Job Description

Schedule

• .9 FTE
• Staffing Shifts:
• • 12‑hour shifts aligned with operational needs (days or nights as assigned)
• Administrative Time:
• • 12 hours weekly, Day Shift

At Duke Health, we're driven by a commitment to compassionate care that changes the lives of patients, their loved ones, and the greater community. No matter where your talents lie, join us and discover how we can advance health together.

About Duke University Hospital

Pursue your passion for caring with Duke University Hospital in Durham, North Carolina, which is consistently ranked among the best in the United States. The largest of the four Duke Healthhospitals with 1062 patient beds, it features comprehensive diagnostic and therapeutic facilities, including a regional emergency/trauma center, an endo-surgery center, and more.

Behavioral Health Technician & Patient Attendant Safety Aide

Leadership Role

What You Will Do

Provide frontline leadership, coordination, and oversight for Behavioral Health Technicians (BHTs) and Patient Attendant Safety Aides (PASAs) to ensure safe, high‑quality, patient‑centered care. This role supports staff working with patients who require close observation, behavioral support, and safety interventions across the continuum of care.

The role emphasizes patient and staff safety, behavioral de‑escalation, observation standards, and regulatory compliance , while supporting staff development, onboarding, and performance management.

Key Responsibilities

• 
  Safety & Patient Care Oversight
  • Ensure consistent implementation of observation levels, suicide precautions, behavioral safety plans, and elopement prevention.
  • Support staff in managing challenging behaviors using trauma‑informed care and de‑escalation techniques.
  • Identify care needs for behavioral health and high‑risk patient populations across inpatient and procedural settings.
  • Collaborate with nursing, providers, security, psychiatry, and interdisciplinary teams to promote a safe care environment.

• 
  Staff Leadership & Support
  • Provide day‑to‑day leadership, coaching, and real‑time support to BHTs and PASAs.
  • Serve as a resource for escalation of safety concerns, staffing challenges, and workflow issues.
  • Role model professional behavior, accountability, and patient‑centered care.

• 
  Education & Onboarding
  • Lead and support onboarding and orientation for new BHTs and PASAs.
  • Assist with development and maintenance of education related to:
    • Patient observation standards
    • Behavioral health safety
    • De‑escalation techniques
    • Documentation expectations
    • Workplace violence prevention
  • Support ongoing competency validation and skill development.

• 
  Quality & Performance Management
  • Participate in quality improvement initiatives focused on patient safety events, behavioral escalations, and sitter utilization.
  • Conduct or support performance reviews as required.
  • Participate in personnel actions including hiring, coaching, corrective action, and performance improvement plans.
  • Identify trends in incidents, near misses, and staffing patterns and collaborate on improvement strategies.

• 
  Operational & Administrative Leadership
  • Provide input into staffing models, scheduling, and deployment of BHTs and PASAs.
  • Partner with nursing leadership and operations to ensure appropriate coverage and resource allocation.
  • Participate in departmental committees, safety huddles, and operational meetings related to behavioral health and patient safety.
  • Perform other related duties incidental to the work described herein.

Duke is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy and pregnancy related conditions), sexual orientation or military status.

Duke aspires to create a community built on collaboration, innovation, creativity, and belonging. Our collective success depends on the robust exchange of ideas—an exchange that is best when the rich diversity of our perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences flourishes. To achieve this exchange, it is essential that all members of the community feel secure and welcome, that the contributions of all individuals are respected, and that all voices are heard. All members of our community have a responsibility to uphold these values.

Certain jobs at Duke University and Duke University Health System may include essential job functions that require specific physical and/or mental abilities. Additional information and provision for requests for reasonable accommodation will be provided by each hiring department.

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