As a patient-focused organization, University of Utah Health exists to enhance the health and well-being of people through patient care, research and education. Success in this mission requires a culture of collaboration, excellence, leadership, and respect. University of Utah Health seeks staff that are committed to the values of compassion, collaboration, innovation, responsibility, integrity, quality and trust that are integral to our mission. EO/AA
This position provides a safe, supportive, and therapeutic environment for psychiatric patients and assists with the provision of basic patient care needs.
Corporate Overview: The University of Utah is a Level 1 Trauma Center and is nationally ranked and recognized for our academic research, quality standards and overall patient experience. Our five hospitals and eleven clinics provide excellence in our comprehensive services, medical advancement, and overall patient outcomes.
ResponsibilitiesEssential Functions- Assists with maintaining a safe and hazard free environment by observing and documenting patient behavior, conducting patient room searches, reporting unsafe conditions and applying appropriate emotional and physical support.
- Performs or assists with the admission of new patients by gathering routine information for nursing assessment, searches patients and personal effects for contraband, documents personal effects and other appropriate information.
- Orients the patient and patient's family to the facility and the policies and procedures.
- Escorts the patients to off-unit appointments and activities using therapeutic interventions to ensure the safety of the patient, hospital staff, and other University patients and visitors.
- Assists with providing a therapeutic milieu for patients by encouraging patients to participate in recreational activities and group therapies.
- Assists with supportive therapy for select patients by leading activity and conversation groups.
- Assists in the development of patient behavioral expectations.
- May function as a preceptor to new Psychiatric Technicians.
- Assists with the unit's training and quality assurance programs, as well as ordering, stocking, and maintaining clerical and patient supplies. Provides an annual educational in-service to co-workers.
- Functions as a member of the interdisciplinary treatment team and may coordinate with leadership to maintain department forms.
- Assists with initiating and contributing to patient treatment planning, teaching and discharge planning.
- Participates in patient care team conferences by sharing observations of patient's progress toward identified goals and assists the primary Registered Nurse with the development, evaluation, and revision of patient care plans.
- Ability to recognize when a patient is having an adverse reaction to medication and report it in a timely manner to the Registered Nurse.
- Ability to assess a patient that can possibly hurt himself/herself and others and report this information to the Registered Nurse, and has the ability to assist with restraints and seclusion.
- Interpersonal skills to acquire the trust of the patients and respond appropriately in a crisis situation.
- Ability to utilize the principles of group dynamics when co-leading a group to facilitate the development of social, behavioral, and communication skills among group members.
- Knowledge and skills necessary to provide care appropriate to the age of the patients served on his or her assigned unit.
- Knowledge of the principles of life span growth and development and the ability to assess data regarding the patient's status and provide care as described in the department's policies and procedures manual.
- Demonstrated human relations and effective communication skill.
- Six months of behavioral health or direct patient care experience; may include CNA, MA, HCA, Teacher’s aide or assistant.
- Current RQI Healthcare Provider eCredential through the University of Utah Health RQI system. The eCredential is to be obtained within 30 days of hire.
Employee must be able to meet the following requirements with or without an accommodation.
- This position involves intensive work that may exert up to 50 pounds and may consistently require lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling or otherwise moving objects, such as medical equipment, or patients while providing care in a psychiatric setting. Workers in this position may be exposed to infectious diseases.
Skills Required
- At least six months of behavioral health or direct patient care experience, including CNA, medical assistant, health care assistant, or teacher's aide experience.
- Current RQI Healthcare Provider eCredential through the University of Utah Health RQI system, obtained within 30 days of hire.
- Ability to safely lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move up to 50 pounds and assist with patient care in a psychiatric setting.
University of Utah Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about University of Utah and has not been reviewed or approved by University of Utah.
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Retirement Support — Employer-funded retirement contributions on both the academic campus and U of U Health are notably strong, with automatic contributions and additional voluntary savings options. This emphasis makes long-term financial benefits a distinctive part of the total compensation offering.
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Healthcare Strength — Multiple medical plan choices, robust mental-health support through the Employee Assistance Program, and wellness programs create a comprehensive health offering. Network options and wellness incentives further enhance coverage quality.
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Parental & Family Support — Paid parental leave policies provide options for fully paid periods or extended partial-pay leave for staff, with parallel provisions at U of U Health. Separate frameworks for faculty include modified duties and leave arrangements during family transitions.
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What We Do
The University of Utah, located in Salt Lake City in the foothills of the Wasatch Mountains, is the flagship institution of higher learning in Utah. Founded in 1850, it serves over 31,000 students from across the U.S. and the world. With over 72 major subjects at the undergraduate level and more than 90 major fields of study at the graduate level, including law and medicine, the university prepares students to live and compete in the global workplace. Known for its proximity to seven world-class ski resorts within 40 minutes of campus, the U encourages an active, holistic lifestyle, innovation and collaborative thinking to engage students, faculty and business leaders. The University of Utah became a member of the PAC-12 conference in July 2011. Technology and Commercialization The University of Utah is tops in the country for creating start-up companies from university research, according to a ranking by the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM). See http://unews.utah.edu/news_releases/u-of-utah-no-1-for-startups for more information. Forbes magazine’s recent ranking of the “Best States for Business” pointed to “an educated labor force” as a big reason Utah came in at number one. The U supplies many of the employees for companies that keep expanding their operations in Utah, such as Goldman Sachs, Adobe, Omniture, Oracle, Ebay and many others. http://pac12info.utah.edu/commercialization-of-innovation/ Healthcare University of Utah Health Care recently ranked first in the nation in a prestigious national study. The University Health System Consortium’s 2010 Quality and Accountability Study compared 98 of the nation’s top academic medical centers and ranked them based on core quality measures, patient safety indicators, mortality rates, re-admission rates, and patient satisfaction scores. See more about University of Utah Health Care at http://healthcare.utah.edu/index.php




