TECH - PSYCHIATRIC (LIC)

LVN/LPT Opportunity At River Vista Behavioral Health

River Vista Behavioral Health, located along the bluffs overlooking the San Joaquin River, is a brand new, 128-bed facility providing high-quality and advanced behavioral health services to residents and visitors in the Central Valley. The hospital employs more than 250 people, 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. CPI Training may be obtained during new hire orientation.

Knowledge/Skills:

• Ability to communicate effectively
• Perform concentrated and/or complex mental activity with frequent involvement in complex and/or highly technical situations
• Work successfully under highly stressful conditions
• Make sound, independent judgments based on scientific and/or ethical principles
• Comprehend and perform oral and written instructions and procedures
• Collaborate with other multidisciplinary team members in an appropriate fashion
• Adapt to varying workloads and work assignments on a constant basis
• 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
• Some risk involved in the event of aggressive patient(s)
• May include day, evening, night, weekend, and/or holiday shifts
• Occasionally exposed to outdoor weather conditions, toxic or caustic chemicals, blood borne pathogens, and loud noise levels

Physical Requirements:

• Communicate effectively with patients, their families, staff, and others
• Utilize communication equipment
• Manage patients (ambulatory, non-ambulatory, and physically aggressive)
• Read patient charts, written communication, regulations, written policies and procedures, etc.
• Write manual charting, written communication, etc.
• Competent and fully perform Handle with Care techniques
• Physical abilities include walking, fingering or manual dexterity, lifting/exerting force up to 25 lbs, reaching or stretching, crouching or stooping, and smelling
• Frequently utilize physical ability for standing and see with correction for color discrimination and depth perception
• Regularly utilize physical ability for sitting, speaking, hearing, and seeing with correction for close, distance, and peripheral vision, and focusing ability

Equipment/Materials Used:

• Telephone, computer, tape player, copier, fax machine, video player, small hand tools, and writing instruments
• All clinical equipment, including syringes, blood pressure equipment, etc.

Job Specifications:

• Assist in the delivery of patient care in an acute psychiatric setting for patients experiencing a wide range of psychiatric conditions
• Provide nursing care, within the scope of practice, to meet the unique needs of each patient
• Collect data related to the patient's condition and report findings to the Charge/Staff Nurse
• Assist the Registered Nurse in assessing for pain, utilizing pain scale, and documenting accordingly
• Assist the Charge/Staff Nurse to organize and deliver patient care and supervise staff
• Document patient activity and behavior in an accurate, timely, and legible manner
• Recognize when patient is in need of 1:1 intervention and interact therapeutically
• Inform Charge/Staff Nurse of significant developments and document in progress note
• Provide 1:1 interventions as directed
• Report significant developments to Charge/Staff Nurse

Service Excellence Criteria:

• Treat everyone as a guest
• Make a positive first impression and continue that positive impression through ongoing efforts
• Anticipate the needs and expectations of all people encountered
• Display service recovery skills; responsible for resolving dissatisfaction without assigning blame
• Demonstrate professionalism and excellence in all things
• Demonstrate professionalism in look, what to do, and what to say
• Hold self accountable – Be a positive role model
• Deliver excellence that goes beyond departmental and individual job responsibility
• Practice teamwork
• Participate in decision-making and process improvement, regardless of level in the organization
• Communicate effectively within and beyond assigned team
• Focus on the problem or issue, not the person
• Always say "please" and "thank you"
• Make a good first impression by projecting a positive attitude; greet patients, guests, and staff warmly
• Always wear name badge
• Demonstrate a professional image through manner of dress, respectful communication, and adherence to hospital badge policy
• Hold self accountable for getting the information needed to know to do job
• Respond to client and customer questions, concerns, and grievances in a timely manner, informing complainant of process and expected time of resolution
• Read all hospital related written communication, i.e. memos, flyers, posters, etc.
• Use language appropriate to the situation and to the guest
• Be a team player, showing respect for peers, supervisors, patients, and guests, demonstrated through verbal communications and commitment to the work group
• Greet guests with eye contact and a smile
• Staff is timely when responding to patient needs and requests by making eye contact and verbal contact when patient presents self at nurse's station or any other area where staff is located
• Always end an interaction with the guest by asking, "Is there anything else I can do for you?"
• Provide service to patients and families that is prompt, caring, efficient, and effective
• Demonstrate respect for the hospital environment by keeping work areas organized and clean, and taking pride in the facility as a whole

General Criteria:

• Attendance: Consistently report to work on time and be ready to work at the start of shift. Appropriately utilize personal days/sick time. Clock in/out per policy and procedure; begin/return from meal periods and rest breaks within established policy time frame. Use only approved overtime.
• General Safety: Follow all departmental and hospital safety, security, and infection control policies.
• Self-Development: Maintain required licensure/certification for position; renew by expiration date; Maintain CPR; renew by expiration date. Maintain HANDLE WITH CARE training; renew by expiration date. Complete all required mandatory inservices/training at hire and annually and in a timely manner. Gain additional formal qualifications beyond the minimum requirements of the job; as well as additional job duties and skills. Follow up on any personal development plan. Maintain current knowledge of policies and procedures, protocols, and practices. Attend inservice programs.
• Professional Appearance and Attitude: Comply with the Personal Appearance policy. Consistently demonstrate a self-directed, mature, and disciplined approach to completing work duties. Demonstrate emotional capacity to perform within position responsibilities. Maintain and respect patient and employee confidentiality. Follow proper lines of authority and organizational structure.

The following is the minimum knowledge, skills, and behaviors necessary to provide care and service for the patient population served:

• Age Group Encountered: Adolescent – (12-17 yr. old) Adult – (18 - 61 yr. old) Geriatric – (62 or above)
• Demonstrate knowledge of patient rights, advanced directives, and ethical issues for all age-specific groups
• Demonstrate the skills and knowledge to provide appropriate interventions based on the needs of various age groups
• Demonstrate knowledge and ability to advocate, communicate, and educate patients of all age groups served, including those with physical, emotional, social, mental