Behavioral Health Technician (BHT)

Behavioral Health Tech - Inpatient Unit

Job Type: PRN 

Wage scale: 20.56-27.75

Your experience matters

At Rainier Springs, we are driven by a profound commitment to prioritize your well-being so you can provide exceptional care to others. Here, you're not just valued as an employee, but as a person. As a Behavioral Health Technician joining our team, you're embracing a vital mission dedicated to making communities healthier. Join us on this meaningful journey where your skills, compassion, and dedication will make a remarkable difference in the lives of those we serve.

More about our team: 

Our Behavioral Health team provides compassionate, specialized care to adults ages 18 and older across three diverse inpatient units. Each locked, non‑security unit offers a unique clinical focus such as: severe psychosis, hallucinations, depression, anxiety, PTSD, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, and suicidal ideation. Our staff collaborates closely within a strong multidisciplinary framework that includes Registered Nurses, Behavioral Health Technicians, Social Workers, and Recreational Therapists. Together, we deliver comprehensive emergency mental health, inpatient, and outpatient services for conditions such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, borderline personality disorder, bipolar disorder, psychosis, and suicidal ideation. Floating across units offers our team exposure to diverse patient populations and supports a collaborative, learning‑focused environment.

How you'll contribute: 
A Behavioral Health Tech (BHT) who excels in this role:

• Observe and maintain a safe environment through regular patient checks, safety monitoring, contraband searches, and one‑on‑one supervision as needed.
• Provides support to the therapeutic milieu under the direction of the registered nurse by ensuring scheduled programs are delivered, supervising patients, maintaining safety, and treating patients and guests with dignity.
• Perform delegated tasks such as taking vital signs, collecting specimens, documenting care, assisting with group education, and monitoring patients.
• Promote a positive therapeutic milieu and accompany patients to meals, breaks, off‑unit visits, and appointments.
• Report all medical or psychiatric changes to the RN and assist with admissions, including belongings inventory and vital signs.
• Document patient property at admission and discharge and conduct unit safety checks each shift to ensure a clean, therapeutic environment.
• Encourage or assist patients with activities of daily living and facilitate or co‑facilitate psychoeducational and therapeutic groups using established guidelines.
• Apply crisis intervention and de‑escalation techniques as needed and maintain knowledge of program protocols.
• Orient new staff members to the unit, document in the medical record according to policy, provide feedback to the interdisciplinary team, comply with OSHA and CDC specimen guidelines, and perform other duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Education: High School Diploma or GED preferred.
• Experience: Minimum of one year of experience in a psychiatric health‑care facility working with chemical dependency, dual diagnosis, psychiatric, or geriatric patients preferred.
• Certifications: CPR and de‑escalation certification required within 30 days of hire.

Schedule: PRN shifts 

Why join us:

We believe that investing in our employees is the first step to providing excellent patient care. In addition to your base compensation, this position also offers:   

• Shift Differentials
• Professional Development: Ongoing learning and career advancement opportunities. 

About our Health System 

Rainier Springs is a 72-bed facility located in Vancouver, WA, and is part of Lifepoint Health, a diversified healthcare delivery network committed to making communities healthier® with acute care, rehabilitation, and behavioral health facilities from coast to coast. From your first day to your next career milestone-your experience matters.

EEOC Statement

"Rainier Springs is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Rainier Springs is committed to Equal Employment Opportunity for all applicants and employees and complies with all applicable laws prohibiting discrimination and harassment in employment."

Lifepoint Health is a leader in community-based care and driven by a mission of Making Communities Healthier. Our diversified healthcare delivery network spans 29 states and includes 63 community hospital campuses, 32 rehabilitation and behavioral health hospitals, and more than 170 additional sites of care across the healthcare continuum, such as acute rehabilitation units, outpatient centers and post-acute care facilities. We believe that success is achieved through talented people. We want to create places where employees want to work, with opportunities to pursue meaningful and satisfying careers that truly make a difference in communities across the country.