Opening Date: 06/08/2026
Closing Date: 6/23/2026 11:59 PM Pacific


DESCRIPTION
County of Yolo Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) is recruiting to fill one (1) full-time, regular position in the class of Psychiatric Health Specialist which will be housed in the Behavioral Health branch. HHSA Behavioral health supports high-risk clients requiring intensive follow-up to reduce psychiatric decompensation, emergency department utilization, psychiatric hospitalization, incarceration, and loss to follow-up.

The Psychiatric Health Specialist (LPT/LVN) plays an essential role in supporting continuity of psychiatric treatment, including Long-Acting Injectable (LAI) medication appointments and administration, post hospital appointments, coordination, and tracking of clozapine monitoring requirements, follow-up laboratory compliance, medication adherence support, and monitoring effectiveness of medication, side effects. This incumbent ensures that visit preparation is complete prior to each client appointment with a provider including verifying or obtaining pertinent information regarding medications, laboratory results, recent hospitalizations, outside records, urine test at the clinic as ordered by provider, vital signs, timely documentation, adhere to all relevant regulations/policies, and procedures, and orders medical supplies as needed, etc. Incumbent will travel to Davis clinic once a week every week, and West Sacramento clinic occasionally.
The ideal candidate will be proficient in triaging patients, administering injections, supporting physician, and team, being flexible, able to work with multiple teams, great communication and customer service skills.
Psychiatric Health Specialist I:

$32.03-38.93/hourly

$5,551-$6,747/monthly

$66,622-$80,974/annually
Psychiatric Health Specialist II:

$35.23-$42.82/hourly

$6,106-$7,422

$73,278-$89,065/annually

DEFINITION
Under the general supervision of a medical doctor or registered nurse, provides and performs nursing services for the mentally or physically ill, chemically dependent or emotionally disturbed clients in a clinic or community setting.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS

The Psychiatric Health Specialist I/II is a single class with two salary levels and positions in this class are flexibly staffed.
The Psychiatric Health Specialist Level II is the journey level in this class series. This is the targeted competency and performance level of all Psychiatric Health Specialists. Working under general supervision, incumbents are expected to be proficient in performing a variety of responsible and difficult assignments.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS


Duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Assists in coordinating continuity of care and discharge planning with acute care facilities.
• Ensures proper referrals and appropriate follow up care are made with medical providers and clients to discuss both psychiatric and medical history.
• Obtains blood, urine and other bodily fluid samples for diagnostic evaluations to assist the physician in evaluating both medical and psychiatric illnesses.
• Assesses physical health and signs/symptoms of illness including obtaining and recording necessary vital signs and monitoring laboratory results.
• Participates as an integral part of a care team; attends team huddles and tracks relevant team data; evaluates and documents client's progress; and observes and reports client changes in level of functioning, noncompliance with medication and/or other treatment resources to the care team.
• Ensures that visit preparation is complete prior to each client appointment including ensuring a treatment plan is on file, verifying or obtaining pertinent information regarding medications, laboratory results, recent hospitalizations, etc.
• Refers clients to other resources available in the community to support both their mental and physical health.
• Conducts medication clinics and monitors effectiveness of medication, side effects, and reactions and observing for signs and symptoms of physical illness.
• Provides supportive counseling/education in regard to medication and medical issues.
• Assists with clinic schedules.
• Maintains appropriate documents, records and reports including physician orders, observations, consultations, medications and results of reports.
• Orders medical supplies as needed.
• Assists in the development of educational programs and in-service training programs.
• Provides case management, discharge planning, inter-agency and community referral, medication monitoring and linkage with existing treatment options to clients at the residential crisis facility.
• Performs related duties as assigned.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Psychiatric Health Specialist I Employment Standards:

Education: Completion of an accredited program qualifying for California State Licensure as a Psychiatric Technician or a Licensed Vocational Nurse.; AND
Experience: None. Some experience as an LVN or LPT providing patient care services or nursing in a hospital, clinic or mental health setting is preferred.


Certification/Licenses:
All levels require possession of either a current California license as a Psychiatric Technician OR possession of a current California license as a Licensed Vocational Nurse.

Psychiatric Health Specialist II Employment Standards:

Education: Completion of an accredited program qualifying for California State Licensure as a Psychiatric Technician or a Licensed Vocational Nurse.; AND
Experience: One (1) year of experience as an LVN or LPT providing patient care services or nursing in a hospital, clinic or mental health setting.


Certification/Licenses:

All levels require possession of either a current California license as a Psychiatric Technician OR possession of a current California license as a Licensed Vocational Nurse.
Positions in this classification require incumbents to possess and maintain a valid California driver's license, Class C or higher, to carry out job related duties. Individuals who do not meet this requirement due to a physical or mental disability may request a reasonable accommodation.
Incumbents in these classes are required to obtain, within six (6) weeks of hire, and maintain a current Basic Life Support Course Completion Card issued by the American Heart Association, or equivalent.
Knowledge of: basic fundamentals of nursing care and the principles of psychiatric/mental health/chemical dependency as related to client care; state regulations regarding psychiatric/ mental health/chemical dependency care including patient's rights and involuntary treatment; medication and the side effects, reaction and contraindications of medications used in the treatment of mentally ill or chemically dependent clients; service resources available in the community; first Aid/CPR methods; medical terminology and the care of nursing equipment and supplies.
Ability to: provide a supportive environment for client care; recognize and evaluate mentally or emotionally disturbed behavior; assist a multidisciplinary treatment team in planning and coordinating a program of treatment; administer medications as prescribed and recognize medication reactions and side effects; speak and write effectively; keep accurate records and reports; understand and carry out oral and written directions and/or physician's orders; establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work.
APPLICATION & SELECTION PROCESS
Application Process

It is highly recommended that you print this job bulletin for future reference.

Your application should highlight all relevant education, training, and experience, and clearly indicate how you meet the minimum qualifications for the position as of the closing date. Application information must be current, concise, and related to the requirements in this job announcement. A resume should be included with your application; however, it will not substitute for the information requested on the application. In addition to a completed application, applicants are required to submit a completed supplemental questionnaire, and verification of education for this position. Incomplete applications will be disqualified.


Additional documents may be submitted to the Yolo County Human Resources Office in any one or more of the following ways:

• As an attachment to the online application
• By e-mail to View email address on click.appcast.io
• By hand-delivery to 625 Court Street, Room 101, Woodland, CA 95695. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

All required documents must be received by the Human Resources Office by the closing date. Postmarks will not be accepted. Human Resources is not responsible for the untimely delivery of materials sent via U.S./specialized mail, or County interoffice mail.
Selection Process
The following is a tentative schedule of steps that will occur as part of the selection process. The selection process steps, and any listed dates, may change with or without notice.

• Screen for Minimum Qualifications
• Screen for Best Qualified, if applicable
• Department Selection Interviews
• Reference Checks
• Conditional Job Offer, pending Pre-Employment Exams
  • Drug & Alcohol Screen
  • Department of Justice LiveScan
  • Department Background Investigation
• Confirmed Job Offer

Screening for Best Qualified: If applicable, an applicant's education, training, experience, and responses to the supplemental questions will be evaluated to determine applicant ranking and those that are best qualified to be place on an eligible list for the job class. The active eligible list that is established from this recruitment will be used to fill this open position and future vacancies.
Verification of Education
Acceptable forms of educational documentation are official or unofficial transcripts that list the student's name, institution name, field of study and date the degree was awarded.
For recent graduates who have not received proof of their degree yet, a letter from the registrar's office stating that all requirements for graduation have been met and listing the field of study will be sufficient proof of graduation.
Please do not send originals; copies of the required documents are acceptable. Any submitted documents will not be returned.
All foreign transcripts or diplomas must be in English. If the institution does not provide these documents in English, the applicant will need to provide a translation which has been done by a professional agency. The County of Yolo will accept education as equivalent to U.S. accreditation from Institutions that are listed as members of the International Association of Universities. You may check for your school by visiting the IAU web site ().
Applicants who possess a degree or completed coursework that is not from an accredited college or university, must submit one of the following:


1. A written statement from a U.S. accredited university or college that states that the applicant is qualified for entrance to a program of graduate studies for which a degree in a related field is required.


2. An evaluation of the applicant's degree and coursework equivalency by a private organization that provides foreign credential evaluation services. The evaluation must include a comparison of comparable U.S. courses for content, credit and grade.


Note : Foreign language documents must include a precise word-for-word English translation of all foreign language documents. It is the responsibility of each applicant to prove to the satisfaction of the County that the applicant meets the specific requirements listed on the job announcement for each specific examination. The following is a list of private organizations that provide foreign credential evaluation services. Fees range from $50 to $400 per document; processing times vary from 5-20 business days. For further information, please contact the organization(s). The County of Yolo does not endorse these business entities; this list has been developed for informational purposes only.


EDUCATIONAL RECORDS EVALUATION SERVICE
601 University Ave., Suite 127
Sacramento, CA 95825
View phone number on click.appcast.io
FOREIGN EDUCATION DOCUMENT SERVICE
P.O. Box 151739
San Diego, CA 92175
View phone number on click.appcast.io
CENTER FOR APPLIED RESEARCH, EVALUATION & EDUCATION, INC.
P.O. Box 18358 Anaheim, CA 92817
View phone number on click.appcast.io
GLOBAL SERVICES ASSOCIATES, INC.
409 North Pacific Coast Highway, # 393
Redondo Beach, CA 90277
View phone number on click.appcast.io
INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION RESEARCH FOUNDATION CREDENTIALS EVALUATION SERVICE
P.O. Box 3665
Culver City, CA 90231-3665
View phone number on click.appcast.io
Verification of Certification
Acceptable forms of certification and/or formal training documentation are certificates that list the applicant's name, institution name, course title and date the certificate was awarded. If applicable, the verifying documentation should include a certification/license number as well as an expiration date.

Contact Information

For questions about the position or about employment with the County, please contact Human Resources by e-mail at View email address on click.appcast.io or by phone at View phone number on click.appcast.io.

Equal Employment Opportunity : It is the policy of the County of Yolo to provide equal employment opportunity for all qualified persons, regardless of sex, sexual orientation, race, color, ancestry, religious creed, national origin, physical disability (Including HIV and AIDS), mental disability, medical condition (cancer or genetic characteristics/information), age (40 or over), marital status, pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions, or any other classification protected by federal, state or local laws or ordinance. The County will comply with all of its obligations under State and Federal laws regarding the provision of reasonable accommodations to applicants. Reasonable testing arrangements may be made to accommodate applicants with disabilities or who are unable to attend a scheduled test due to religious reasons in accordance with the Fair Employment and Housing Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Please call the County of Yolo Human Resources Office at View phone number on click.appcast.io at least five (5) business days prior to the scheduled test date to request accommodation. Documentation from a medical doctor, rehabilitation counselor, or other qualified professional will be required.
RETIREMENT

Were you hired into a CalPERS or other public agency reciprocal system for the first time on or before January 1, 2013? If so, you most likely have "Classic" member status. Classic members of CalPERS (or CalPERS reciprocal) agencies who come to work for Yolo County will remain Classic members!

"Classic" member CalPERS retirement formulas are:

Misc: 2.5% at 55
Safety: 3.0% at 55
Deputy Sheriff Safety: 3.0% at 50

"New" member CalPERS retirement formulas (for employees hired into a CalPERS agency for the first time after January 1, 2013) are:

Misc: 2% @ 62
Safety: 2.7% @ 57

BENEFITS
The County of Yolo offers a generous benefits package including:

- Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance
- CalPERS Retirement
- Deferred Compensation Plans
- Flexible Spending Accounts
- Employee Assistance Program
- Vacation, Sick, and Administrative Leave
- Holidays & Floating Holidays
- Disability Plans
- Social Security & Medicare

Benefits for County positions are specific to the bargaining unit of the position. The Salary Resolution (accessible ) identifies the bargaining unit for each County classification.

Once you've identified the bargaining unit, you can look up the benefits for a particular position by going to our Benefits Summaries by Bargaining Unit page on our website, by clicking
01


Do you a currently possess a California license as a Psychiatric Technician OR possession of a current California license as a Licensed Vocational Nurse.

• Yes
• No

Required Question