Activities of Daily Living (ADLs), Basic Life Support (BLS), Behavioral Health, Clinical Assessment, Cross-Functional, Documentation Standards, Medical Records, Nursing, Patient Assessment, Patient Care, Procedure Development, Psychiatry and Mental Health, Registered Nurse (RN), Risk Analysis, Safety/Work Safety, Schedule Development, Structured Programming Methodologies
Position Summary
As a Behavioral Health Specialist in our 12-bed, secure Inpatient Psychiatric Unit at Waltham, you’ll have the opportunity to learn and grow as part of a multidisciplinary team supporting our patients.
Key Responsibilities- Focuses on maintaining a physically and emotionally safe environment, supporting routine patient activities, assisting with structured programming, and promptly reporting safety concerns and observed behavioral changes to nursing staff.
- Closely monitors and maintains the safety of patients. Observes patient behaviors and conditions in accordance with established procedures and protocols.
- Identifies and reports changes in behavior that represent unsafe situations. Respectful redirection of unsafe behavior and limit setting as needed.
- Maintains a physically safe environment: Checks and screens items brought into unit.
- Conducts patient and environmental checks and identifies risk; reports identified risk to Registered Nurse.
- Aids with the implementation of safety measures, such as physical restraints, enhanced patient observation levels and elopement prevention, as warranted.
- Identifies patient behaviors that could lead to behavioral escalation; and utilizes verbal and nonverbal techniques to de-escalate situations in a therapeutic and supportive manner.
- Support and assist patients with routine activities of daily living such as bathing, dressing, and eating.
- May collect, measure and record basic patient data, such as vital signs, intake, and output, and obtains specimens according to established procedures and schedules.
- Records medical data and care provided in patient medical record in accordance with established documentation standards.
- Assists in patient supervision and engagement during therapeutic group activities
- May facilitate psychoeducational groups with support from senior staff
- Assists in patient supervision and adherence to structured schedule throughout the day.
- Position is 28 hours/week, 8 hour shifts, and schedule is either 1) day/evening rotation, occasional nights, every other weekend and rotating holidays; or 2) straight evenings, every other weekend and rotating holidays.
Minimum Qualifications
Education:- High School Diploma/GED required. Associate’s Degree preferred.
Experience:- Experience working with children/adolescents, facilitating group activities, working with patients with behavioral health challenges preferred.
- 1-2 Years of experience as a Behavioral Health, Mental Health Counselor or similar role in a similar setting preferred.
- Basic Life Support (BLS) and de-escalation certification per facility protocol/procedure within 1 month of hire.
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Boston Children's Hospital