Psychiatric Technician- Float Pool - Day/Nights Shift

Psychiatric Technician Opportunity

UTHealth Houston's Behavioral Sciences Campus, the largest academic psychiatric hospital in the nation is hiring Psychiatric Technicians! Ideal candidate will have at least one year of experience in a patient care environment, must be comfortable working with patient population and a passion for supporting behavioral health patients. We have multiple full-time opportunities available across various shifts.

The John S. Dunn Behavioral Sciences Center, inclusive of the Harris County Psychiatric Center (HCPC), provides individualized inpatient care across 23 specialized units. Our treatment areas include child and adolescent services, adult and geriatric psychiatry, psychosis care, co-occurring disorders, and competency restoration.

This fast-paced behavioral health environment emphasizes safety, teamwork, therapeutic engagement, and professional boundaries. Psychiatric Technicians work collaboratively with nurses and the interdisciplinary treatment team to provide patient observation, support therapeutic and recreational programming, assist with crisis intervention and de-escalation, and contribute to the overall safety and operation of the unit.

This role can be physically and emotionally demanding due to the complexity of the patient population and behaviors that may be encountered. Candidates should be prepared to work in a fast-paced behavioral health environment where teamwork, communication, situational awareness, and patient safety are essential to providing high-quality patient care.

If you are looking for a meaningful opportunity to support children and adolescents through difficult times, promote patient safety, and contribute to positive behavioral health outcomes, we encourage you to apply.

Position Summary:

The Psychiatric Technician focuses on safety, performing patient care activities or tasks for psychiatric patients as well as maintaining a therapeutic and safe environment under the direction of the licensed staff. Must be comfortable working with mental health patients, many of whom have experienced trauma, in a compassionate and professional manner while promoting a safe environment.

Position Key Accountabilities:

• Provides inpatient and outpatient non-skilled nursing for psychiatric patients.
• Provides supervision of patients on suicide or other critical precautions, 1:1 or 2:1, which requires a staff member to be within continuous arm's length of a patient.
• Responsible for operating equipment such as IVAC, Sphygmomanometer and Scale.
• Assists patients with activities of daily living i.e. bathing, shaving, hygiene, toileting, and grooming, while respecting the patient 's privacy, to the extent possible.
• Interacts and engages with patients in a therapeutic manner using Trauma informed care and therapeutic communication strategies.
• Participates in implementing and formulating patients' treatment plan based on experience and close observation of patients.
• Helps maintain a therapeutic milieu. Assists with milieu management and uses crisis de-escalation and trauma informed care strategies to reduce destructive and disruptive patient behavior and ensures the safety of patient, self, and others. Recognizes early warning signs of worsening patient behaviors and intervenes appropriately.
• Facilitates patients' groups and participation in therapeutic activities (i.e. community meeting, transition, and wrap-up groups etc.).
• Implements crisis management skills (de-escalation skills) as directed by licensed staff, including situations where the patient could be in danger, suffer self-inflicted harm, or harm others.
• Must be able to restrain an adult, adolescent, or pediatric patient within the guidelines currently in use at HCPC, including circumstances where the patient is violent or aggressive towards staff and others, including other patients.
• In certain circumstances, must be able to maintain initial physical control of an adult, adolescent or pediatric patient individually until assistance from other team members arrive.
• Escorts patients on and off campus for medical emergencies and diagnostic procedures when required.
• Conducts patient Q15 and Q30 minutes observation rounds with appropriate documentation, and one to one observation. Observes patient condition for signs/symptoms consistent with illness or mental status change; reports observations about patient condition to the nurse.
• Conducts environmental rounds on unit for safety.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Certification/Skills:

• None
• Work may involve handling biohazardous, chemical, and radiological materials, as well as operating associated equipment. Required safety training and appropriate engineering and administrative controls including the use of personal protective equipment must be followed.
• Cardiac Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) by American Red Cross or American Heart Association (AHA) required
• Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) by Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) preferred or
• Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (MA) by National Center for Competency Testing (NCCT) preferred or
• Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) by National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) preferred

Minimum Education:

High School Diploma or equivalent required

Minimum Experience:

1 year of experience as a Mental Health Technician/Psychiatric Technician or successful completion of the Psychiatric Technician Internship program required

Physical Requirements:

Exerts up to 50 pounds of force occasionally and/or up to 20 pounds frequently and/or up to 10 pounds constantly to move objects.

Security Sensitive:

This position is a security-sensitive position pursuant to Texas Education Code 51.215 and Texas Government Code 411.094. To the extent that a position requires the holder to research, work on, or have access to critical infrastructure as defined in Texas Business and Commerce Code 117.001(2), the ability to maintain the security or integrity of the infrastructure is a minimum qualification to be hired for and to continue to be employed in that position. Personnel in such positions, and similarly situated state contractors, will be routinely reviewed to determine whether things such as criminal history or continuous connections to the government or political apparatus of a foreign adversary might prevent the applicant, employee, or contractor from being able to maintain the security or integrity of the infrastructure. A foreign adversary is a nation listed in 15 C.F.R. 791.4.

Veteran Information:

Military occupations that relate to the initial selection criteria and registration or licensure requirements for this position may include but are not limited to: 46P1, 46P3, 46P4, 46PX, 66C, 001387, 4A0X1, 68X.

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Residency Requirement:

Employees must permanently reside and work in the State of Texas.