Mental Health Specialist I - Adolescent Unit- Nights

Night shift hours: 11:00 PM – 7:30 AM. Positions available for 0.6 and 0.8 FTE (24–32 hours per week), including every other Saturday and Sunday.

Pay

Starts at $20.16/hour with potential for higher pay based on relevant experience, plus a $2.30 shift differential for nights and $1.80 for weekends.

Responsibilities

• Participates with the interdisciplinary team in specialized patient care.
• Cares for patient assignment as delegated.
• Establishes therapeutic relationships with patients and families, including effective communication and education.
• Provides trauma-informed care, uses positive reinforcement, and operates within a therapeutic relationship.
• Maintains staff and patient safety through de-escalation, limit setting, and physical interventions.
• Collaborates with other healthcare professionals to develop treatment plans.
• Acts as a resource to unit staff regarding diagnoses, behavior plans, relationship-based care, protective equipment, and crisis management.
• Expected to float to other Behavioral Health nursing units as needed at the direction of leadership.

Requirements

• High School Diploma or equivalent, required.
• Current enrollment in and completion of half a Psychology, Social Work, or related undergraduate program, or equivalent experience, required.
• One year of hospital experience in a mental health role within the past three years, or equivalent education, required.

Certifications

• Basic Life Support (BLS) certification from the American Heart Association required prior to finishing unit-based orientation (due within 90 days of hire); must maintain certification.
• Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI) certification provided by the organization, required prior to finishing unit-based orientation (due within 90 days of hire); must maintain certification.
• First Aid certification by the organization, required prior to finishing unit-based orientation (due within 90 days of hire); must maintain certification.

Skills

• Effective written and verbal communication, interpersonal, and problem-solving skills.

Physical Requirements

• Occasionally: Biohazard waste, chemicals/medications, climb stairs/ladder, fumes/gases/vapors, lifting/carrying 0–60 lbs, patient equipment, pushing/pulling 0–100 lbs.
• Frequently: Bend/twist, blood and/or bodily fluids, communicable diseases and/or pathogens, computer skills, flexing/extending of neck, loud noises, reaching above shoulder, squat/kneel.
• Continuously: Audible speech, color vision, decision making, depth perception, hand use (grasping, gripping, turning), hearing acuity, interpreting data, peripheral vision, problem solving, repetitive hand/arm use, seeing (far/near), sitting, standing, walking.

Additional physical requirements:

• Must be able to perform therapeutic crisis intervention moves (TCI).
• Able to wear and function in helmets and other safety equipment.
• Rapid physical response when needed.
• Applies the principles of body mechanics in lifting or moving patients and/or equipment.
• Must be able to move or reposition patients of any weight or size with the assistance of another person(s) and/or equipment.