Mental Health Technician

Job Description

Utilizes knowledge of normal/abnormal psychology as a basis for conducting patient and family interactions. Under RN supervision, assists the RN in patient monitoring as well as the delivery of physical and psychological nursing care. Provides structure, support, a safe environment, and intervention in psychiatric emergencies using crisis intervention skills and techniques. Provides information and observations regarding patient functions, activities, and responds to nursing interventions with a multi-disciplinary treatment team.

Job Responsibility

• Assists the Registered Nurse (RN) with patient observations. Performs one on one patient and family members. Assists in medical and psychiatric emergencies such as restraining. Performs crisis intervention techniques such as takedowns, seclusion's, and restraint use. Assists with admissions, discharges. Gathers patients for group medications. Performs bed and room changes. Performs specimen collection.
• Assists patients with daily activities such as helping them bathe. Dresses patients. Shaves patients. Makes patient beds. Assists patients to eat.
• Observes patients in order to provide and maintain a safe care environment. Monitors patients every 15 minutes. Assess environment. Provides one on one constant observation. Monitors vital signs, sleep behavior and patterns, and weights checks. Assists in Physician with physical examinations. Searches patient rooms and belongings as needed. Performs patient body searches. Searches incoming items for the patient. Covers patient dining room, front desk, and front door when the staff is on break. Screens patient visitors and incoming unit phone calls.
• Documents and charts patient and unit functions by documenting all 15 minute frequent checks, vital signs, weights, bowel movements, patient activity level, group participation, shift report notes, location log entries, all incident reports, seclusion observations, and restraint observations. Prepares daily unit forms in order to record patient census, activity level observations, and all other necessary data.
• Serves as an escort and transport person for patients going to Electro Convulsive Therapy (ECT), tests, procedures, and court. Serves as a messenger to departments, as needed. Leads, co-leads, or facilitates patient groups, patient run groups, and community walks. Participates and offers feedback in morning staff report, team meetings, community meetings, staff meetings, activity therapy groups, nursing in-services, and case conferences.
• Reviews minutes of weekend review, staff meetings, and staff in-services.