Behavioral Health Specialist

Job Description
JOB SUMMARY:
The Behavioral Health Specialist, with a focus on patient safety, is required to function within the parameters of the legal scope of practice and in accordance with the federal, state, and local laws; rules and regulations; and policies, procedures and guidelines of the employing health care institution or practice setting. The Behavioral Health Specialist will provide continuous observation and surveillance of assigned patients, redirecting behavior and providing a safe environment for the patients. Summons the staff if the patient requires additional assistance. The Behavioral Health Specialist is also responsible for promoting positive interactions with staff, physicians, patients, families and other visitors. The Behavioral Health Specialist serves as a support staff for the Mental Health Evaluator. The Behavioral Health Specialist will not provide support in a Mental Health Evaluator capacity without the supervision of a Mental Health Evaluator or Clinical Manager.

Shift & Schedule
Full Time, Night, 6:00pm-6:00am

Essential Functions/Performance Expectations

• Demonstrates understanding and proficiency of the use of the AvaSys TeleSitter

Solution software.

• Demonstrates positive effective communication, including education with patients and

families, physicians and other healthcare team members.

• Demonstrates positive effective communication, including education with patients and

families, physicians and other healthcare team members.

• Participates in a collaborative identification and reporting of patient safety issues.

Assures patient environment safety. Seeks assistance with removal of any potential

safety hazard from room and reports findings to appropriate healthcare team members.

• Demonstrates safe work practice and attitude, follows safety rules, works to prevent

unsafe conditions and behaviors, and participates in organizational and department safety

programs.

• Maintains dignity and privacy of patients and their families.
• Utilizes safe patient handling and mobility equipment, ensuring the safety of the patient.
• Completes PHQ-9 and GAD-7 in a timely manner.
• When assigned mental health screening completes a comprehensive screening of patient

in the hospital for psychiatric mental health issues.

• When assigned mental health screening synthesizes the data collected during the

comprehensive screening to identify problems, formulate goals, teaching plans, and

outcomes

• When assigned mental health screening implements plan of care.
• Completes Risk Assessment for suicide stepdown process.
• Assist with mental health education and rounding for employees of Midland Memorial

Hospital.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

• Bachelor's degree in psychology, social work, medicine, nursing, rehabilitation, counseling, sociology, human growth and development, physician assistant, gerontology, special education, educational psychology, early childhood education, or early childhood intervention preferred but not required.
• Must have Qualified Mental Health Professional-Community Services (QMHP-CS) from the State of Texas within the first 90 days.
• Must meet the minimum standards for QMHP-CS credentials as outlined by Texas Administrative code which includes:
• A. having a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with a minimum number of hours that is equivalent to a major (as determined by the LMHA or MCO in accordance with
• d) of this title (relating to Competency and Credentialing)) in psychology, social work, medicine, nursing, rehabilitation, counseling, sociology, human growth and development, physician assistant, gerontology, special education, educational psychology, early childhood education, or early childhood intervention.
• Must complete Mental Health First aid course within 3 months and complete 2 hours of mental health education annually.

Physical Requirements
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential responsibility satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The individual must be able to:

Ø Stand, walk, sit, stoop, reach, lift, see, speak and hear. Lifting is limited to 35 lbs. for clinical staff and to 50 lbs. for non-clinical staff. The individual must use an assisted-lift device or get another individual(s) to assist with the lift that is over these maximum limits.