HEALTH CARE TECHNICIAN II - (Behavioral Health Technician) Fort Logan (G-Wing)

Department Information

• Person-centered, evidence-based care;
• Trauma-informed recovery;
• Multidisciplinary collaboration;
• Diversity and inclusion;
• Strong family and community partnerships.

Description of Job

The Health Technician II is an unlicensed staff member who operates under the supervision of a licensed psychologist within Clinical Services. This position is generally responsible for utilizing knowledge, evidence-based research, and interpersonal skills to establish therapeutic rapport and assist in psychological assessment (a psychometrist) and treatment provision. The Health Technician II is responsible for test administration and scoring (under the supervision of a licensed psychologist), assisting with court hearings and/or visitation, individual programming under supervision, and the provision of psychoeducational treatment groups and assistance with clinical treatment groups. The Health Technician II may support the Clinical Services team in the maintenance of support and behavior plans across the hospital. In addition, this position will be responsible for assisting with group assignments, patient movement to and from treatment group locations, documentation, and safety checks throughout off-unit events. The Health Technician II may also partner with members of the treatment team in order to carry out psychological assessment interventions, participate in treatment plan review meetings, and carry out other duties as determined to be important in an individual’s care at Fort Logan.

Other duties include:

Psychometrist:

• Responsible for assisting the licensed psychologists in conducting Psychological Assessments (such as standardized suicide risk assessment measures, intellectual testing, adaptive abilities, personality measures, comprehensive psychodiagnostics batteries, competency-related skills, and a variety of screening measures).
• Assists the psychologist in administering and scoring psychological assessments.
• Documents encounters in the electronic health record and may support the psychologist in collaborating with the treatment team on implementation of recommendations from the patient’s assessment.

• Responsible for the provision of psychoeducation/didactic group intervention, may assist in clinical group programming, and assist with the facilitation of the assignment and treatment provision process.
• Under supervision, they may assist in researching best practices, evolving interventions, and creating group materials in partnership with the licensed clinician for a variety of group interventions and psychiatric needs.
• Assists in the creation and execution of a treatment group assignment process for each treatment unit and hospital wide, which will focus on patient specific needs, clinician skill-set, and safety.
• Treatment intervention may occur in the forensic units, the treatment mall, and/or the community. During the provision of group treatment.
• Responsible for assessing patient responsiveness, appropriateness of materials, and real-time decision making to ensure the intervention is optimally received by
  those in attendance.
• Shares responsibility in developing treatment schedules, which evolve over time to meet patient needs. Lastly, this position will assist in escorting patients throughout the hospital and possibly into the community in order for them to participate in group treatment.

• Responsible for providing assistance with patient visitation and court hearings.
• Provides general team support through the MHC referral process. Help with providing individual competency interventions under the supervision of a licensed clinician.
• Assist in the maintenance of behavior plans, which consists of research, consultation, drafting interventions, and adding plan-related documents. These plans are the responsibility of the licensed clinician.
• Works under that supervision and direction to support the process, as opposed to lead the process. There may also be times when an individual intervention is approved by the licensed clinician to be facilitated by the Health Care Technician II after adequate training is received (e.g., cognitive remediation).

• Responsible for documenting all patient contact interactions, including test administration, individual, and group interventions. Documentation is also required for other clinically relevant interactions, collateral engagement, team meetings, and consultations. All documentation is completed in the Electronic Health Record (EHR) and should adhere to HIPAA requirements and privacy laws. Documentation is expected to be neutral, unbiased, and based on FAIR charting principles.

• Other duties as assigned include hospital-wide ad hoc activities, milieu support, etc.

Minimum Qualifications, Substitutions, Conditions of Employment & Appeal Rights

Education/Licensure/Certification/Experience:

• High school diploma or General Education Diploma (GED)
• One (1) year of experience in an occupational field related to the work assigned to the position

Additional appropriate education will substitute for the required experience on a year-for-year basis.

• Experience in Behavioral Health and/or Research
• Current or previous State employee
• Bachelor’s Degree
• Experience working with patients with SPMI (clinical or research) preferred
• Academic coursework in Statistics, Research Methods, Psychological Assessment (Cognitive, Personality, Neuropsychology, etc.) preferred

• Incumbents of this position must be at least 21 years of age
• Must possess a current/valid, unrestricted U.S. Driver's License
• Travel- May travel to attend training, court hearing, patients to appointment and other related activities
• 2-step TB (tuberculosis) screening is required of all new employees upon hires, and an Annual influenza vaccination
• Other vaccinations as required by the State of Colorado
• Full Background check - CBI name check and fingerprint check, ICON Colorado court database, Medicare fraud database, Reference Checks (Skill Survey), Professional License verification (licensure requirements), Drug Screen, PREA (Division of Youth Services), Trails check (direct contact with children), CAPS (direct contact with adults – Mental Health Institutes, Regional Centers, Veterans Community Living Centers)
• Former State employees who were disciplinarily terminated or resigned in lieu of termination must (1) disclose that information on the application (2) provide an explanation why the prior termination or resignation should not disqualify the applicant from the current position, (3) provide the employee number from the applicant’s prior State employment. Absent extraordinary circumstances, prior disciplinary termination or resignation in lieu of termination and failure to provide this information will disqualify the applicant from future State employment with CDHS.

Supplemental Information

• Strong, secure, yet flexible retirement benefits including a PERA Defined Benefit Plan or PERA Defined Contribution Plan www.copera.org plus 401(k) and 457 plans
• Medical and dental health plans
• Employer supplemented Health Savings Account
• Paid life insurance
• Short- and long-term disability coverage
• 11 paid holidays per year plus vacation and sick leave
• BenefitHub state employee discount program
• Employee Wellness program MotivateMe
• Excellent work-life programs, such as flexible schedules, training and more

• Remote work arrangements for eligible positions

• 
  Some positions may qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. For more

We believe in a people-first approach: To serve the people of Colorado, we develop a culture and work environment that creates an energized, inspired, and healthy team capable of giving their best to Coloradans.

Balance creates quality of life: We want our team to be resilient through a supportive workplace that values flexibility, health and wellness, and employee engagement.

We hold ourselves accountable: We take responsibility through our actions, programs, and results for the state of health and human services in Colorado.

Transparency matters: We are open and honest with employees, our partners, the Coloradans we serve, and the public.

We are ethical: We abide by what is best for those we serve by doing what is right, not what is easy.

Collaboration helps us rise together: We work together with all partners, employees, and clients to achieve the best outcomes for Coloradans.

We are committed to increasing the diversity of our staff and providing culturally responsive programs and services. Therefore, we encourage responses from people of diverse backgrounds and abilities.

ADAA Accommodations: CDHS is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, our agency will assist individuals who have a disability with any reasonable accommodation requests related to employment, including completing the application process, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, participating in the employee selection process, and/or to perform essential job functions where the requested accommodation does not impose an undue hardship. If you have a disability and require reasonable accommodation to ensure you have a positive experience applying or interviewing for this position, please direct your inquiries to our ADAA Coordinator, Nancy Schmelzer, at [email protected] or call 1-800-929-0791.

~THE STATE OF COLORADO IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER~