Any psych techs/ psych CNA's?

[CNAinNeb]

My company is opening a new psychiatric recovery center, and I have considered putting in an application for transfer so I could work there as a psych tech. The job posting said they prefer applicants with a degree in a health field (which I have), but this really suprised me. Why do you think they would want a degree for a tech?

Can anyone tell me about your experiences working in this area of nursing, so that I can make my decision? Have your patients ever put you in physical danger? If you use CNA's/ psych techs, are thier responsibilities much different than CNA duties in long-term care or anywhere else? Care to add anything else? Thanks!

[Freezing_in_Colorado]

Hello,

My name is Anne. I worked as a Psych Tech in Colorado so I can tell you the requirements for here which may be different for you. In Colorado there are two different Psych Tech designations. Psych Tech MI and Psych Tech DD. I don't know much about Psych Tech DD other than it qualifies a person to work with people who are developmentally disabled. A Psych Tech MI (mentally ill) is equivelant to an LPN. We had to take the same prerequisites as the LPNs and were mixed in with the LPNs during our first semester in the nursing program. During the second semester we did our clinicals at the Colorado Mental Health Institute, which is the state mental hospital. We are licensed as Psych Techs and had to sit a State Board Exam. The duties of a Psych Tech are many and varied depending on where you work. In some places there is a lot of nursing care involved and others it is more patient handling. There is some emphasis and one on one therapy interactions and that sort of thing. I have worked on geriatric, forensic, and general adult wards and in all them at one time or another I was in physical danger. However, there are specific training techniques we learned to help in those types of situations and you never have to work alone. So everybody watches out for everybody else. I hope this answered some of your questions. It's been awhile since I worked as a Psych Tech so things may have changed somewhat.

[CNAinNeb]

Thanks so much for your reply. I grew up in Littleton, so I somewhat know what facility you are talking about. I am suprised that NE doesn't require more extensive training after hearing exactly what the job entails. I hope they have lots of on the job training, if I do decide to go this route. I think I would like the one on one interaction.