Mental Health Specialist - Bipolar and Psychotic Inpatient Unit

Job Summary

24-Hour Overnight Weekend Package – Psychotic Disorders. Under the direction of the Registered Nurse, the Mental Health Specialist (MHS) provides direct patient care and participates in the therapeutic milieu.

Essential Functions

Assists the RN in providing direct patient care.

• Ensures accurate and timely documentation of AFS, progress notes, and observation sheets.
• Establishes therapeutic relationships with patients while maintaining professional boundaries.
• Participates in patient rounds or teams.
• Completes patient care assignments.
• Identifies patient behaviors that contribute to the development of a crisis and 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 while always promoting the least restrictive alternatives.
• Communicates changes in patient status to the 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).

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.
• Performs active milieu assessments while assigned to checks, remaining particularly attuned to safety concerns.

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

• Identifies and reports housekeeping problems to the Unit Secretary/ND.
• Identifies and reports equipment problems to the 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 and initiates and implements interventions to meet these needs.
• Provides for patients' nutritional needs according to unit procedures.
• Assists and reassures patients during tests, exams, and procedures.
• Escorts and supervises patients on and off grounds, maintaining patient safety.

Maintains a commitment to professional growth and competency.

• Completes mandatory in-service requirements.
• Identifies areas of strength 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 debriefing.

Additional Job Details

Bipolar & Psychotic Inpatient Unit (AB2) is an inpatient unit for those with bipolar and psychotic illness, specializing in first-break cases. Our focus is symptom management and safety, ensuring a therapeutic environment to promote stabilization.