Mental Health Safety Specialist

We are currently hiring a full-time Mental Health Safety Specialist to join our team!

Are you a behavioral health professional who is interested in working in an up-beat environment? Are you looking for a meaningful career with endless opportunities? Do you enjoy working hands on with patients, their families, and a supportive team to provide excellent patient care? If so, you might be a great fit for a role at UPMC!

UPMC Chautauqua is seeking a full-time Mental Health Safety Specialist to join their team in their Inpatient Mental Health Unit. This position will work a primary day and evening schedule to include every other weekend and rotating holidays.

Our Mental Health Safety Specialists are responsible for assisting in the development and maintenance of a therapeutic environment for patients experiencing emotional disturbance. They also assist with the specialized patient care needs of each individual patient using principles of adult development and knowledge of psychopathology.

Our ideal candidate will have experience in safety and behavioral health.

Responsibilities:

• Function within the philosophy of the Behavioral Health Center. Adhere to established policies, procedures and standards of care. Demonstrate knowledge of each patient as an individual within the framework of the family. Initiates, participates and supports debriefing processes following crisis situations, seclusion, and restraint situations, and provides feedback to staff to support learning opportunities, reduce risks of injuries to patients and staff, and to reinforce a least restrictive intervention approach. Acknowledge the specific nature of the patient's presentation and considers the effect with community, caregivers, family members, and program staff. Participate as a Treatment Team member in assessing the social and emotional needs of the patient. Contribute in the development and implementation of individualized patient care plans and assists in the integration into comprehensive treatment plans.
• Develop supportive interpersonal relationships with individuals and groups of patients in accordance with treatment plan goals and that will continue the patient's development as an adult .Plan and participates in educational, social and recreational activities for individuals and groups of patients in accordance with treatment plan goals. Supervise and assist patients with personal hygiene tasks including bathing, dressing, eating, caring for clothing, and organizing personal belongings on a daily basis.
• Safety: Conduct proactive safety rounds throughout the units, monitoring the milieu. Conduct Environmental Safety Rounds each shift and document/report any unsafe conditions as well as any security violations. Monitor the milieu for any safety concerns or risks. Provide assistance as requested to clinical staff in the care and safety of patients, staff or visitors. Respond to all calls in a professional manner with respect to age-specific guidelines and competencies. Provide trainings in safety issues specific to the needs of the units based on specific need of patients and staff. Conduct and/or participate in safety related drills. Assist in investigating reports of incidents to include patient related issues, and any other areas considered to be of importance in the day-to-day operation of the unit.
• Safety Continued: Assist in physical restraint techniques necessary in an attempt to control violent, combative patients and maintain a safe environment with respect to age-specific competencies and guidelines in conformance with seclusion and restraint policies, crisis and positive approaches trainings. Initiate debriefing sessions and provide feedback to staff after seclusion and restraint situations and any crisis situation. Assess for changes in patient behavior that may require a 1:1 interaction to provide early intervention. Document patient encounters in medical record/progress note. May engage/encourage patients to participate in a safety related group/activity. May assist with Mental Health Hearing process based on staffing needs. May meet and greet ambulance personnel bringing admissions. Assure commitment documentation is complete. Monitor visiting hour activity assuring no visiting takes place in patient rooms, no contraband is passed off by visitors to patients, and milieu remains calm.

• Associate Degree with 2 years work experience within MH/MR service OR Bachelors degree in a Human Services field such as Social Work, Psychology or Counseling from an accredited College or University required.
  • Other fields of study may be considered with coursework of at least 12 credits in Human Services.
• May in the course of their job duties be in rooms where medications are stored. No contact with medications is allowed.
• Requirements to advance to Mental Health Safety Specialist II: Actively participates in 1 hospital-based safety related committee/council and shares updates in department meetings. Participates as a trainer and/or actor in CCM, ACT, or other crisis related training(s) and provides (min. 1) unit-based crisis related in-services. Leadership letter of recommendation.
  
  Licensure, Certifications, and Clearances:
  CPR required based on AHA standards that include both a didactic and skills demonstration component within 30 days of hire
  
  CCMC within 60 days of hire or transfer and annually thereafter BLS within 30 days of hire or transfer
  
  
• Basic Life Support (BLS)
• Basic Life Support (BLS) OR Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
• Comprehensive Crisis Management (CCMC)

UPMC is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Disability/Veteran