Mental Health Tech/Asst

Houston Methodist; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 42,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

Houston Methodist seeks a Mental Health Technician/Assistant to support patient care under the supervision of a registered nurse. The role involves recording data, performing treatments, and using therapeutic communication to assist Psychiatry/Behavioral Health patients, with potential home visit travel.

Strong teamwork, time management, and knowledge of hospital IT systems (Epic, MS Office) are essential. The MHT/Asst may mentor other staff and cover unit administrative tasks as needed.

Qualifications

• High School diploma or equivalent is required.
• Minimum three years Nursing Assistant or Medical Assistant experience or two years of secretarial/office training if not CNA/CMA certified.
• Three (3) years of Mental Health Technician experience in a psychiatric/substance abuse setting within a hospital context.
• BLS (Basic Life Support) certification required; NVCRISIS (Nonviolent Crisis Intervention) certification required.

Responsibilities

• Performs patient care activities of daily living under the supervision of a registered nurse.
• Records care and housing for patients; coordinates with nursing staff and other departments.
• Communicates effectively with patients, families, and care teams to support treatment goals.
• Mentors new hires and assists with department orientations and training.

Skills

Communication

Patient safety

Crisis intervention

Electronic Health Records

Time management

Teamwork

English proficiency

Education

High School diploma

Job description

At Houston Methodist, the Mental Health Technician/Assistant (MHT/Asst) position demonstrates knowledge and skills necessary to communicate effectively and carry out delegated tasks for population-specific patients. This position functions under the guidance and supervision of the registered nurse in meeting the physiological and psychosocial needs of the patient. The MHT/Asst position records data and performs treatments and procedures in accordance with established policies and procedures and reports observations and patient problems to the nurse and utilizes therapeutic communication techniques. Overseeing multiple priorities, the MHT/Asst position must be able to perform the duties and functions of a Unit Administrative Assistant position and/or Patient Care Assistant position. This position may involve travel to conduct home visits. Other duties for the MHT/Asst position include serving as a mentor to MHT's, utilizing skills and knowledge, helping to train and orient others.

FLSA STATUS

Non-exempt

QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION

• High School diploma or equivalent education (examples include: GED, verification of homeschool equivalency, partial or full completion of post-secondary education, etc.)

EXPERIENCE

• Must have one of the following: If certified as a CNA or CMA, then minimum two (2) years acute care hospital experience. If not certified, then minimum three (3) years Nursing Assistant or Medical Assistant experience or two years of secretarial/office or college/vocational training.
• Three (3) years of experience as a Mental Health Technician in a psychiatric/substance abuse setting with specialized training and previous experience in crisis intervention and prevention in a hospital setting

LICENSES AND CERTIFICATIONS

Required

• BLS - Basic Life Support or Instructor (AHA) - American Heart Association and
• NVCRISIS - Nonviolent Crisis Intervention or Instructor (CPI) - Crisis Prevention Institute

Preferred

• CNA - Certified Nursing Assistant - State Licensure or
• CMA - National Certified Medical Assistant (AAMA) or
• CMA - National Certified Medical Assistant (NAHP) or
• CMA - National Certified Medical Assistant (NCCT) or
• CMA - National Certified Medical Assistant (NHA)

SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Demonstrates the skills and competencies necessary to safely perform the assigned job, determined through ongoing skills, competency assessments, and performance evaluations
• Sufficient proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing the English language necessary to perform the essential functions of this job, especially with regard to activities impacting patient or employee safety or security
• Ability to effectively communicate with patients, physicians, family members and co-workers in a manner consistent with a customer service focus and application of positive language principles
• Demonstrates knowledge/skill in group facilitation
• Demonstrates solid knowledge of court processes for detaining patients
• Displays strong time management skills
• Demonstrates ability to access information both in the department and within the hospital system to support the department and interprofessional health care team as appropriate
• Demonstrates knowledge and appropriate use of hospital database
• Possesses basic computer knowledge. Operates multiple computer systems including electronic health records, i.e., Epic, and Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, & Excel) to maintain patient information

PEOPLE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Interacts with peers, staff and visitors in a supportive and respectful manner. Encourages open communication to achieve mutual understanding. Communication to promote both work efforts and problem resolution is clear and professional.
• Collaborates with all members of the interprofessional care team by actively communicating and reporting pertinent patient care information and data in a comprehensive manner, facilitating treatment goals for the patient.
• Demonstrates teamwork by responding positively to requests for assistance to obtain optimal department results. Collaborates to foster healthy relationships in the work environment. Works well with others to make contributions to the work effort as a whole and facilitates problem resolution.
• Serves as a Preceptor for new hires to the department or ED float staff.

SERVICE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Performs and assists with patient care activities of daily living (ADL’s), such as elimination, hygiene, nutrition, and progress activity under the direction of a registered nurse. Performs and records diagnostic measurements as determined by skills training and validation. Assists with group facilitation, performs treatments and procedures in accordance with established policies.
• Responds to the phone and call light systems, contacting nursing personnel as appropriate, and follows through with meeting patient needs, responding appropriately to patient behaviors. Assists with transporting of patients.
• Records care administered according to established procedures. Performs clerical duties including maintaining and accurately processing and updating unit and patient records, e.g., transcription of physicians orders, discharge disposition codes, computer data entries, kardexes, medical records, identifications labels, patients’ valuable, etc.
• Organizes the work flow, problem-solves and manages multiple ongoing priorities, with minimal supervision. Contributes towards improving department score for patient satisfaction on unit-based scorecard, through peer-to-peer accountability.

QUALITY/SAFETY ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Performs treatments and procedures in accordance with established policies and procedures and reports observations and patient problems to the licensed nurse. Displays the ability to recognize physical and mental deviations in a patient’s condition and reports finding to the registered nurse.
• Contributes to identification of corrective action and improvement activities and contributes to meeting department and hospital targets for quality and safety.
• Assists with maintaining and cleaning of equipment and supplies. Ensures all patient care equipment has had QC performed as required and is in safe working order prior to use. Reports any malfunctions to management and regularly practices preventive maintenance procedures; calls for service if needed.

FINANCE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Coordinates scheduling of appointments with the healthcare team and other departments to achieve cost-effective and positive patient outcomes. Maintains and accurately processes records, when applicable.
• Uses resources efficiently; does not waste supplies. Self-motivated to independently manage time effectively and prioritize daily tasks, conscientious of how time is used. Contributes towards department financial targets on unit-based scorecard through timely documentation of care, minimizing incidental overtime, optimizing efficiency and other areas according to department specifications.

GROWTH/INNOVATION ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Contributes in the development of department schedules or other assigned department projects and shared governance activities.
• Assumes responsibility for growth and development by participating in in-services programs and continuing education. Participate in critical thinking scenarios.

SUPPLEMENTAL REQUIREMENTS

WORK ATTIRE

• Uniform: No
• Scrubs: Yes
• Business professional: No
• Other (department approved): No

ON-CALL

*Note that employees may be required to be on-call during emergencies (ie. Disaster, Severe Weather Events, etc) regardless of selection below.

• On Call* No

TRAVEL

**Travel specifications may vary by department**

• May require travel within the Houston Metropolitan area Yes
• May require travel outside Houston Metropolitan area Yes

QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION

• High School diploma or equivalent education (examples include: GED, verification of homeschool equivalency, partial or full completion of post-secondary education, etc.)

EXPERIENCE

• Must have one of the following: If certified as a CNA or CMA, then minimum two (2) years acute care hospital experience. If not certified, then minimum three (3) years Nursing Assistant or Medical Assistant experience or two years of secretarial/office or college/vocational training.
• Three (3) years of experience as a Mental Health Technician in a psychiatric/substance abuse setting with specialized training and previous experience in crisis intervention and prevention in a hospital setting

LICENSES AND CERTIFICATIONS

Required

• BLS - Basic Life Support or Instructor (AHA) - American Heart Association and
• NVCRISIS - Nonviolent Crisis Intervention or Instructor (CPI) - Crisis Prevention Institute

Preferred

• CNA - Certified Nursing Assistant - State Licensure or
• CMA - National Certified Medical Assistant (AAMA) or
• CMA - National Certified Medical Assistant (NAHP) or
• CMA - National Certified Medical Assistant (NCCT) or
• CMA - National Certified Medical Assistant (NHA)