Intake Mental Health Technician / Receptionist - (Sacramento)

POSITION TITLE:   Intake Mental Health Technician

REPORTS TO (TITLE):  Director of Patient Services or designee

CURRENT NEEDS: Monday thru Friday 3:00pm to 11:30pm.

The Mental Health Technician provides direct patient care to all patients with emotional or psychiatric disorders; supports therapeutic milieu; and ensures safety and well-being of patients.  Carry out general nursing assistance necessary to treatment of adolescent, adult, or older adult patients as assigned. In addition, the technician will provide a positive, responsive environment for receiving internal and external customers. Responsibilities include providing general office support with a variety of clerical activities and related tasks. Primary duties are answering incoming calls, directing calls to appropriate associates, mail distribution, flow of correspondence, requisition of supplies as well as additional clerical duties.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Communication: The technician will answer telephone calls and forwards callers to appropriate staff member. Also, the technician will provide callers or visitors with information such as company address, directions to the company location, company fax numbers, company website, and other related information. This requires a professional demeaner/presentation and the technician will greet and directs visitors to the company.  Overall, the technician, when managing the front desk, will facilitate the flow of organization information.
• Safety: Orients clients to the unit, searches personal effects, and documents appropriately in the client record. Is knowledgeable of procedure for monitoring clients one-to-one and performs one-to-one observation for high-risk clients as assigned and promptly reports any client activities that are a danger to the client or others. Properly demonstrates the techniques for searching a room; has a good working knowledge of the procedures for room searches, and conducts room searches on a weekly basis.
• Crisis Management: Use principles learned in the hospital provided Managing Assaultive Behaviors course to assess and intervene with the patient in a safe, appropriate, and effective manner. Participates in debriefing with clinical team post seclusion and/or manual hold or other clinically significant event(s).
• Treatment Planning:  Participate in treatment planning: (a) helps identify patients' problems, needs, and strengths; (b) suggests modifications to treatment plan based on observations of patients' behavior; (c) provides input into discharge planning.
• Patient Care:  Participate in implementing patients' treatment plans by:  (a) monitoring patients' progress; (b) communicating information regarding patients' behavior to other members of treatment team; c) maintains communication with patient, family members, and referral sources in patients' interest; (d) co-facilitates didactic, educational, and community groups within the context of the adolescent treatment program; (e) encourages and facilitates patients' participation in therapeutic activities; (f) supervises patients to ensure their safety and their involvement in treatment; (g) provide input during shift report.
• Hall Monitor: An important role in the care of the patient includes the assignment as Hall Monitor. The Hall Monitor is responsible for the safety and security of both staff and patients. The Hall Monitor observes the interaction between patients as well as the interactions between staff and patients that occur in the hallway. The Hall Monitor must report all suspicious activity to the appropriate nurse in charge of the unit as soon as possible and also notify unit staff of potential boundary violations.
• Patient Attendant:  Accompany and transport patients as assigned.  Orient new patients to unit, program, and milieu.  Assists patients in carrying out activities of daily living, when congruent with the patients' treatment plan and needs, age, and developmental level.Maintains a safe, orderly, and therapeutic physical environment for patients.  Participate in maintaining the therapeutic milieu on the unit, enforces the level system or other methods of behavior management.
• Patient Records: Maintain patient, program, department, and related documentation.  Carry out clerical and administrative assignment to support patient care and department and organization operations.
• Training Activities:  Complete orientation and competency assessments as required for position.  Participate in activities enhancing professional growth and development.
• Other Duties:  Upholds the Organization's ethics and customer service standards.  Performs related duties,