MENTAL HEALTH WORKER I-II

About the role

The State of New Hampshire, Department of Health & Human Services, and New Hampshire Hospital have a Full-Time vacancy for Mental Health Worker I-II.

Responsibilities

• Mentally assists in the admission procedure, searches for contraband, orients the patient to the unit/hospital environment, identifies and records the patient’s valuables, and completes documentation requirements to assure quality patient care.
• Communicates significant changes in patient status and reports all untoward patient actions and/or symptoms to the nurse in charge to assure safety and continuity of care.
• Supports patients, as necessary, in bathing, showering, and other hygiene needs.
• Maintains awareness of patients’ special diet/eating needs and provides a record of the patient’s intake in order to ensure that the patient’s nutritional needs are met.
• Maintains a safe body mechanics while participating in physically demanding, unpredictable, and potentially hazardous patient care situations, for example, safety transports physically aggressive patients.
• Supports and supervises patients with bathing, showering, and other hygiene needs.
• Maintains patient confidentiality at all times.
• Maintains a safe body mechanics while participating in physically demanding, unpredictable and potentially hazardous patient care situations, for example, safety transports physically aggressive patients.
• Assesses and identifies the need for walk groups, quiet games, arts, etc., and plans activities for individuals or groups of patients in order to ensure that basic health/social needs are met.
• Provides testimony during legal proceedings to provide support.
• Maintains patient confidentiality at all times.
• Monitors, provides, and maintains a safe clean environment as prescribed by standards relating to fire safety and infection control (appropriately using Personal Protective Equipment when indicated).
• Applies principles of Orlando Nursing Theory and the Crisis Management Program in monitoring and maintaining a therapeutic environment.
• Utilizes a supportive approach with anxious, agitated patients, thus offering patients an alternative to violent behavior.
• Implements individualized plan of care; recommends changes and/or develops alternative methods of implementing plans; provides 1:1 observation of suicidal patients, obtains vital signs, recommends innovative non-restrictive activities to intervene with agitated, anxious, isolative patients.
• Contributes to the patient treatment process by reinforcing treatment goals during daily, continual interactions and support the patients understanding of supervision status.
• Purposefully observes patient behaviors, documenting objective data as well as subjective inference. For example, objectively notes patient gait and subjectively notes the possibility of medication side effects.
• Escorts, supports, and supervises patients at appointments, legal proceedings, home placements, and other activities as necessary, ensuring that patient safety is maintained.
• Supports quality improvement data collection and contributes to unit-based quality assurance effort as assigned.

Qualifications

• Education/Experience: High school diploma or equivalent credential
• License/Certification: Valid driver’s license
• Other Requirements: Must be physically capable of safely restraining patients when clinically required Must be able to work additional hours beyond a normal shift when necessary

Skills

• Strong interpersonal communication skills to engage effectively with coworkers, patients, and families
• Some background in psychology, social science, special education, a health profession, or a related field or in the care of mentally ill or emotionally disturbed individuals in a psychiatric facility, as a Mental Health Worker, or in a related field

Benefits

See total compensation information at the bottom of announcement.

Pay

$19.24/hour - $30.41/hour Plus, Shift Differential when applicable

Schedule

Full-Time, 1st, 2nd & 3rd Shift Available