COORD - Milieu Specialist

Responsibilities River Vista Behavioral Health sits along the bluffs overlooking the San Joaquin River. This brand new, 128‑bed facility will provide high‑quality and advanced behavioral health services to residents and visitors in the Central Valley. The new hospital will employ more than 250 people, including clinicians, nurses, mental health technicians, support staff, and administration. We are currently seeking a forward‑thinking and compassionate Milieu Specialist to be part of our Nursing Team. The Milieu Specialist provides therapeutic milieu management training and monitoring of the hospital units. Milieu management includes program content and philosophy, patient management training, environmental management, and staff competency. Qualifications Education: High school diploma required; bachelor’s degree preferred. Experience: Five (5) years of professional experience in a behavioral/mental health setting required. Additional Requirements: CPR certification and successful completion of Crisis Prevention Intervention (CPI) training. CPI training may be obtained during new hire orientation. The schedule for this position will be from 9:00 am to 9:30 pm. Duties and Responsibilities Assists with monitoring new employees during the orientation period in conjunction with the Nurse Managers. Works closely with nursing in providing safety and milieu management. Responsible for patient harm reduction, verbal de‑escalation, and Crisis Prevention Intervention (CPI) practice and training to assure staff and patients’ safety. Works collaboratively with staff, charges nurses, house supervisors and other leaders to address patient safety issues related to the milieu. Ensures program schedules are followed, provides role modeling on managing patients with diagnosis of psychosis/aggression, trains employees and implements changes to the milieu. Will be responsible to float to all units in the Hospital. Performs assessments and recommendations related to therapeutic milieu management. Assists in providing appropriate activities for patients. Assists in group and individual training to facility staff on milieu management and related topics through formal training sessions and mentoring direct care staff in the patient care areas. Assists in coordination with nursing leadership regarding implementation of milieu management best practices. Provides orientation and ongoing education/training for clinical staff and leadership as needed. Rounds units and reports any problem areas to nursing leadership. Assists House Supervisor as needed. Maintains regular communication with nursing leadership regarding therapeutic milieu issues. Assists in providing oversight and coordination for assigned special projects. Demonstrates knowledge, comprehension, and compliance with all state and federal laws, rules and regulations, and agency policies and procedures. Takes initiative and responsibility for decisions as an individual and as a company. Exhibits commitment to personal and company‑wide goals. Participates in the ongoing development of competencies, capabilities, technology and resources needed to achieve high standards of efficiency and effectiveness. Attends and participates in staff meetings, required in‑services, agency process improvement activities and other requested meetings. Utilizes material, equipment, and time in a safe, beneficial and cost‑effective manner. Organizes workload to complete responsibilities in an appropriate and timely manner. Performs other duties as assigned. SERVICE EXCELLENCE IS THROUGHOUT THE PERFORMANCE EVALUATION Represents the facility in a professional, courteous, caring, and cooperative manner. Is knowledgeable of Service Excellence and treats all patients/staff with dignity and respect consistently. Understands the need for appropriate confidentiality when interacting with patients, families, visitors, employees, and other contacts. Exhibits excellent service excellence skills through supportive and constructive communication with all contacts. Utilizes an open, non‑judgmental, non‑discriminatory, professional, and therapeutic approach to all patients, families, visitors, employees, and other contacts. Demonstrates professional behavior and interpersonal skills reflective of the facility’s mission statement and philosophy. Complies with facility, safety, departmental, and Human Resources policies. Promotes a safe work environment through compliance with environmental of care, safety, infection control, and universal precautions guidelines. Maintains a neat and professional appearance consistent with the Hospital’s Dress Code Policy. Specific Standards for the Care of Child Patients Ages 5 through 11 (see below) Specific Standards for the Care of Child Patients Ages 5 through 11 Maintain knowledge of the Child Program rules, protocols and handbooks guidelines. Maintain knowledge of children's stages of development and seek guidance when deviations from norms for child development arise. Assess patients for behaviors consistent with developmental stages and note any deviations. Recognize child‑specific acting out behaviors and set appropriate limits in clear, concise behavioral terms based on age. Demonstrate awareness of learning disabilities and translate treatment/program expectations to the learning‑disabled child. Relate to child patients in an age‑appropriate manner. Utilize seclusion and restraint procedures with modifications for smaller body sizes and history of abuse. Specific Standards for the Care of Adolescent Patients Ages 12 through 18 Maintain knowledge of the Adolescent Program rules, protocols and handbooks guidelines. Assess patients for behaviors consistent with developmental stages and note deviations. Recognize adolescent‑specific acting out behaviors and set appropriate limits in clear, concise behavioral terms based on age. Demonstrate awareness of learning disabilities and translate treatment/program expectations to the learning‑disabled adolescent. Relate to adolescent patients in an age‑appropriate manner. Utilize seclusion and restraint procedures with modifications for body size and history of abuse. Specific Standards for the Care of Adult Patients Ages 19 through 64 Gather information from the patient, family and interdisciplinary team and use judgment based on knowledge of adult behaviors in treatment planning and interventions. Recognize behaviors and set appropriate limits in clear, concise behavioral terms. Utilize seclusion/restraint procedures applicable to adult body size and history of violent or emotional behaviors and/or history of abuse. Apply theoretical concepts to guide effective practice of adult care within specific standards of care for this age group. Maintain knowledge of the Adult program rules, protocols and handbook guidelines. Specific Standards for the Care of Geriatric Patients Ages 65 and Older Maintain knowledge of developmental tasks and sociological theories of aging. Utilize theoretical concepts to guide effective gerontological and behavioral care practices. Gather appropriate information and use therapeutic judgment to develop a comprehensive plan of care. Specific Standards for the Care of Chemically Dependent Patients Knowledgeable of special patient needs related to chemical dependency. Effectively collaborate with other chemical dependency staff professionals in facilitating the plan of care. Maintain awareness of how co‑dependency issues impact work performance and relationships. Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Knowledge of personal hygiene training techniques. Knowledge of all code procedures. Knowledge of psychiatric care techniques. Knowledge of assaultive behavior management techniques. Knowledge of admitting procedures. Knowledge of P.I.E. (problem, intervention, evaluation) charting. Skill in organizing and prioritizing workloads to meet deadlines. Skill in telephone etiquette and paging procedures. Effective oral and written communication skills. Ability to communicate effectively with patients and co‑workers. Ability to adhere to safety policies and procedures. Ability to maintain confidentiality of information. Ability to work as a team player. Ability to demonstrate tact, resourcefulness, patience and dedication. Ability to accept direction and adhere to policies and procedures. Recognizes the importance of adapting to various patient age groups. Participates in all aspects of patient care. Works in a fast‑paced environment. Responds calmly and effectively in emergency situations. Operates a stethoscope competently. Physical, Mental, and Special Demands Must be able to hear sufficiently, with or without correction, to perform all essential job functions. Can stand, sit or walk up to six hours, sit for up to two hours. Can move frequently as necessary in the delivery of patient care. Can read patient charts accurately and demonstrate activities to assist patients. Can spend 20% of workday outdoors in temperatures ranging from 30° to 110°F and 80% indoors from 60° to 85°F. Can occasionally push or pull wheeled carts up to 200 lbs. Can frequently lift and carry up to 10 lbs and occasionally up to 25 lbs with assistance. Can frequently reach above, at or below shoulder height, kneel, bend, stoop, turn, twist. Can handle small objects with fine motor control. Can read written material and discern odors. Can handle hazardous and infectious waste occasionally. Works in high‑noise, chemical, electrical, or dust environments occasionally. Can competently perform Handle with Care techniques. Must work every other weekend, including Saturday and Sunday as required. Additional Requirements A strong knowledge of The Joint Commission, HCFA, OSHA regulations, patient rights standards and all other applicable federal and state laws and regulations governing mental health care facilities. EEO Statement All UHS subsidiaries are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and teammates. UHS subsidiaries are equal opportunity employers and as such, openly support and fully commit to recruitment, selection, placement, promotion and compensation of individuals without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), genetic information, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. We believe that diversity and inclusion among our teammates is critical to our success. #J-18808-Ljbffr Universal Hospital Services Inc.