Mental Health Specialist 32 D/E Older Adult Unit

McLean Hospital is a comprehensive psychiatric hospital committed to providing easy access to superior quality, cost-effective mental health services in the Boston area, Massachusetts and beyond. Since 1811, McLean Hospital has been a world leader in the treatment of mental illness and chemical dependency, research into the cause of mental illness and the training of generations of mental health care providers. McLean's multidisciplinary programs treat a broad range of psychiatric illnesses across the full continuum of care.

Under direction of the Registered Nurse, the MHS provides direct patient care and participates in therapeutic milieu.

Assists the RN in providing direct patient care

• Accurate and timely documentation of AFS, progress notes, and observation sheets
• Establishes therapeutic relationships with patients, maintaining professional boundaries
• Participates in patient rounds or teams
• Completes patient care assignments
• Identifies patient behaviors that contribute to the development of a crisis; utilizes non-verbal and verbal techniques to de-escalate crisis situations
• Intervenes in managing complex patient situations and patient schedules, utilizing department policies and procedures, always promoting the least restrictive alternatives
• Communicates changes in patient status to RN
• Follows Standards of Care and protocols for assigned patients
• Remains awake and alert at all times while on the job
• Performs Point of Care testing (POC)

• All employees must possess basic computer skills to use a variety of electronic or online systems for communication, clinical and administrative purposes.

• Required to complete electronic medical records training and demonstrate 80% accuracy on competency test within 30 days of hire.

Works effectively in the therapeutic milieu.

• Participates in planning and implementation of patient groups
• Provides and supervises recreation and other off-hall activities according to needs
• Provides patients with direction, support, and supervision as needed
• Follows established Nursing policies, procedures, and protocols
• Active milieu assessment while assigned to checks, particularly attuned to safety concerns

Participates in the maintenance of the unit environment to ensure safe care

• Identifies and reports house cleaning problems to Unit Secretary/ND
• Identifies and reports equipment problems to Unit Secretary/ND
• Participates in the unit’s inventory system, reporting when supplies are low
• Initiates activities that assist patients in maintaining a clean environment
• Initiates activities that promote an organized, safe patient and staff environment

Assists patients in their activities of daily living

• Identifies patient hygiene needs; initiates and implements interventions to meet these needs
• Provides for patients’ nutritional needs according to unit procedure
• Assists and reassures patients during tests, exams, and procedures
• Escorts and supervises patients on and off ground, maintaining patient safety

Maintains a commitment to professional growth and competency

• Completes mandatory in-service requirements
• Identifies areas of strengths and areas in need of professional development with supervisor
• Maintains competency for treating age-specific patient populations
• Seeks constructive feedback, regarding work performance, from peers and professional colleagues
• Participates in critical incident de-briefing

All McLean team members are expected to consistently demonstrate our values of integrity, compassion, respect, diversity, teamwork, excellence and innovation in their work activities and interactions.

High School diploma or GED required.

Prefer two years of college plus one year of clinical experience, preferably in a psychiatric setting.

Licensure: N/A

Skills:

Verbal and written communication skills, and ability to work in collaboration with others

Experience:

Previous experience in direct patient care preferred

It is the policy of McLean Hospital to affirmatively provide equal opportunity to all qualified applicants for employment and existing employees without regard to their race, religion, color, national origin, sex, age, ancestry, protected veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy or a condition related to pregnancy including, but not limited to, lactation or the need to express breast milk for a nursing child, or any other basis that would be in violation of any applicable law or regulation.