Title: DSA Admission

State Role Title: 49053

Hiring Range: $42,676, salary to commensurate with experience.

Pay Band: 3

Agency: Dept Behavioral Health/Develop

Location: Western State Hospital

Agency Website: https://dbhds.virginia.gov/facilities/wsh/

Recruitment Type: Agency Employee Only - A

Job Duties

Job Duties – Psychiatric Care Technician – Admissions Unit
Shift: Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM

The Admissions Unit is seeking a skilled and compassionate Psychiatric Care Technician to provide high-quality direct care to individuals receiving inpatient psychiatric treatment. This role is essential in creating a safe, supportive, and therapeutic environment for patients during the critical initial phase of their treatment.

Key Responsibilities:

Provide direct patient care in accordance with established treatment plans and facility policies, ensuring safety, dignity, and respect for all individuals.

Assist patients with activities of daily living (ADLs), including hygiene, grooming, dressing, eating, mobility, and toileting.

Monitor patients’ physical and emotional well-being, report significant changes or concerns to nursing staff, and document observations accurately.

Support therapeutic interventions and actively participate in behavior management, crisis prevention, and de-escalation strategies.

Foster a structured, recovery-oriented environment that promotes stabilization, engagement, and transition to the appropriate level of care.

Collaborate with nursing and interdisciplinary team members to implement patient-centered care strategies tailored to individual needs.

Ensure adherence to safety protocols, infection control practices, and hospital standards at all times.

Contribute to the overall unit functioning by maintaining cleanliness, assisting with admissions/discharges, and supporting team communication.

This role requires strong interpersonal skills, emotional resilience, and the ability to work effectively in a fast-paced psychiatric hospital setting.

Minimum Qualifications

• Ability to provide direct psychiatric patient care under the supervision of licensed staff.
• Ability to effectively communicate with staff and psychiatric patients.
• Ability to work in a secure and locked environment with individuals who are experiencing acute symptoms of mental illness and/or additional forensic/legal involvement.
• Able to follow instructions and report observations/behaviors of psychiatric patients to licensed staff in a timely manner by describing observations verbally, in written, or electronically.
• Demonstrate knowledge of recovery/trauma informed care.
• Appropriately intervene in crisis or problem situations.
• Has skills in providing direction and assistance to psychiatric patients in activities of daily living.
• Willing to learn basic knowledge of developmental and psychiatric disorders along with human behavior, age-specific needs, and personality development.
• Willing to learn basic treatment measures to promote mental health appropriate to the adult, developmentally disabled or impaired, and/or geriatric populations.
• Vision and hearing adequate to recognize and respond to hazardous situation and ensure safety at facility.
• Ability to work effectively with staff in a team approach.
• Ability to perform infection prevention and control practices and appropriately apply standards in daily activities.
• Ability to perform repetitious walking and/or standing, bending, lifting and reaching over to position/restrain/transfer/transport and/or escort individuals, and provide assistance with activities of daily living.
• Ability to work overtime due to staffing emergencies in a 24-hour 7 day per week psychiatric hospital which at times may mean working a 16-hour shift if and when necessary
• Complete all annual competency training to include TOVA III with physical restraints.
• Complete and maintain Basic Life Support (BLS) certification for Healthcare Providers with the American Heart Association
• Has basic computer skills.
• If CNA, maintain certification in good standing with the Virginia State Board of Nursing.

KSAs as Defuse Coordinator
-Instruct and educate direct care staff on de-escalation skills and techniques to respond and assist patients in behavioral emergency.
-Manage and oversight the DEFUSE program.
-Maintain updated training material for DEFUSE training.
- Coordinate with DEFUSE team members and make sure they are aware of their assigned roles.
- Ensure completeness and accuracy of all paperwork, certificates and training records.
- Setup advance training for Crisis Prevention Officers.
- Advice direct care staff to improve their performance and deal with the behavioral emergencies by observing and giving feedback to reduce the injury rate.

As a Preceptor:
• Must float to different units to ensure delivery of required training to new employees.
• Must be able to precept new employees on acute admission units, long term units, Dogwood medical unit and admission office.
• Must be flexible to work off shifts to ensure preceptor coverage and back up other staff while they are on vacation.

Additional Considerations

• Previous healthcare experience preferred especially with individuals with severe mental illness, intellectual/developmental disabilities, or in the medical field
• Current Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) and/or previous psychiatric experience preferred
• Demonstrated consistent work history preferred
• Bi-lingual Spanish/English a plus
• Veteran or Spouse of Veteran
• Experience as a lead worker or other supervisory experience in a related field preferred (For Preceptor Program)
• Some knowledge of program activities including recreation, leisure skills, communication, vocational, and educational programming preferred

Special Instructions

You will be provided a confirmation of receipt when your application and/or résumé is submitted successfully. Please refer to “Your Application” in your account to check the status of your application for this position.

Commonwealth’s Alternate Hiring Process: In support of the Commonwealth’s commitment to inclusion, we are encouraging individuals with disabilities to apply through the Commonwealth Alternative Hiring Process. To be considered for this opportunity, applicants will need to provide their Certificate of Disability (COD) provided by a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor within the Department for Aging & Rehabilitative Services (DARS). Veterans are encouraged to answer Veteran status questions and submit their disability documentation, if applicable, to DARS to get their Certificate of Disability. If you need to get a Certificate of Disability, use this link: https://www.vadars.org/drs/cpid/PWContact.aspx, or call DARS at 800-552-5019.

Reasonable accommodations are available to persons with disabilities during application and/or interview processes per the Americans with Disabilities Act. Contact Human Resources at (540-332-8300) for assistance. Minorities, Individuals with disabilities, Veterans, and people with National Service experience are encouraged to apply. EEO/AA/TTY.

Western State Hospital is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment opportunities are open to all regardless of race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, veteran status, political affiliation, genetics, or disability.

DBHDS Facilities are no longer required to ensure that all staff members are vaccinated for COVID-19. However, facilities encourage and educate staff on the benefits and offer COVID - 19 vaccination programs to staff, residents, clients. Employees may be required to disclose immunization status for purposes of infection prevention and/or management of outbreaks. Upon acceptance of a job offer, new recruits will be asked to disclose their vaccination status (and for those fully vaccinated, proof of vaccination) during the pre-employment process. If you have questions, please contact the Office of Human Resources.

Contact Information

Name: Elizabeth Weber

Phone: 540-332-8056

Email: elizabeth.weber@dbhds.virginia.gov

In support of the Commonwealth’s commitment to inclusion, we are encouraging individuals with disabilities to apply through the Commonwealth Alternative Hiring Process. To be considered for this opportunity, applicants will need to provide their AHP Letter (formerly COD) provided by the Department for Aging & Rehabilitative Services (DARS), or the Department for the Blind & Vision Impaired (DBVI). Service-Connected Veterans are encouraged to answer Veteran status questions and submit their disability documentation, if applicable, to DARS/DBVI to get their AHP Letter. Requesting an AHP Letter can be found at AHP Letter or by calling DARS at 800-552-5019.

Note: Applicants who received a Certificate of Disability from DARS or DBVI dated between April 1, 2022- February 29, 2024, can still use that COD as applicable documentation for the Alternative Hiring Process.