Psych Techs

Specialties Psychiatric

Published

Are your techs called "Psychiatric Technicians" or "Psychiatric Counselors"? Are they also CNA's? Is there a huge disparity of workload on your unit between nurses and techs?

I ask because this is a problem on our unit. Our "techs" are called "counselors", yet they rarely spend time "counseling" or doing 1:1's. "The PC's are often not CNA's, which means they cannot or will not do things such as showers or supervising showers, dressing or undressing patients, incontinent care, collecting urine specimens, etc.

This leaves the nurses to do all of that, in addition to their RN duties, and while the PC's enjoy long breaks, surfing the web, and generally going about their minimal duties at a nice pace, while the nurses don't get breaks or even a meal break, race around trying to get things done, often doing overtime in order to catch up.

We have a couple of excellent PC's and they're worth their weight in gold, but too few of them. Management is not helpful with this.

So, I'm just wondering if anyone else is having this experience on your unit?

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Our techs are called "psychiatric technicians." Some are CNAs and some are not. Even the ones who are not CNAs are expected to do basic hygiene/ADL care prn and deal with collecting and transporting urine specimens (handing out and retrieving collection cups from the clients, not cathing :)).

My facility also has a "PCP" (patient care partner) designation, which is a CNA with some additional training -- they are trained and allowed to draw blood for labs, do ECGs, and probably some other things (those are the only extra things they do that I'm aware of).

Our techs work hard, and pretty much do everything to keep the unit going that doesn't specifically require an RN or LPN license -- I've never (in any of the places I've worked over the years) experienced the kind of situation you're describing. Good luck!!!

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Specializes in Hospice, corrections, psychiatry, rehab, LTC.

Ours were expected to perform CNA duties as well as interacting with the patients in a therapeutic environment. There was one who believed that because she had a bachelor's degree in psychology she ought to be supervising everyone on the unit, nurses included. She was constantly bringing up how she had more education than anyone else - until I told her that I had a BA in psychology before I went to nursing school, which I did to get a decent-paying job. I also mentioned that the people she aspired to supervise were licensed by the state to practice their professions, while she was not. She probably spent too much time flirting with the doctors to pay attention to me.

We wound up firing this particular employee because (in addition to undermining her coworkers) she gave an unauthorized referral for outpatient counseling to a patient who followed her recommendation, then his insurance wouldn't pay because the provider was out of network.

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Ours were expected to perform CNA duties as well as interacting with the patients in a therapeutic environment. There was one who believed that because she had a bachelor's degree in psychology she ought to be supervising everyone on the unit, nurses included. She was constantly bringing up how she had more education than anyone else - until I told her that I had a BA in psychology before I went to nursing school, which I did to get a decent-paying job. I also mentioned that the people she aspired to supervise were licensed by the state to practice their professions, while she was not. She probably spent too much time flirting with the doctors to pay attention to me.

We wound up firing this particular employee because (in addition to undermining her coworkers) she gave an unauthorized referral for outpatient counseling to a patient who followed her recommendation, then his insurance wouldn't pay because the provider was out of network.

My facility also has several of the techs like you describe, who think they know a whole lot more than they actually do -- actually, I find I have less trouble with the psych BA/BS folks than I do the nursing students working as techs. A few of those seem to think they already know more than the experienced, licensed RNs, and tend to take on more responsibility than appropriate and get in over their heads if you don't watch them closely (or they're just too busy, on evening and night shifts, working on their NS homework to do the job they're there for and being paid to do).

Most of our techs work hard and do a good job, though.

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They call us Mental Health Associates at my hospital. I am a CNA but a lot of us aren't. We definitely do lots of baths, vitals, and personal care. If anything, where I work, the nurses are cooped up behind the nurses station with paperwork and the MHAs do all the hands on work with the patients. I don't think any one type of employee doesn't do their share on my unit though. I'm sorry to hear about your hospital. Maybe your techs need a good talking to and to have their duties more clearly outlined. The truth is, many psych patients need help with hygiene and everyday activities and that IS a part of a psych techs job! What are those girls thinking?!

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In my state the psych techs are called psychiatric technicians and go through an educational program roughly equivalent to that of a licensed vocational nurse in length, although they cover med surg nursing topics for one semester and psych tech topics for two semesters. They do roughly the same duties that an LVN would do in their place, including passing meds, especially in state facilities, and are paid roughly the same. Their Board coexists with the LVN Board. Where I have seen them working, they were not sitting around lounging.

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Specializes in Hospice, corrections, psychiatry, rehab, LTC.
I find I have less trouble with the psych BA/BS folks than I do the nursing students working as techs. A few of those seem to think they already know more than the experienced, licensed RNs, and tend to take on more responsibility than appropriate and get in over their heads if you don't watch them closely (or they're just too busy, on evening and night shifts, working on their NS homework to do the job they're there for and being paid to do).

I can see how this would be an issue. I didn't have any techs in nursing school, so I didn't experience this. I know how some nursing students are, though - they see something that isn't being done in the "textbook" way and feel the need to correct experienced staff. Myself, I was too busy trying to learn from the experienced people around me and absorb everything I could to become better at the profession I was about to enter.

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Specializes in Psychiatric.

In my facility the techs are called "mental health workers". They don't have to be CNAs, but some are, and some have undergraduate degrees. I appreciate the work they do. Despite the fact that we are able to rotate them around for actual lunch breaks (while we nurses usually gulp our food down on the unit so we're available if needed), I don't envy them--their pay is crap and they spend their shifts running therapeutic groups with the patients, and they have to deal with the majority of the patients' difficult behaviors. I may not take my breaks, but most of the nurse-specific stuff I do (giving meds, doing admissions and discharges, etc.) feels like a break compared to managing a room of hyper, oppositional, aggressive children.

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Thanks for your replies. I'm glad for all of you who work with such great techs. Fortunately. we do have a few of those and we cherish them. I could tell you some things you would not believe about some of ours. Management favors our social workers and techs over our nurses, which is sad because most of our nurses are very hard working and get little recognition. It's really quite complicated, so I'll just have to say "oh well" and just get on with it. I just wish nurses were more supportive of each other.

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