Behavioral Health Associate, Float Pool

NYC Health + Hospitals; New York (NY); On-site; USD 42,000 - 62,000; Full time

Job summary

Woodhull Medical and Mental Health Center, part of NYC Health + Hospitals, seeks staff to support behavioral health services. Under RN/physician supervision, role includes crisis intervention, de-escalation, patient supervision, and therapeutic observations, ensuring safety and compliance with CMS and health system policies.

Responsibilities include assisting with restraints and seclusion, monitoring patients, documenting activity, and participating in groups and team meetings.

Qualifications

• Associate’s degree in criminal justice, social services or a health-related area.
• High School diploma or GED with 1 year of full-time experience in law enforcement, nursing or psychiatric/behavioral health in a high volume, intensive care environment.
• Successful completion of an appropriate training program in the application and use of restraints and seclusion must be completed prior to an individual performing such work.
• Successful completion of an appropriate training in the performance of vital signs and grooming within ninety (90) calendar days of appointment to the title.
• Special Note:

Responsibilities

• Performs crisis and/or de-escalation interventions with patients whose behavior cannot be otherwise supported.
• Assists in the application and removal of restraints and seclusion as needed; ensures safety of patient.
• Identifies patient characteristics and environmental triggers and communicates to the treatment team.
• Escorts patient to required locations within and outside the health care setting.
• Monitors and controls patient, family, visitors and staff traffic in behavioral health services.
• Ensures safety through electronic scanning and safety checks prior to entry to clinical areas.
• Responds to emergencies, including Behavioral Response Team, as necessary.
• Inspects and categorizes patient belongings at admission and ensures safe transfer/return.
• Leads or co-leads discussion groups on anger management or related topics; documents group activity.
• Assists with therapeutic groups and activities.
• Assists with grooming needs including shaving when needed by patient.
• Takes patient vital signs as directed and enters data into EMR.
• Performs one-to-one patient observation and monitoring.
• Reports observations to nursing staff and participates in meetings.
• Participates in QA/PI activities and training.
• Performs related work as assigned.

Skills

Crisis intervention

De-escalation

Patient supervision

Therapeutic observation

Team collaboration

Emergency response

Vital signs

Documentation

Group facilitation

Communication

Education

Associate's degree in criminal justice, social services or health-related area

GED or High School diploma with 1 year of experience in relevant field

Restraints and seclusion training completed

Vital signs and grooming training within 90 days

Tools

EMR data entry

Job description

Marketing Statement

Woodhull Medical and Mental Health Center is attuned to the healthcare issues that matter to the people of North Brooklyn. Woodhull focuses on preventing disease and promoting healthy lifestyles by reaching out to the community at various convenient locations.

Marketing Statement

Woodhull Medical and Mental Health Center is attuned to the healthcare issues that matter to the people of North Brooklyn. Woodhull focuses on preventing disease and promoting healthy lifestyles by reaching out to the community at various convenient locations. At NYC Health + Hospitals, our mission is to deliver high-quality care health services, without exception. Every employee takes a person-centered approach that exemplifies the ICARE values (Integrity, Compassion, Accountability, Respect, and Excellence) through empathic communication and partnerships between all persons.

Duties & Responsibilities

Purpose of Position

Under the direction of a Registered Nurse (RN), physician, and/or clinical designee and in collaboration with the interdisciplinary team, performs crisis and/or de-escalation interventions, therapeutic observations of patients and milieu, patient supervision and other behavioral health related duties, including assisting in the implementation of seclusion/restraints. Acts in compliance with health care system and all relevant regulatory policies.

Examples Of Typical Tasks

• Utilizes crisis and/or de-escalation intervention practices, when necessary and appropriate, with patients whose behavior cannot be otherwise supported without such interventions.
• Assists in the application and removal of restraints and the implementation of seclusion, when deemed necessary by appropriate personnel; ensures the physical and emotional health and safety of the patient when using such methods.
• Identifies patient characteristics and environmental variables that may trigger agitated behavior(s) and communicates such information to the treatment team.
• Escorts patient to required location(s), within and outside of the health care setting.
• Monitors and controls patient, family, visitors and staff traffic flow through behavioral health services.
• Ensures the safety of patients and staff through electronic scanning and safety checks prior to entry to clinical areas.
• Responds appropriately to patient emergencies, including those requiring the Behavioral Response Team, and other emergencies, as necessary.
• Inspects and categorizes patients’ belongings at time of admission and ensures that property is safely maintained and returned at the time of transfer or discharge; notifies appropriate personnel of illegal items for proper handling.
• May lead or co-lead discussion groups in areas such as anger management techniques and practices; appropriately documents group activity.
• Assists in the facilitation of therapeutic groups and related activities.
• Assists with patient grooming needs, including shaving when deemed appropriate by clinical staff and the patient is not able to shave themselves.
• Takes patient vital signs when directed to do so by clinical staff, and enters patient vital sign data into the electronic medical record (EMR).
• Performs observation and monitoring of assigned patients on a one-to-one basis.
• Performs patient checks/rounds and video surveillance, as required, and reports observations, interactions and patient activity to assigned nursing staff.
• Communicates clinical matters to assigned RN or other professional staff as required.
• Participates in staff, departmental and team/committee meetings.
• Participates in departmental quality assurance/performance improvement (QA/PI) activities.
• Participates in departmental and/or health care setting-wide training, as required.
• Performs related work, as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• An Associate’s degree in criminal justice, social services or a health-related area; or
• A High School diploma or a G.E.D. and one (1) year of full-time experience in law enforcement, nursing or psychiatric/behavioral health in a high volume, intensive care environment.
• *Successful completion of an appropriate training program in the application and use of restraints and seclusion must be completed prior to an individual performing such work.
• Successful completion of an appropriate training in the performance of vital signs and grooming within ninety (90) calendar days of appointment to the title.
• Special Note:

As required by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Hospital Conditions of Participation - Patients’ Rights (42 CFR Part 482), before applying restraints, implementing seclusion, performing associated monitoring of the restrained or secluded individual, or providing care for such individual, staff must be trained and able to demonstrate competency in the performance of these actions.