Phlebotomist/Mental Health Technician

POSITION TITLE: Phlebotomist/MHT (Mental Health Technician)

REPORTS TO (TITLE): Director of Nursing

DESCRIPTION OF POSITION:

The Phlebotomist/MHT is responsible for providing direct patient care to all patients with emotional or psychiatric disorders; to support the therapeutic milieu; to ensure the safety and well-being of these patients. As a phlebotomist, you will be the one who draws blood from patients, collects a variety of other specimen samples as well as label the blood vials that you have filled. You will also be responsible for bringing all blood and specimen samples to the laboratory either in the hospital you are working in or locally in the area.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Collect, centrifuge and transport blood samples from patients.

• Participate in treatment planning by helping identify patients' problems, needs, and strengths; suggesting modifications to treatment plan based on observations of patients' behavior.
• Provides input during shift report and discharge planning.
• Participate in implementing patients' treatment plans by monitoring patients' progress, communicating information regarding patients' behavior to other members of treatment team.
• Maintains communication with patient, family members, and referral sources in patients' interest
• Co-facilitates didactic, educational, and community groups within the context of the adolescent treatment program encouraging and facilitating patients' participation in therapeutic activities.
• Supervises patients to ensure their safety and their involvement in treatment and during transport
• Participate in maintaining the therapeutic milieu on the unit, enforces the level system or other methods of behavior management.
• Maintain patient, program, department, and related documentation.
• Orient new patients to unit, program and milieu.
• Carry out general nursing assistance as assigned and supervised by nurse in charge.
• Maintains a safe, orderly, and therapeutic physical environment for patients.
• Assists patients in carrying out activities of daily living, when congruent with the patients' treatment plan and needs, age, and developmental level.
• Carry out clerical/administrative assignment to support patient care and department and hospital operations.
• Participates in activities which enhance professional growth and development.
• Upholds the Organization's ethics and customer service standards.

Requirements

Knowledge and Experience:

Education - High school, GED, or equivalent preferred. Completion of Phlebotomy class preferred.

Experience - Experience in healthcare environment with one (1) year Phlebotomy experience preferred.

Required Licenses - Current Certification in Phlebotomy.

Additional Requirements: Must maintain approved CPR certification as well as successful completion of Management of Assaultive Behavior training including restraint and seclusion policies prior to assuming patient care responsibility.

Skills and Abilities:

• Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing i.e., legible handwriting and ability to read and understand written instructions.
• Ability to handle confidential information with great sensitivity.
• Well-developed verbal and written communication skills in English. Skill to communicate effectively in order to exchange and/or provide information, build and/or maintain cooperative relationships.
• Ability to effectively interact with persons of widely diverse roles, backgrounds, cultures, and socio-economic classes, those in crises or resistant or negative toward organization.
• Skills in dealing courteously with the public and other staff within the organization.
• Basic knowledge of medical and psychological terminology, human behavior or principles of psychology, teaching or assisting with activities of daily living and human growth/development preferred.
• Skills in problem solving, prioritizing and time management.
• Appropriate social skills, including demonstration and respect for staff and patients; empathy toward patients
• Experience with therapeutic limit-setting helpful, or an understanding of level systems or other behavior management modalities.
• Ability to maintain professional boundaries and willingness to seek supervision in this regard.
• Ability to exercise self-control in potentially volatile situations such as being verbally or physically confronted in a threatening or aggressive manner; must be flexible and not easily frustrated in dealing with differences of opinions.
• Must be able to work and concentrate amidst distractions such as noise, conversation and foot traffic; ability to handle interruptions often and be able to move from one task to another.

Physical Requirements:

Ability to stoop, kneel, crouch, crawl, reach, stand, walk, push, pull, lift, grasp, and be able to perceive the attributes of objects such as size, shape, temperature, and/or texture by touching with skin, particularly that of the fingertips.

• Ability to express and exchange ideas via spoken word during activities in which they must convey detail or important spoken instructions to others accurately, sometimes quickly and loudly.

• Perform repetitive motions with wrists, hands, and fingers. Individual must be able to exert up to 100 pounds of force occasionally and to be able to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects.

• Work requires a minimum standard of visual acuity with or without correction that will enable people in the role to complete administrative and clerical tasks and visually observe patients on the unit and in therapeutic activities.

• While worker may possibly be subjected to temperature changes, the worker is generally not substantially exposed to adverse environmental conditions as the work is predominantly inside.

• Perform complex mental functions and basic arithmetic functions; interpret complex laws, regulations, and policies; collect, interpret, and/or analyze complex data and information.

• Vision: see details of objects at close range.

• Coordinate multiple tasks simultaneously.

• Reach forward, up, down, and to the side.

• Sit or stand for minimum periods of one hour at a time and come and go from the work area repeatedly throughout the day.

• Lift up to 20 pounds.

• Hearing to perceive the nature of sound with no less than 40 db 1000 Hz, and 2000 Hz with or without correction; ability to perceive detailed information orally and make fine discriminations in sound.

Benefits

• Medical
• Vision
• Dental
• 401(k)
• 3.5 Weeks Paid Time Off
• $25,000 Life insurance policy is provided at no charge to the employee