(no subject)
Dear Andrew ********,
Congratulations! You have been accepted into the Psychiatric Technician and Vocational Nursing program at Santa Rosa Junior College.
Education and Training
The Psychiatric Technician educational program consists of at least 1,530 hours of classroom instruction in accredited schools plus hands-on clinical experience in state or community facilities under the direct supervision of an experienced instructor.
The curriculum is approximately one-third nursing and two-thirds behavioral science. The curriculum is regularly updated so the skills that are taught match the needs in the current practice settings. Here is a document regarding the Psych Tech scope of practice.
Educational Requirements
Section 2575 of the California Code of Regulations requires that accredited Psychiatric Technician education programs must include at least 576 hours of theory and 954 hours of supervised clinical experience. Below are the minimum number of hours required in specific areas.
Instructional
area Classroom
theory
hours Supervised
clinical
hours
Nursing science 126 270
Mental disorders 108 270
Developmental disabilities 108 270
Pharmacology 54 0
Additional hours 180 144
Curriculum Content
Section 2587 of the California Code of Regulations
spells out the specific curriculum content requirements as follows:
(a) Psychiatric technician programs shall include theory and correlated clinical experience.
(b) The curriculum shall develop the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to care for patients of all ages in current health care settings.
(c) The curriculum content shall be taught in a sequence that results in students' progressive mastery of knowledge, skills, and abilities.
(d) The curriculum content shall include:
(1) Anatomy
and physiology
(2) Nutrition
(3) Psychology
(4) Normal growth
and development
(5) Nursing process
(6) Communication
(7) Nursing science.......... which shall include ....... (A) Nursing fundamentals
(B) Medical/surgical nursing
(C) Communicable diseases, which shall include but not be limited to Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)
(D) Gerontological nursing
(8) Patient education
(9) Pharmacology .......... which shall include....... (A) Knowledge of commonly used drugs and their actions
(B) Computation of dosages
(C) Preparation of medications
(D) Principles of administration
(10) Classifications, treatment programs and interventions for developmental disabilities
(11) Classifications, treatment programs and interventions for mental disorders, which shall include addictive behaviors and eating disorders.
(12) Leadership
(13) Supervision
Continuing Education
To help keep Psychiatric Technicians current with recent advances in their field, they must complete 30 hours of continuing education courses every two years in order to renew their licenses.
CAPT offers a list of continuing education resources.
State licensure
California Psychiatric Technicians are licensed by the Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians (BVNPT), which is a part of the state Department of Consumer Affairs. The Board maintains an enforcement function to safeguard the consumer's right to skilled, competent treatment.
To supplement to the state licensing process, the California Association of Psychiatric Technicians maintains the Psychiatric Technician Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics.
Salaries
Because of their focused training, Psychiatric Technicians are among the most cost-effective mental health care providers. In 2003, annual salaries for licensed Psych Techs in state service ranged from $32,052 for a beginning Psych Tech to $58,104 for a Psych Tech Instructor. (See the2001-2003 pay scales for state-employed Psych Techs.) On top of these base salaries are any Recruitment and Retention differentials that are applicable to certain job classifications and locations.
Salaries for students, trainees and and pre-licensed graduates are less, as are some salaries for Psych Techs working for healthcare facilities outside of state government.
The targeted training and moderate salaries of Psychiatric Technicians make them a particularly cost-effective resource as an option to Registered Nurses, Social Workers and other higher-paid professionals.
CAPT has salary fact sheets listing Psych Tech pay ranges in some counties.
History
The Psychiatric Technician profession has its roots in the old job of hospital "attendant." The profession came into its own in the 1950's as advancements were made in treatment of the mentally ill and mentally retarded in both the private and public sectors. In order to provide a system to assure competence in practice, the state began "certifying" Psychiatric Technicians in 1959. Ten years later, the Psychiatric Technician Law was enacted, elevating the profession to full licensure like that required for other health care disciplines.
Psychiatric Technician Skills
Basic nursing
Communication skills
Medication administration
Documentation
Patient assessment
Therapeutic activities
Treatment plan development
Addictive disorders
Treatment plan implementation
Group process
Treatment evaluation
Patient / family education
Case management
Geriatric care
Psychiatric Technicians are active members of interdisciplinary teams and an integral part of the quality assurance process.
Practice settings
Psychiatric Technicians are specially trained in two areas that have a tremendous unmet need -- treatment programs for the mentally ill and developmentally disabled. As of December 2001, there were approximately 15,000 licensed Psychiatric Technicians in California. They are employed in facilities operated by private providers, hospital districts, counties, cities or the state Psychiatric Technicians are well positioned to move into new settings as they develop. Following are settings in which they now work:
Residential treatment programs
Psychiatric treatment facilities
Acute psychiatric units
Institutes for mental disease
Psychiatric emergency teams
State developmental centers
Long-term care facilities
Substance abuse programs
Home health care
State hospitals
State prisons
California Youth Authority facilities
Intermediate care facilities
Psychiatric health facilities
County jails
Social rehabilitation facilities
Adult residential facilities
Secured geriatric facilities
Day treatment programs
Outpatient mental health clinics
Psychiatric assessment centers
Psychiatric crisis units
Mobile psychiatric emergency teams
Special school programs
Residential care homes
Partial hospitalization programs
Treating Developmental Disabilities
Clients with developmental disabilities comprise one of the two categories of individuals receiving treatment from Psychiatric Technicians. There are more than 100,000 Californians in this category, including those with severe mental retardation, cerebral palsy, autism, severe behavior disorders, birth defects from abuse of alcohol or drugs during pregnancy, and brain injuries from near-drowning. Psychiatric Technicians provide considerable basic nursing care, and also implement the "individual habilitation plans" for teaching clients to function at their maximum potential.
Changes in the DD System
California's system for serving the developmentally disabled is undergoing change. There is a nationwide trend away from institutional care and into community-based care in the "least restrictive environment." These are much smaller settings, including group homes, foster homes and even individuals residing in "supported living" arrangements in their own apartments and homes. As California expands this new system for the developmentally disabled, there will be new avenues of opportunity for Psychiatric Technicians in the continuum of care for the developmentally disabled.
Treating Mental Illness
The other category of individuals treated by Psychiatric Technicians are those with serious mental illnesses. They are treated in programs run by private facilities, by cities and counties, and by the state. In state programs for the mentally ill, Psychiatric Technicians work in the five state hospitals. About half of the state hospital patients are in the "forensic" category, meaning they are admitted through the criminal justice system. The other state hospital patients are "LPS" patients committed by counties under the Lanterman-Petris-Short Act because they pose a serious, immediate danger to themselves or others.
The Mental Health 'Realignment'
In 1991, California's mental health "realignment" law shifted the responsibility for funding and decision-making from the state to the 58 individual counties. The counties now decide where and how to treat their mentally ill, and state hospital placement is only one option. Counties also use alternative treatment programs in community-based settings.
In the community mental health system, Psychiatric Technicians are already used in county hospitals, in community outreach programs and in psychiatric emergency response teams. They are being used to help fill the pressing need for mental health services for the poor, the homeless and the elderly. Wherever mental health treatment is provided, Psychiatric Technicians are important members of the care-giving team.
i guess i should start looking for an apartment up there soon. i have until august. i'll probably need a car too, so if anyone knows anyone selling a used 1978 to 1987 volvo 240 (i refuse to drive anything else) for ~$3000 or under, please let me know !
Congratulations! You have been accepted into the Psychiatric Technician and Vocational Nursing program at Santa Rosa Junior College.
Education and Training
The Psychiatric Technician educational program consists of at least 1,530 hours of classroom instruction in accredited schools plus hands-on clinical experience in state or community facilities under the direct supervision of an experienced instructor.
The curriculum is approximately one-third nursing and two-thirds behavioral science. The curriculum is regularly updated so the skills that are taught match the needs in the current practice settings. Here is a document regarding the Psych Tech scope of practice.
Educational Requirements
Section 2575 of the California Code of Regulations requires that accredited Psychiatric Technician education programs must include at least 576 hours of theory and 954 hours of supervised clinical experience. Below are the minimum number of hours required in specific areas.
Instructional
area Classroom
theory
hours Supervised
clinical
hours
Nursing science 126 270
Mental disorders 108 270
Developmental disabilities 108 270
Pharmacology 54 0
Additional hours 180 144
Curriculum Content
Section 2587 of the California Code of Regulations
spells out the specific curriculum content requirements as follows:
(a) Psychiatric technician programs shall include theory and correlated clinical experience.
(b) The curriculum shall develop the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to care for patients of all ages in current health care settings.
(c) The curriculum content shall be taught in a sequence that results in students' progressive mastery of knowledge, skills, and abilities.
(d) The curriculum content shall include:
(1) Anatomy
and physiology
(2) Nutrition
(3) Psychology
(4) Normal growth
and development
(5) Nursing process
(6) Communication
(7) Nursing science.......... which shall include ....... (A) Nursing fundamentals
(B) Medical/surgical nursing
(C) Communicable diseases, which shall include but not be limited to Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)
(D) Gerontological nursing
(8) Patient education
(9) Pharmacology .......... which shall include....... (A) Knowledge of commonly used drugs and their actions
(B) Computation of dosages
(C) Preparation of medications
(D) Principles of administration
(10) Classifications, treatment programs and interventions for developmental disabilities
(11) Classifications, treatment programs and interventions for mental disorders, which shall include addictive behaviors and eating disorders.
(12) Leadership
(13) Supervision
Continuing Education
To help keep Psychiatric Technicians current with recent advances in their field, they must complete 30 hours of continuing education courses every two years in order to renew their licenses.
CAPT offers a list of continuing education resources.
State licensure
California Psychiatric Technicians are licensed by the Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians (BVNPT), which is a part of the state Department of Consumer Affairs. The Board maintains an enforcement function to safeguard the consumer's right to skilled, competent treatment.
To supplement to the state licensing process, the California Association of Psychiatric Technicians maintains the Psychiatric Technician Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics.
Salaries
Because of their focused training, Psychiatric Technicians are among the most cost-effective mental health care providers. In 2003, annual salaries for licensed Psych Techs in state service ranged from $32,052 for a beginning Psych Tech to $58,104 for a Psych Tech Instructor. (See the2001-2003 pay scales for state-employed Psych Techs.) On top of these base salaries are any Recruitment and Retention differentials that are applicable to certain job classifications and locations.
Salaries for students, trainees and and pre-licensed graduates are less, as are some salaries for Psych Techs working for healthcare facilities outside of state government.
The targeted training and moderate salaries of Psychiatric Technicians make them a particularly cost-effective resource as an option to Registered Nurses, Social Workers and other higher-paid professionals.
CAPT has salary fact sheets listing Psych Tech pay ranges in some counties.
History
The Psychiatric Technician profession has its roots in the old job of hospital "attendant." The profession came into its own in the 1950's as advancements were made in treatment of the mentally ill and mentally retarded in both the private and public sectors. In order to provide a system to assure competence in practice, the state began "certifying" Psychiatric Technicians in 1959. Ten years later, the Psychiatric Technician Law was enacted, elevating the profession to full licensure like that required for other health care disciplines.
Psychiatric Technician Skills
Basic nursing
Communication skills
Medication administration
Documentation
Patient assessment
Therapeutic activities
Treatment plan development
Addictive disorders
Treatment plan implementation
Group process
Treatment evaluation
Patient / family education
Case management
Geriatric care
Psychiatric Technicians are active members of interdisciplinary teams and an integral part of the quality assurance process.
Practice settings
Psychiatric Technicians are specially trained in two areas that have a tremendous unmet need -- treatment programs for the mentally ill and developmentally disabled. As of December 2001, there were approximately 15,000 licensed Psychiatric Technicians in California. They are employed in facilities operated by private providers, hospital districts, counties, cities or the state Psychiatric Technicians are well positioned to move into new settings as they develop. Following are settings in which they now work:
Residential treatment programs
Psychiatric treatment facilities
Acute psychiatric units
Institutes for mental disease
Psychiatric emergency teams
State developmental centers
Long-term care facilities
Substance abuse programs
Home health care
State hospitals
State prisons
California Youth Authority facilities
Intermediate care facilities
Psychiatric health facilities
County jails
Social rehabilitation facilities
Adult residential facilities
Secured geriatric facilities
Day treatment programs
Outpatient mental health clinics
Psychiatric assessment centers
Psychiatric crisis units
Mobile psychiatric emergency teams
Special school programs
Residential care homes
Partial hospitalization programs
Treating Developmental Disabilities
Clients with developmental disabilities comprise one of the two categories of individuals receiving treatment from Psychiatric Technicians. There are more than 100,000 Californians in this category, including those with severe mental retardation, cerebral palsy, autism, severe behavior disorders, birth defects from abuse of alcohol or drugs during pregnancy, and brain injuries from near-drowning. Psychiatric Technicians provide considerable basic nursing care, and also implement the "individual habilitation plans" for teaching clients to function at their maximum potential.
Changes in the DD System
California's system for serving the developmentally disabled is undergoing change. There is a nationwide trend away from institutional care and into community-based care in the "least restrictive environment." These are much smaller settings, including group homes, foster homes and even individuals residing in "supported living" arrangements in their own apartments and homes. As California expands this new system for the developmentally disabled, there will be new avenues of opportunity for Psychiatric Technicians in the continuum of care for the developmentally disabled.
Treating Mental Illness
The other category of individuals treated by Psychiatric Technicians are those with serious mental illnesses. They are treated in programs run by private facilities, by cities and counties, and by the state. In state programs for the mentally ill, Psychiatric Technicians work in the five state hospitals. About half of the state hospital patients are in the "forensic" category, meaning they are admitted through the criminal justice system. The other state hospital patients are "LPS" patients committed by counties under the Lanterman-Petris-Short Act because they pose a serious, immediate danger to themselves or others.
The Mental Health 'Realignment'
In 1991, California's mental health "realignment" law shifted the responsibility for funding and decision-making from the state to the 58 individual counties. The counties now decide where and how to treat their mentally ill, and state hospital placement is only one option. Counties also use alternative treatment programs in community-based settings.
In the community mental health system, Psychiatric Technicians are already used in county hospitals, in community outreach programs and in psychiatric emergency response teams. They are being used to help fill the pressing need for mental health services for the poor, the homeless and the elderly. Wherever mental health treatment is provided, Psychiatric Technicians are important members of the care-giving team.
i guess i should start looking for an apartment up there soon. i have until august. i'll probably need a car too, so if anyone knows anyone selling a used 1978 to 1987 volvo 240 (i refuse to drive anything else) for ~$3000 or under, please let me know !