Psychiatric Technician III

Position/Program Information

EXAM NUMBER

b8163A

FIRST DAY OF FILING: 04/26/2016 at 8:00 A.M.

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS A REPOSTING TO ADD SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

This examination will remain open until needs of the service are met and is subject to closure without prior notice.

TYPE OF RECRUITMENT

Open Competitive Job Opportunity

DEFINITION

Provides specialized services to departmental multi-disciplinary teams, other County departments, and community agencies in the delivery of mental health treatment.

CLASSIFICATION STANDARDS

Positions allocable to this senior-level class are assigned to a line operation responsible for the delivery of psychological rehabilitation, case management and/or Psychiatric Emergency Service of the Department of Mental Health or to a hospital or clinic of the Department of Health Services. Incumbents assigned to Mental Health Department program support and training provide consultation and training to departmental staff or to staff of other departments and agencies. Incumbents assigned to line operations work as team leaders reporting to a mental health clinical program manager or a physician manager.

Positions allocable to hospitals or clinics of the Department of Health Services report to a psychiatrist or other licensed physician, a psychologist, or work at the direction of a rehabilitation therapist, social worker, or registered nurse. Incumbents are typically responsible for providing technical direction to less experienced psychiatric technicians and providing care and protective services to clients most prone to assaultive behavior or requiring more extensive monitoring and review of their condition and progress.

Essential Job Functions

• Administers, either orally or by injection, prescribed medications to clients in acute psychiatric settings.
• Interviews the clients, family members, and friends to obtain collateral information that may have bearing on the clients, treatment.
• Makes program services referrals for persons identified as mentally ill.
• Conducts the auditing of client records for compliance with documentation guidelines.
• Participates in multidisciplinary team conferences and collaborates with other mental health staff to develop the most effective treatment plan.
• Provides direct client care, completes required documentation, updates treatment team regarding client progress.
• Provides client, family members and significant others with referrals and linkage to community resources.
• Provides consultation to community agencies in the utilization of mental health and support services provided by directly operated clinics, in-patient facilities and contractors of the department.
• Provides in-service training to departmental staff and volunteers in the identification and treatment of mentally disordered individuals, principles of crisis intervention and management of assaultive behavior.
• Participates as a member of a Crisis Response Team in an inpatient psychiatric setting.
• Coordinate the activities of a Psychiatric Mobile Response Team or similar service team with law enforcement, courts, schools and other agencies, to assist and evaluate clients who are deemed to be a danger to themselves or others.
• Serve as a member of a Homeless Outreach and Engagement Team, providing initial assessments in the field and linking homeless mentally ill to mental health services.
• Coordinate the work of Psychiatric Technicians or others in the delivery of mental health services at an in-patient or out-patient facility.
• Coordinate or develop psychological rehabilitation programs for the chronically and persistently mentally ill.
• Lead and provide technical supervision to lower-level psychiatric technicians and support staff assigned to provide mental health services at an inpatient or outpatient facility.
• Serve as mental health service gatekeeper at the mental health ACCESS and Telecommunications Center, performing triage on caller requests for service, referring caller to an appropriate treatment source, and/or dispatching a psychiatric mobile response team.
• Assists Psychiatrists in completing and checking for accuracy on Treatment Authorization Request (TAR) and Prior Authorization (PA) forms.
• Promptly responds to phone calls / walk ins from clients regarding medication-related issues (i.e. medication side effects, pharmacy dispensing issues, refill needs) and consults with Psychiatrists and/or Register Nurses regarding those issues.
• Maintains medication inventory, organization, expiration dates, room/refrigerator temperature logs in the Medication Room.
• Orders supplies for Medication Room (i.e. sharps containers, syringes, needles, gloves, alcohol swabs, etc.)
• Maintains a caseload of clients and facilitate routine follow up and case management services as needed.
• Works in conjunction with other team members to facilitate services within Care Clinic Model.
• Prepares and signs the application for immediate 72-hour detention of disturbed psychiatric clients if Lanterman-Petris-Short (LPS) designated by the Office of Medical Director.

Requirements

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

Two years of experience at the level of Psychiatric Technician II in the County of Los Angeles*.

LICENSE(S) REQUIRED

Possession of a current, active and valid California State License to practice as a Psychiatric Technician.

Some positions in this classification, depending upon assignment, require possession of a valid California Class C Driver License to perform job-related essential functions. Candidates offered these positions will be required to show proof of a valid driver license before appointment.

PHYSICAL CLASS

4 - Arduous. Involves frequent heavy lifting over 25 pounds, often combined with bending, twisting, or working on irregular surfaces; and occasionally requires extraordinary physical activity.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENT INFORMATION

• Experience at the level of Los Angeles County's class of Psychiatric Technician II is defined as: Actively participates with professional staff members in the delivery of mental health services or the delivery of indirect and direct patient care to clients who are mentally ill or emotionally disturbed.

Applicants must submit a legible copy of official proof of the required license at the time of filing or within 15 calendar days from the time of application submission.

Additional Information

EXAMINATION CONTENT

An evaluation of experience based upon application and Supplemental Questionnaire information weighted 100%

Candidates must achieve a passing score of 70% or higher in order to be placed on the eligible register.

ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

Applications will be processed on an "as-received" basis and those receiving a passing score will be promulgated to the eligible register accordingly.

The names of candidates receiving a passing grade in the examination will be placed on the eligible register in the order of their score group for a period of twelve (12) months following the date of promulgation.

Retake: No person may compete for this examination more than once in a twelve (12) month period.

SPECIAL INFORMATION

All County workforce members must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment. Successful candidates for this position will be required to submit proof of vaccination against COVID-19 or request an exemption for qualifying medical or religious reasons during the onboarding process. Candidates should not present proof of vaccination until instructed to do so by the hiring department.

Past and present mental health clients and family members are encouraged to apply.

AVAILABLE SHIFT

Appointees may be required to work any shift, including evenings, nights, weekends and holidays.

VACANCY INFORMATION

The eligible register for this examination will be used to fill vacancies in the Department of Mental Health.

APPLICATION AND FILING INFORMATION

Applicants are required to complete and submit an online Los Angeles County Employment Application in order to be considered for this examination. Paper applications, resumes, or any unsolicited documents will not be accepted in lieu of completing the online application and Supplemental Questionnaire. We must receive your application by 5:00 pm, Pacific Standard Time (PST), on the last day of filing.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR FILING ONLINE

Apply online by clicking on the "Apply" tab for this posting.

Applicants must complete and submit their online applications and upload required documents (e.g. License, Resume, etc.) as attachment(s) during application submission, or send by email to exams@dmh.lacounty.gov within 15 calendar days from date of application submission. Indicate the Exam Title on the subject line when sending required documents by email.

The acceptance of your application will depend on whether you have clearly shown that you meet the Selection Requirements. Utilizing verbiage from bulletin, class specifications, and minimum requirements serving as your description of duties will not be sufficient to meet requirements. Doing so may result in an incomplete application and you may be disqualified. Your online application must show complete license, education and work experience information necessary to evaluate your qualifications. License information section must show title of license, license number, original date of issue, and expiration date. Education information section must include name and address of school attended, complete dates attended, name of course/s taken, number of units earned, and degree/s earned. Work experience section must include job title, employer name and address, name of work area/facility, actual payroll title held and not the working and/or functional titles, from/to dates of employment including month, day and year, total number of months, total number of hours worked per week - not a range of hours (full or part-time), complete and detailed description of related job duties. If range of hours is provided, experience will be prorated based on the lowest number of hours worked per week. List each job experience separately.

All information is subject to verification. Applications may be rejected at any stage of the selection process.

SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER LANGUAGE

All applicants must enter a valid social security number at the time of filing. Entering anything other than a valid social security number (i.e. 000-00-0000, 111-11-1111, etc.) will result in an automatic rejection of your application.

COMPUTER AND INTERNET ACCESS AT LIBRARIES

For candidates who may not have regular access to a computer or the internet, applications can be completed on computers at public libraries throughout Los Angeles County.

NO SHARING USER ID AND PASSWORD

All applicants must file their applications online using their own user ID and password. Using a family member or friend's user ID and password may erase a candidate's original application record.

DEPARTMENT CONTACT

Department Contact Name: Irene San, Exam Analyst

Department Contact Phone: (323) 705-4113 or (323) 705-4074

Department Contact Email: exams@dmh.lacounty.gov

ADA Coordinator Phone: (323) 705-4113

Teletype Phone: 800-735-2922

California Relay Services Phone: 800-735-2922