Behaviorial Specialist

About the role

Location: Hospital for Special Care. Department: Autism Inpatient Unit. Work Shift: Second Shift. Scheduled Weekly Hours: 36. We are dedicated to creating an environment of care and engagement that makes us one of the most desirable places to work, providing exceptional care to each patient each and every day.

Responsibilities

• Maintains a safe and therapeutic environment, intervening in destructive behaviors, aggression and expressions of self-harm providing timely therapeutic interventions as designated in individualized behavior plans.
• Maintains the documented level of patient observation as ordered by the physician/Board Certified Behavioral Analyst/Charge RN each shift.
• Supervises assigned patients in daily routines and actively assists with activities of daily living and basic hygiene needs per their individual needs; identifies, reports, and resolves potential/actual problems on the unit.
• Demonstrates appropriate critical incident follow-up skills by timely verbal reporting to charge RN and documentation in medical record. Completes other documentation, i.e., incident reports, seclusion and restraint forms, as applicable. Participates in debriefings.
• Under the direction of the BS supervisor, greets new admissions, escorting them onto the unit.
• Reviews assigned patient behavior intervention plans at the start of each shift. Collaborates with the behavior leadership team to suggest revisions based on observations.
• Actively participates in hand‑off shift report.
• Engages patients in organized group‑based activities. Actively participates in the activities with assigned patients, modifying the task to meet the developmental needs of the patient.
• Demonstrates ability to set consistent and supportive therapeutic limits within guidelines of hospital, unit and department standards.
• Participates in teaching visits/family and parent training as assigned.
• Handles crisis situations in a safe, effective manner, utilizing the least restrictive, safe patient care alternative.
• Anticipates and de‑escalates patient distress situations prior to patients’ loss of control as indicated in the behavior intervention plan.
• Performs other related duties as required, assigned or directed by charge nurse.

Requirements

Baccalaureate in a Human Service field with six months to one year of direct childcare work with children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder; OR Associate's degree in a Human Service field with 2 years of experience with children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder; OR 5 years of experience with children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Preference for individuals with experience implementing Applied Behavior Analysis procedures with children and/or adolescents including data collection, reinforcement and instructional procedures.

Skills

• Physical Demands: ability to lift up to 50 lb, reach, grasp, bend/squat/kneel, physically escort patients, occasional running, frequent standing, walking and sitting; awareness and demonstration of safe body positioning, coordination to block/deflect aggression, ability to hold struggling patients using approved methods.
• Cognitive Demands: application of learned knowledge, basic follow‑through, limited inference, selective attention, legibility, spelling accuracy, logical sentence/paragraph organization, working knowledge of medical terminology, high level communication (express abstract/complex ideas, negotiation, active listening, dialogue), comprehend lengthy/complex messages, follow multistage/3‑step commands, flexibility of thought, reasoning, organizational skills, function in behavioral/physical