Psychiatric Technician (2305) - Citywide

Psychiatric Technician (2305) - Citywide - H00038

• Full-time
• Certification Rule: Rule of the List
• Job Code and Title: 2305-Psychiatric Technician
• Fill Type: Permanent Civil Service
• Compensation: USD 92,092 - USD 111,930 - yearly

6/18/2026 - Minor revision. No need to reapply.

The Department of Public Health prioritizes equitable and inclusive access to quality healthcare for its community and values the importance of diversity in its workforce. All employees at the Department of Public Health work to advance equity, inclusion, and diversity with a specific lens and focus on race, ethnicity, gender, sex, sexuality, disability, and immigration status.

NOTE: Part-time, evenings, nights, weekends, rotating, and/or holiday shifts may be required.

Under the direction of a licensed physician, registered nurse, or clinical supervisor, the Psychiatric Technician performs professional therapeutic procedures in the care and treatment of individuals struggling with severe mental illness.

Examples of Duties

• Gives a basic level of general and psychiatric nursing care to mentally ill patients; works with an interdisciplinary treatment team to provide an overall treatment program for the patient;
• Under supervision, may perform nursing procedures such as administering medications and treatments, including oral medications, injections, and enemas, taking and charting vital signs;
• Observes patients’ condition and behavior; reports significant changes to supervisor or physician and documents care and/or treatments in nursing progress notes on patients; prepares patients and cares for them during treatment; gives first aid as needed;
• Helps to create a safe and therapeutic environment for patients and recognizes early symptoms/signs of escalation and at risk behavior; uses appropriate interventions including crisis intervention, verbal de-escalation, and alerting other team members;
• Implements therapeutic activities and documents patient participation; assists rehabilitation therapists in occupational and recreational therapies for patients;
• Motivates patients to develop independence in performing activities of daily living; assists patients with feeding, clothing, toileting, activities of daily living; ensure patients follow safe practices that protect patients and others from personal injury;
• Receives visitors and encourages their interest in the patients' wellbeing and treatment plan; escorts patients on the facility premises and to and from the community; orders supplies as needed; keeps records; participates in orientation and in-service training programs;
• Participates in the discharge process

The 2305 Psychiatric Technician performs other related duties as required.

Nature of Positions: Positions may require considerable physical effort in controlling or restraining violent clients, with continuous exposure to conditions which may result in accidents or injuries or other uncomfortable situations.

Minimum Qualifications

LICENSE: Possession of a valid Psychiatric Technicians license issued by the California Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians.

• IMPORTANT: License status must be "Current" according to search.dca.ca.gov. Be sure to include your license number in your application as failure to do so may result in application rejection.

REQUIRED: Possession of a valid Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) Certificate issued by the American Heart Association is required as a provision to employment for all positions.

Special Condition(s): In addition to the listed minimum qualifications, some position(s) may require special conditions, including but not limited to, bilingual fluency in a variety of languages depending upon the department's bilingual needs. Only those eligible candidates who pass the bilingual proficiency test will be considered for bilingual positions. Applicants must indicate on the application form the language(s) in which they claim proficiency.

The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.