Psychiatric Technician (2305) - DPH - H00038 - job 1 of 2

The Department of Public Health prioritizes equitable and inclusive access to quality healthcare for its community and values the importance of diversity in its workforce. All employees at the Department of Public Health work to advance equity, inclusion, and diversity with a specific lens and focus on race, ethnicity, gender, sex, sexuality, disability, and immigration status. 

The Department of Public Health is accepting applications in class 2305 Psychiatric Technician, for multiple positions at all DPH facilities, including Zuckerberg San Francisco General and Laguna Honda.

1. START with this ⚠️ REQUIRED EXAM ✅  or https://forms.gle/HpbNaT6rRxa1ShdB7
2. Select the “APPLY NOW” button and follow instructions on the screen.
3. LASTLY, Look for a confirmation email (see HOW TO APPLY below for details)

Specific information regarding this examination process is listed below. 

• Application Opening -  1/10/2022
• Application Deadline - Continuous 
• Compensation: $87,620 - $106,496 annually
• Recruitment ID: H00038

The Mission of the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH) is to protect and promote the health of all San Franciscans. SFDPH strives to achieve its mission through the work of two main Divisions - the San Francisco Health Network and Population Health.

The San Francisco Health Network is the City's only complete system of care and has locations throughout the City, including Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, Laguna Honda Hospital and Rehabilitation Center, and over 15 primary care health centers.

**This recruitment is for multiple positions at all DPH facilities, including Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center (ZSFG), Laguna Honda Hospital and Rehabilitation Center (LHH), Community Primary Care and Mental Health Clinics, as well as San Francisco County Jails. Some positions may require employees to work directly with individuals within locked jails and psychiatric facilities, the homeless population, and/or individuals who have or are carriers of infectious/communicable diseases. Additionally, part-time, evenings, nights, weekends, rotating, and/or holiday shifts may be required. **

Under the direction of a licensed physician, registered nurse, or clinical supervisor, the Psychiatric Technician performs responsible nursing and therapeutic procedures in the care and treatment of severely and persistently mentally ill and emotionally disturbed patients. The Psychiatric Technician works closely with an interdisciplinary team consisting of Primary MD, Nurses, Social Workers, and Occupational Therapists. Essential functions include but are not limited to:    

1. Gives a basic level of general and psychiatric nursing care to mentally ill patients; works with an interdisciplinary treatment team to provide an overall treatment program for the patient.
2. Under supervision, may perform nursing procedures such as administering medications and treatments, including oral medications, injections, and enemas, taking and charting vital signs; observes patients’ condition and behavior; reports significant changes to supervisor or physician and documents care and/or treatments in nursing progress notes on patients; prepares patients and cares for them during treatment; gives first aid as needed.
3. Helps to create a safe and therapeutic environment for patients and recognizes early symptoms/signs of escalation and at risk behavior; uses appropriate interventions including crisis intervention, verbal de-escalation, and alerting other team members.
4. Implements therapeutic activities and documents patient participation; assists rehabilitation therapists in occupational and recreational therapies for patients.
5. Motivates patients to develop independence in performing activities of daily living. Assists patients with feeding, clothing, toileting, activities of daily living; ensure patients follow safe practices that protect patients and others from personal injury.
6. Receives visitors and encourages their interest in the patients' wellbeing and treatment plan; escorts patients on the facility premises and to and from the community; orders supplies as needed; keeps records; participates in orientation and in-service training programs.
7. Participates in the discharge process.

The 2305 Psychiatric Technician performs other related duties as required.

Nature of Positions: Positions may require considerable physical effort in controlling or restraining violent clients, with continuous exposure to conditions which may result in accidents or injuries or other uncomfortable situations.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - Applicants must meet the minimum qualification requirement by the final filing date unless otherwise noted.

• LICENSE: Possession of a valid Psychiatric Technicians license issued by the California Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians. 

Condition of Employment: Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) Certificate (Please attach a copy of your certificate)

• Requirement/Provision Possession of a valid Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) Certificate issued by the American Heart Association is required as a provision to employment for all positions. Candidates who do not possess such a certification may participate in this examination process and be appointed to a position(s), but will be required to obtain the certificate within two (2) weeks of hire date and maintain validity throughout length of employment. A photocopy of the valid Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) Certificate must be provided to the appropriate supervisor of the appointment within the allotted time frame. Failure to demonstrate/show proof of possession of valid certification within two (2) weeks of hire date and throughout length of employment may result in dismissal and/or termination of employment. 

Special Condition(s): In addition to the listed minimum qualifications, some position(s) may require special conditions, including but not limited to, bilingual fluency in a variety of languages depending upon the department's bilingual needs. Only those eligible candidates who pass the bilingual proficiency test will be considered for bilingual positions. Applicants must indicate on the application form the language(s) in which they claim proficiency.

Important Note: Please make sure it is absolutely clear in your application exactly how you meet the minimum qualifications. Only the information entered in your application will be considered when determining whether you meet minimum qualifications. Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of a completed City and County of San Francisco application. Applications that do not appear to meet the minimum qualifications will not move forward in the recruitment process. Please upload certificates, transcripts, employment verifications, performance appraisals, etc. that you feel will help demonstrate that you meet the minimum qualifications.

Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process. Failure to provide the required verification when requested may result in the rejection of the application and/or appointment in this class. Please be aware that any misrepresentation of this information may disqualify you from this recruitment or future job opportunities.  

Minimum Qualification Supplemental Questionnaire (Weight: Qualifying): Candidates will be prompted to complete a Supplemental Questionnaire as part of the online employment application. This Minimum Qualification Supplemental Questionnaire is designed to obtain specific information regarding an applicant's experience in relation to the Minimum Qualifications for this position.  Applicants must also complete the official application.  It is essential that applicants provide complete information in identifying their education, experience, and training. The Minimum Qualification Supplemental Questionnaire will be used to evaluate if the applicant possesses the required minimum qualifications.

Training and Experience Evaluation (Weight: 100%): Candidates will be prompted to complete a Supplemental Questionnaire as part of the online employment application. The Supplemental Questionnaire is designed to measure knowledge, skills and/or abilities in job-related areas that have been identified as critical for satisfactory performance in this position.  

All relevant experience, education and/or training must be included in the application to be reviewed during the scoring process.  Candidate responses on the Supplemental Questionnaire cannot be changed once submitted.  Candidates will be placed on the eligible list in rank order according to their final score on the Supplemental Questionnaire.  The department may administer additional position-specific selection procedures to make final hiring decisions.

Eligible List/Score Report: A confidential eligible list of applicant names that have passed the civil service examination process will be created, and used for certification purposes only. An examination score report will be established, so applicants can view the ranks, final scores and number of eligible candidates. Applicant information, including names of applicants on the eligible list, shall not be made public unless required by law. However, an eligible list shall be made available for public inspection, upon request, once the eligible list is exhausted or expired and referrals resolved. The eligible list/score report resulting from this civil service examination process is subject to change after adoption (e.g., as a result of appeals), as directed by the Human Resources Director or the Civil Service Commission.

Upon passing the exam, candidates will be placed on the eligible list for a period of 12 months.

Certification: The certification rule for the eligible list resulting from this examination will be the Rule of the List.

HOW TO APPLY

Applications for City and County of San Francisco jobs are only accepted through an online process. Visit careers.sf.gov and begin the application process.  

Our e-mail communications may come from more than one department so please make sure your email is set to accept messages from all of us at this link. Applicants must ensure that email from CCSF is not blocked on their computer by a spam filter. 

Applicants may be contacted by email about this recruitment therefore, it is their responsibility to contact the Analyst if they update their email address.  

Applicants will receive a confirmation email that their online application has been received in response to every announcement for which they file. Applicants should retain this confirmation email for their records. Failure to receive this email means that the online application was not submitted or received. 

Terms of Announcement and Appeal Rights:
Applicants must be guided solely by the provisions of this announcement, including requirements, time periods, and other particulars, except when superseded by federal, state, or local laws, rules, or regulations. [Note: The correction of clerical errors in an announcement may be posted on the Department of Human Resources website at https://careers.sf.gov/. The terms of this announcement may be appealed under Civil Service Rule 110.4. Such appeals must be submitted in writing to the Department of Human Resources, 1 S Van Ness Avenue, 4th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103-5413 by close of business on the 5th business day following the issuance date of this examination announcement. Information concerning other Civil Service Commission Rules involving announcements, applications, and examination policies, including applicant appeal rights, can be found on the Civil Service Commission website at http://sfgov.org/civilservice/rules.  

Additional information regarding Employment with the City and County of San Francisco: 

• Information about the Hiring Process 
• Conviction History 
• Employee Benefits Overview 
• Equal Employment Opportunity 
• Disaster Service Workers
• Reasonable Accommodation
• Right to Work
• Copies of Application Documents
• Diversity Statement
• Veterans Preference

If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the analyst, Diane Zhou at [email protected] or 628-271-6703.

We may use text messaging to communicate with you on the phone number provided in your application. The first message will ask you to opt in to text messaging. 

All of your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines. 

The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.