Mental Health Worker - Per Diem - Hackensack Meridian Health

Our team members are the heart of what makes us better. At Hackensack Meridian Health we help our patients live better, healthier lives — and we help one another to succeed. With a culture rooted in connection and collaboration, our employees are team members. Here, competitive benefits are just the beginning. It’s also about how we support one another and how we show up for our community. Together, we keep getting better - advancing our mission to transform healthcare and serve as a leader of positive change.

Provides Mental Health Services to patients and their families including the assessment and treatment of mental health conditions with referrals for appropriate follow-up work.

A day in the life of a Mental Health Worker at Hackensack Meridian Health includes:

• Assess patients in the mental health emergency room, on inpatient units, or off-site, for treatment needs, including needs for referral to other hospitals/services. Utilizes knowledge of techniques, and regulations appropriate to the ages and conditions of the patients served. Communicates clearly and appropriately with patients and their families while responding promptly to their inquiries and requests.
• Develops an effective and appropriate treatment/referral plan that directly corresponds with the patient needs as identified through those assessments.
• Coordinates with any and all necessary other mental health providers to continue patient's treatment. Makes all necessary arrangements with and communicates all necessary information to these providers to meet the patients¿ needs as determined through the assessment.
• Identifies and intervenes appropriately and effectively to all patient crisis situations including, but not limited to, threats of harm to themselves or others.
• Documents on a daily basis all relevant patient, patient family, and professional contacts whether in person or by telephone.
• Ensures delivery of excellent customer service resulting in positive and improving patient satisfaction scores for department and Medical Center.
• Consults in-person on PMC medical units to assess potential mental health needs and discharge plans.
• Updates knowledge regularly regarding therapeutic techniques appropriate to the ages and conditions of patients, through conferences and staff tracking and education.
• Collaborates with other hospital staff to help identify and treat mental health conditions in hospital patients.
• Performs other duties as assigned.
• Participates in Continuous Quality Improvement efforts on departmental and interdepartmental CQI teams.
• Other duties and/or projects as assigned.
• Adheres to HMH Organizational competencies and standards of behavior.

Education, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required:

• Bachelor's degree in Social Work or related field. MSW preferred.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Minimum of two years experience in mental health or State of New Jersey Division of Mental Health Services approved equivalent experience. Experience requirements waived if Master¿s degree is obtained.
• High stress
• Willingness to work with the realization that errors and incompetency may have serious consequences to patients.
• Long periods of sitting with frequent standing or moving to other areas to retrieve or return documents, and make copies.
• Requires constant verbal communication in person or using the phone.
• Requires frequent reading or correspondence, reports, materials, etc.
• Requires ability to read and concentrate frequently to check accuracy of reports, correspondence, computer records, etc.
• Requires ability to read, understand, analyze and interpret policies and procedures.
• Requires ability to deal with stress of dealing with public, frequent interruptions, and working on more than one task concurrently.
• Requires flexibility in order to respond to changes in priorities, special project assignments, and emergency situations.
• Apply principals of logical or scientific thinking to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions in order to provide effective patient care.
• Manage time appropriately to meet patient and department needs.
• Telephone, copier, facsimile machine.

Education, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Preferred:

• Proficient computer skills that include but are not limited to Microsoft Office and/or Google Suite platforms.

Licenses and Certifications Preferred:

• ACSW preferred.

Contacts:

• Extensive contact with medical personnel and its visitors.

If you feel the above description speaks directly to your strengths and capabilities, then please apply today!