Chief Psychiatric Technician (#RH2505)
$34.10-$41.45 Hourly / $5,910.31-$7,184.02 Monthly / $70,923.75-$86,208.27 Yearly

Under direction, supervises a staff providing paraprofessional psychiatric nursing services in the care and treatment of mentally ill or emotionally disturbed patients; and does related or other work as required in accordance with Rule 3, Section 3 of the Civil Service Rules.

This is the supervising level in the Psychiatric Technician series. An employee in this class serves as a shift supervisor on a 24-hour psychiatric facility, participates in developing treatment plans for patients, performs patient assessments and may perform patient care functions. This class is distinguished from the class of Senior Psychiatric Technician in that incumbents of the latter class are primarily responsible for providing skilled patient care and serve as shift supervisor only in the absence of the Chief Psychiatric Technician.

• Participates in the hiring, training, evaluation and discipline of Psychiatric Technicians, Senior Psychiatric Technicians, Mental Health Specialists and other paraprofessionals who provide services to mentally ill and emotionally disturbed patients.
• Consults with physicians, nurses, and social workers about patient treatment plans, medications and general behavior and welfare; recommends modifications to treatment plans.
• Authorizes emergency placement in restraints pending physician approval and emergency medications prescribed on an as-needed basis; apprises physicians of sudden changes in patient behavior requiring alteration of medications or other orders and notes telephone orders.
• Ensures staff compliance with legal rights of patients; may advise patient or family of patient's rights.
• Monitors and administers medications and treatments, and patient's response to them; authorizes modification to treatment plan pending physician approval.
• Consults with families, care providers, staff of convalescent hospitals and other agencies as liaison to provide for continuity of care; assists care providers and others in handling patient behavior.

License: Possession of a valid license as a Psychiatric Technician issued by the Board of Vocational Nurses and Psychiatric Technician examiners of the State of California.

Experience: Two years equivalent to Senior Psychiatric Technician in the San Joaquin County Mental Health Services.

Special Requirement: The Psychiatric Health Facility will perform a background investigation on prospective employees to include criminal background information from State and Federal information banks.

Methods and techniques of supervision and training; concepts of mental illness and mental health; the physical, emotional and social needs of emotionally disordered individuals; psychiatric and mental health nursing; medical and psychiatric terminology; medications used in treatment of mental illness and their contraindications and side effects.

Supervise and train others in the performance of their duties in a mental health unit; recognize symptoms indicative of adverse patient reactions; analyze situations accurately and take effective action; express ideas clearly and concisely both orally and in writing; establish and maintain effective working relationships with others.

Mobility-Occasional operation of computers, sitting for long periods of time and driving; frequent walking, pushing/pulling and bending/squatting; Lifting-Ability to constantly lift 5 pounds or less and frequently up to 70 pounds; Vision-Constant overall vision, color/depth and eye hand coordination and peripheral vision; frequent reading and close-up work; Dexterity-Constant repetitive motion, writing, holding, reaching, grasping and writing; Hearing/Talking-Constant hearing normal speech, talking in person, talking on the telephone/radio; Emotional/Special Conditions-Constant decision making, public contact, concentration, working weekends/nights or overtime, exposure to trauma, grief and death; frequent working alone; Environment Conditions-Constant exposure to noise, dirt, dust, smoke, fumes, poor ventilation, cold, heat and hazardous materials; Special Requirement-Constant exposure to assaultive behavior.