Psychiatric Technician III - Los Angeles, United States - Los Angeles County (CA)

Description

Position/Program Information


TYPE OF RECRUITMENT:
OPEN COMPETITIVE - EMERGENCY


EXAM NUMBER:
b8163B-EA


FILING START DATE:
November 10, 2023 at 8:00 a.m. (Pacific Time)

This examination will remain open until the need of the service are met and is subject to close without prior notice

The LA County Board of Supervisors recently declared a local state of emergency for homelessness, and the County is working to revise and expand our response to help all who are affected.

We are looking for qualified and passionate individuals to help us in the mission of addressing issues like housing, mental health, and substance use.

If you are looking for a new career that will directly benefit the population of LA County, this may be the opportunity for you.

The Department of Mental Health is seeking qualified candidates to fill emergency Psychiatric Technician III vacancies related to the homelessness crisis.

Under the emergency order, applicants who meet the requirements may be hired for an initial period of up to 90 days, with an opportunity for permanent County employment.

Before the end of your initial work period, you will be assessed on your work performance. This assessment will be weighted 100%.

Those who successfully pass the assessment will be considered for permanent appointment to Psychiatric Technician III.

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.

You must meet the above Minimum Requirements in order to be appointed to fill any vacancies related to this recruitment.

• Experience is evaluated based on a verifiable 40-hour workweek. Work performed part-time will be prorated on a month-for-month basis.

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.

PHYSICAL CLASS:

Physical Class IV - Arduous: This class involves frequent heavy lifting over 25 pounds, often combined with bending, twisting, or working above ground on irregular surfaces.

It includes those positions that occasionally demand extraordinary physical activity such as those in Safety positions.


LICENSE(S) REQUIRED:

• Possession of a current, active and unrestricted California State License to practice as a Psychiatric Technician. A copy of a valid California State License to practice as Psychiatric Technician MUST be attached to the application at the time of filing. Applications submitted without the required copy of licensure will be considered as incomplete until such information is provided. Original license must be presented at the time of appointment.
• 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.
• Successful applicants for this position who will be required to drive will be required to obtain a copy of his/her driving record from the California State Department of Motor Vehicles before being appointed. Applicant's license must not be suspended, restricted or revoked, or have more than four moving violations within the last two years. This information will be verified at the time of appointment.

If you are unable to attach required documents, you must e-mail the documents to , within seven (7) calendar days of filing online.

Please include the exam title and your full name as it appears on your application.

Additional Information


EXAMINATION CONTENT:

Under the emergency order, applicants who meet the requirements may be hired for an initial period of up to 90 days, with an opportunity for permanent County employment.

Before the end of your initial work period, you will be assessed on your work performance. This assessment will be weighted 100%. Those who successfully pass the assessment will be considered for permanent appointment.


APPLICATION AND FILING INFORMATION:

Applicants are required to complete and submit an online Los Angeles County Employment Application AND Supplemental Questionnaire 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.

Application filing may be suspended at any time without advance notice.


INSTRUCTIONS FOR FILING ONLINE:
Applications must be filed online only. Apply online by clicking on the green "Apply" button located on this posting.

Plan to submit your online application well in advance before the deadline as you may be required to verify your email address.

This only needs to be done once per email address, and if you already have a job seeker account on ,gov you can verify at any time by logging in and following the prompts.

This is to enhance the security of your online application and to ensure you do not enter an incorrect email address.

Many important notifications will be sent electronically to the email address provided on the application, so it is important that you provide a valid email address.

Please add as well as and to your email address and list of approved senders to prevent email notification from being filtered as span/junk/clutter mail.

You have the ability to opt out of emails from LA County.

If you unsubscribe, you will not receive any email notification for any examination for which you apply with Los Angeles County.

Regardless of whether you choose to unsubscribe, you can always check for notifications by logging into and viewing your profile inbox, which saves a copy of all emailed notices.

SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER LANGUAGE
Please include your Social Security Number for record control purposes. Federal law requires that all employed persons have a Social Security Number.


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.

FAIR CHANCE EMPLOYER
The County of Los Angeles is a Fair Chance employer.

Except for a very limited number of positions, you will not be asked to provide information about a conviction history unless you receive a contingent offer of employment.

The County will make an individualized assessment of whether your conviction history has a direct or adverse relationship with the specific duties of the job, and consider potential mitigating factors, including, but not limited to, evidence and extent of rehabilitation, recency of the offense(s), and age at the time of the offense(s).

If asked to provide information about a conviction history, any convictions or court records which are exempted by a valid court order do not have to be disclosed.

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:

HR Examinations Unit:

HR Examinations Unit Email:

Analyst Contact Phone:
Irene San,


Analyst Contact Email:

ADA COORDINATOR PHONE:

TELETYPE PHONE:

CALIFORNIA RELAY SERVICES PHONES:

COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES
Employment Information

Any language contained in the job posting supersedes any language contained below.


Your Responsibilities:

Completing Your Application:
a.

Before submission of the application, it is your responsibility to ensure that all information provided is correct and complete on the application.

Incomplete applications cannot be accepted.

b. List each payroll title separately for each job. Do not group your experience. Specify the beginning and ending dates for each job.

If you are a Los Angeles County employee and have held multiple positions, do NOT list all of your time with the County under your present payroll title.

c. Please include your Social Security Number for record control purposes. Federal law requires that all employed persons have a Social Security Number.

d.

To receive credit, include required documents (e.g., copy of your diploma, transcript, certificate, or license) as directed on the job posting.

International degrees in a foreign language must be translated to English and evaluated for equivalency to U.S. standards. Refer to the job posting for specific deadlines for supporting documentation.


Requirements on Job Posting:
a. Your application will only be accepted if it clearly shows you meet the requirements. The information you give will determine your eligibility and is subject to verification at any time.

b.

You must be at least 16 years of age at the time of appointment unless other age limits are stated on the job posting.

The Federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) of 1967, as amended, prohibits discrimination on the basis of age for any individual age 40 or older.

c. Experience is evaluated on the basis of a verifiable 40- hour week, unless specified otherwise. Prorated part-time experience may be acceptable.

Application Deadline:

All job applications must be completed and submitted before the closing time on the last day of the filing period as indicated on the job posting unless other instructions are provided.

Job postings with an open continuous filing period are subject to closure without prior notice.

It is to your advantage to file your application early and not wait until the last allowable date and time as you will not be able to apply once the filing period has closed.

Change of Name or Address:

To change personal information such as your name or address, log into your profile on and make the necessary change.

This can be done at any time.


Equal Employment Opportunity/Non-Discrimination Policy:
a.

It is the policy of the County of Los Angeles to provide equal employment opportunity for all qualified persons, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, disability, or any other characteristic protected by state or federal law.

b.

If you are an individual requesting reasonable accommodation(s) in the examination process, please contact the testing accommodation coordinator listed on the job posting.

The provision of accommodation(s) may be subject to verification, consistent with state and federal law. All accommodation-related information will remain confidential.

Disclaimer:

The County of Los Angeles is not responsible or in any way liable for any computer hardware or software malfunction that may affect the employment application or the application selection process.

You assume all responsibility and risk for the use of this system and the Internet generally.

This system and the information provided on it are provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis without warranties of any kind, either express or implied.

No advice or information given by the County of Los Angeles or its respective employees shall modify the foregoing or create any warranty.

The County of Los Angeles expressly disclaims any warranty that the information on this system or on the Internet generally will be uninterruptible or error free or that any information, software or other material accessible from the system is free of viruses or other harmful components.

You shall have no recourse against the County of Los Angeles as the system provider for any alleged or actual infringement of any proprietary rights a user may have in anything posted or retrieved on our system.

The County of Los Angeles shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, punitive, incidental, special or consequential damages arising out of or in any way connected with the use of this system or with the delay or inability to use it (or any linked sites), or for any information obtained through this system, or otherwise arising out of the use of this system, the Internet generally or on any other basis.

NOTE:

Your application is submitted using Secure Encryption to ensure the privacy of all information you transmit over the Internet.

By accepting the Use Disclaimer set forth herein, you agree to all of the above terms and further agree to use this Online Job Employment Application System only for the submission of bona fide employment applications to the County of Los Angeles.

Any other use of this Online Job Employment Application System, including without limitation any copying, downloading, translating, decompiling, or reverse engineering of the system, data, or related software, shall be a violation of the Use Disclaimer.

Test Preparation:
Study Guides and other resources are available to help candidates prepare for employment tests.

An interactive system for taking practice tests may be accessed on the Department of Human Resources website at Additional resources may be listed on the job posting.

Veteran's Credit:

In all open competitive examinations, a veteran's credit of 10 percent of the total credits specified for such examinations will be added to the final passing grade of an honorably discharged veteran who served in the Armed Forces of the United States under any of the following conditions: During a declared war; -or- During the period April 28, 1952 through July 1, 1955; -or- For more than 180 consecutive days, other than for training, any part of which occurred after January 31, 1955, and before October 15, 1976; -or- During the Gulf War from August 2, 1990 through January 2, 1992; -or- For more than 180 consecutive days, other than for training, any part of which occurred during the period beginning September 11, 2001, and ending on August 31, 2010 the last day of Operation Iraqi Freedom; -or- In a campaign or expedition for which a campaign medal or expeditionary medal has been authorized and awarded.

Any Armed Forces Expeditionary medal or campaign badge, including El Salvador, Lebanon, Grenada, Panama, Southwest Asia, Somalia, and Haiti qualifies for credit.

A campaign medal holder or Gulf War veteran who originally enlisted after September 7, 1980 (or began active duty on or after October 14, 1982, and has not previously completed 24 months of continuous active duty) must have served continuously for 24 months or the full period called or ordered to active duty.

This also applies to the spouse of such person who, while engaged in such service was wounded, disabled or crippled and thereby permanently prevented from engaging in any remunerative occupation, and also to the widow or widower of any such person who died or was killed while in such service.

A DD214, Certificate of Discharge or Separation from Active Duty, or other official documents issued by the branch of service are required as verification of eligibility for Veterans preference.

Applicants must submit the documentation for each open competitive exam to qualify for veteran's credit.


More information available at:

Accreditation Information:

Accredited institutions are those listed in the publications of regional, national or international accrediting agencies that are accepted by the Department of Human Resources.

Publications such as American Universities and Colleges and International Handbook of Universities are acceptable references.

Also acceptable, if appropriate, are degrees that have been evaluated and deemed to be equivalent to degrees from United States accredited institutions by an academic credential evaluation agency recognized by The National Association of Credential Evaluation Services or the Association of International Credential Evaluators, Inc.

(AICE).


More information is available at:
and

Background Check:
The County of Los Angeles is a Fair Chance employer.

Except as otherwise permissible under applicable laws, you will not be asked to provide information about a conviction history unless you receive a conditional offer of employment.

The County will make an individualized assessment of whether your conviction history has a direct or adverse relationship with the specific duties of the job, and will also consider potential mitigating factors, including, but not limited to, evidence and extent of rehabilitation, recency of the offense(s), and age at the time of the offense(s).

If asked to provide information about a conviction history, any convictions or court records which are exempted by a valid court order do not have to be disclosed.

Career Planning:
Resources to help current and prospective employees plan a career with Los Angeles County are available.

To explore career paths to and from nearly all job titles, please visit our interactive Career PathFinder application at https:
//career-Benefit Information: Depending on the position, the successful candidate will enroll in a contributory defined benefit pension plan if the candidate is a "new member" of the County's defined benefit plan (LACERA) on or after January 1, 2013 (first employed by the County on or after December 1, unless she or he established reciprocity with another public retirement system in which she or he was a member before January 1, 2013. It should be noted that County employees do not pay into Social Security, but do pay the Medical Hospital Insurance Tax portion of Social Security at a rate of 1.45%. The Los Angeles County Employees Retirement Association (LACERA) has reciprocal agreements with several public retirement systems in California.

Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990: All positions are open to qualified men and women.

Pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, persons with disabilities who believe they need reasonable accommodation, or help in order to apply for a position, may contact the ADA/Personnel Services for Disabled Persons Coordinator.

Hearing impaired applicants with telephone teletype equipment may leave messages by calling the teletype phone number on the job posting.

The County will attempt to meet reasonable accommodation requests whenever possible.

Equal Employment Opportunity:

It is the policy of the County of Los Angeles to provide equal employment opportunity for all qualified persons, regardless of race, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, disability, or any other characteristic protected by state or federal law.

All positions are open to qualified men and women pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the California Fair Employment and Housing Act.

The County will comply with all of its obligations under State and Federal laws regarding the provision of reasonable accommodations to applicants.

Los

Angeles County Child Support Compliance Program:

In an effort to improve compliance with court ordered child, family and spousal support obligations, certain employment and identification information (i.e., name, address, Social Security number and date of hire) is regularly reported to the State Directory of New Hires which may assist in locating persons who owe these obligations.

Family Code Section 17512 permits under certain circumstances for additional employment and identifying information to be requested. Applicants will not be disqualified from employment based on this information.

Social Security Act of 2004:

Section 419 (c) of Public Law , the Social Security Protection Act of 2004, requires State and local government employers to disclose the effect of the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset Provision to employees hired on or after January 1, 2005, in jobs not covered by Social Security.

The County of Los Angeles does not participate in the Social Security System.

All newly hired County of Los Angeles employees must sign a statement (Form SSA-1945) prior to the start of employment indicating that they are aware of a possible reduction in their future Social Security benefit entitlement.

For more information on Social Security and about each provision, you may visit the website , or call toll free Persons who are deaf or hard of hearing may call the TTY number or contact a local Social Security office.

Employment Eligibility Information:
Final appointment is contingent upon verification of U.S. citizenship or the right to work in the United States.

Immigration law provides that all persons hired after November 6, 1986, are required to present original documents to the County, within three (3) business days of hiring, which show satisfactory proof of 1) identity and 2) U.S.

employment eligibility.

The California Fair Employment and Housing Act (Part 2.8 commencing with Section 12900 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code) the Regulations of the Fair Employment and Housing Commission (California Code of Regulations, Title 2, Division 4, Sections through 8504) and other applicable laws prohibit employment discrimination based on an applicant's protected characteristics, including race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, age, pregnancy, childbirth, and other characteristics.

COVID-19


VACCINATION:
Some County workforce members may be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Successful candidates for those positions/classifications may 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.

Updated February 2024