Psychiatric Technician Trainee (Safety)

Exam Code: 5AHAK
Class Code: 8238
Final Filing Date: Continuous
Examination Type: Departmental, Open
Bulletin Revision Date: 5/07/2021
Equal Employment Opportunity
The State of California is an equal opportunity employer to all, regardless of age, ancestry, color, disability (mental and physical), exercising the right of family care and medical leave, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religious creed, sex (includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and related medical conditions), and sexual orientation.
Drug Free Statement
It is an objective of the State of California to achieve a drug-free state workplace. Any applicant for state employment will be expected to behave in accordance with this objective because the use of illegal drugs is inconsistent with the law of the State, the rules governing civil service, and the special trust placed in public servants.
Examination Type And Position Locations
This is an Open examination for the Department of State Hospitals (DSH). Positions currently exist with DSH - Atascadero.
Who Should Apply
Applicants who meet the minimum qualifications as stated below may apply for and take this examination.  

Once you have taken this examination, you may not retake it for three (3) months.
How To Apply
MAIL OR HAND DELIVER BOTH, A STATE APPLICATION (STD. 678), AND TRAINING AND
EXPERIENCE EXAMINATION TO:

DSH-ATASCADERO
EMPLOYMENT OFFICE
P.O. BOX 7005
ATASCADERO, CA 93423-7001
(805) 468-3384 / TDD (805) 468-2009

The link to connect to the Training and Experience Exam is located at the end of this bulletin in the "Taking the Examination" section.

If you need assistance or have any questions regarding the application process, review the information and videos below in the "Application Process" section or contact Department of State Hospital - Sacramento at (916) 651-8832.

California Relay for the hearing impaired:

TDD is a Telecommunications Device for the Deaf and is reachable only from phones equipped with a TDD Device.

From a TDD Phone (800) 735-2929
From a Voice Phone (800) 735-2922

Applications (STD. 678) will not be accepted on a promotional basis. Career credits do not apply.

DO NOT SUBMIT APPLICATION (STD. 678) TO THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES.
Requirements For Admittance To The Examination
It is your responsibility to make sure you meet the education and/or experience requirements stated on this announcement on the date you submit your Application (i.e., Examination/Employment Application [STD. 678]). Submission of your Application indicates that you have read, understood, and possess the basic qualifications required.
Minimum Qualifications For Admittance To The Examination
Enrollment in a Psychiatric Technician training program accredited by the California Board of Vocational Nurse and Psychiatric Technician Examiners.

(Applicants who are eligible for enrollment in an accredited program will be admitted to the examination and may be appointed in the next lower class of Psychiatric Technician Training Candidate, but they must be enrolled before they will be eligible for appointment to this class.)

AND

Education: Equivalent to completion of the 12th grade.

(Enrollment as a senior in the last semester of high school will admit applicants to the examination, but they must submit evidence of completion before they can be considered eligible for appointment.)
Special Personal Characteristics
An interest and willingness to work in State hospitals contracting with the Department of State Hospitals for diagnostic and treatment services; willingness, as a trainee, to do routine or detailed work; ability to handle stressful situations; patience; tolerance; alertness; neat personal appearance; and hearing and vision required for successful job performance.

Special Physical Characteristics
Incumbents must possess and maintain sufficient strength, agility, and endurance to perform during physically, mentally, and emotionally stressful and emergency situations encountered on the job without endangering their own health and well-being or that of their fellow employees, patients, inmates, or the public.

Drug Testing Requirement
Applicants for positions in this class are required to pass a drug- screening test. Testing of current employees who are applicants in an examination, or who are transferring is permitted only if the person does not have a current appointment to a class for which drug testing is a requirement.
Final File Date
Continuous Testing: This examination will be administered according to the following cut-off-dates:

June 11, 2021

All completed applications and Training and Experience examination submitted by each cut-off-date will be processed for that administration.

Note: Applications and examinations may be processed on a flow basis prior to each cut-off-date to meet the hiring needs of the department.
Special Testing Arrangements
You will have an opportunity during the application process to indicate if you have a disability and need special testing arrangements. The Department of State Hospitals, Selection Services Unit will contact you to make special testing arrangements.
Salary Range
Salary information is updated as of July 1, 2020.

$2,794 to $3,210

The salaries used in this bulletin may not reflect all pay raises or any additional bonuses. Verify the salary level(s) with the hiring department personnel office prior to making any commitments.
Job Description
Under close supervision and in a training capacity, to participate in the treatment programs of a State developmental center, State hospital, or correctional facility contracting with the Department of State Hospitals for diagnostic and treatment services; to acquire knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to provide a basic level of general behavioral and psychiatric nursing care for developmentally or mentally disordered offenders; and to do other related work.
Examination Information
A Training and Experience examination is used to evaluate each candidate’s education, training, and experience related to the duties of this classification; and will account for 100% of your weighted score.  To obtain a position on the eligible list, a minimum score of 70% must be achieved.
Preparing For The Examination
Below is a list of suggested resources to have available prior to taking the examination.

1 - Employment History: Employment dates, job titles, organization names and addresses, names of supervisors or persons who can verify your job responsibilities and their phone numbers.
2 - Education: School names and addresses, dates attended, courses taken (verifiable on a transcript), degrees earned, and contact information for persons or office who can verify education listed.
3 - Training: Class titles, certifications received, names of persons who can verify your training and their phone numbers.
Examination Scope
The examination scope consists of the following knowledge, skills, and abilities:

1. - Knowledge of arithmetic computations including fractions.
2. - Knowledge of the metric system.
3. Spelling and grammar.
4. - Ability to communicate effectively.
5. - Ability to acquire general behavioral and psychiatric nursing knowledge, skills, and attitudes.
6. - Ability to apply basic nursing knowledge and understanding of the behavior of developmentally or mentally disabled clients.
Eligible List Information
An open, MERGED eligible list will be established for use by DSH. The names of successful competitors will be merged onto the eligible list in order of final score regardless of test date.  The eligibility list will be used to fill vacancies within DSH. Eligibility will expire 12 months after it is established, unless the needs of the service and conditions of the list warrant a change in this period.
Veterans' Preference
Veterans' Preference will be granted for this examination. In accordance with Government Codes 18973.1 and 18973.5, whenever any veteran, or widow or widower of a veteran achieves a passing score on an open examination, he or she shall be ranked in the top rank of the resulting eligible list.

Veteran status is verified by the California Department of Human Resources (CalHR). Information on this program and the the Veterans’ Preference Application (Std. Form 1093) is available at https://www.jobs.ca.gov/CalHRPublic/Landing/Jobs/VeteransInformation.aspx. Additional information on veteran benefits is available at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Application Process
In an effort to streamline and make the most efficient use of applicant’s time, it's recommended you have a CalCareer account. If you do not have one, it is free and easy to sign up. With an account, you can take as many State civil service examinations that you qualify for, store different versions of your application, apply for vacancies at 150 departments, track your application status and save your resume and other application related documents all in one place. To get started, watch the short videos below on creating a CalCareer account, creating and saving an electronic application, and searching and applying for job vacancies.

How To Create a CalCareer Account


How to Create, Download and Save Your Application


How to Search and Apply for Jobs


To sign up for a CalCareer account, CLICK HERE to visit
https://jobs.ca.gov/CalHRPublic/Login.aspx
General Information
For an examination without a written feature it is the competitor’s responsibility to contact the Department of State Hospitals, Selection Services Unit at (916) 651-8832 three weeks after the application deadline date if she/he has not received a progress notice. 

If a competitor’s notice of oral interview or performance test fails to reach her/him prior to the day of the interview due to a verified postal error, she/he will be rescheduled upon written request. 

The Examination/Employment Application (STD 678) is available at the California Department of Human Resources, local offices of the Employment Development Department, and through your CalCareer account (https://www.CalCareers.ca.gov).

If you meet the requirements stated on this bulletin, you may take this examination, which is competitive. Possession of the entrance requirements does not assure a place on the eligible list. Competitors who pass will be ranked according to their scores. 

The Department of State Hospitals reserves the right to revise the examination plan to better meet the needs of the service if the circumstances under which this examination was planned change. Such revision will be in accordance with civil service law and rules and all competitors will be notified.

Examination Locations: When a written test is part of the examination, it will be given in such places in California as the number of competitors and conditions warrant. 

Eligible Lists: Eligible lists established by competitive examination, regardless of date, must be used in the following order: 1) subdivisional promotional, 2) departmental promotional, 3) multidepartmental promotional, 4) servicewide promotional, 5) departmental open, 6) open. When there are two lists of the same kind, the older must be used first. Eligible lists will expire in one to four years unless otherwise stated on this bulletin.

General Qualifications: Competitors must possess essential personal qualifications including integrity, initiative, dependability, good judgment and ability to work cooperatively with others; and a state of health consistent with the ability to perform the assigned duties of the class. A medical examination may be required. In open examinations, investigation may be made of employment records and personal history and fingerprinting may be required.
High School Equivalence: Equivalence to completion of the 12th grade may be demonstrated in any one of the following ways; 1) passing the General Education Development (GED) Test; 2) completion of 12 semester units of college-level work; 3) certification from the State Department of Education, a local school board, or high school authorities that the competitor is considered to have education equivalent to graduation from high school; or 4) for clerical and accounting classes, substitution of business college work in place of high school on a year-for-year basis. 

Career Credits: Career Credits are not granted for examinations adminnistered on an Open basis or Promotional basis.
Reasonable Accommodation
If you need reasonable accommodation or have any questions regarding the online examination process, please contact:

Department of State Hospitals - Selection Services Unit
Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm (excluding State holidays)
(916) 651-8832
 
California Relay for the hearing impaired: 

TDD is a Telecommunications Device for the Deaf and is reachable only from phones equipped with a TDD Device.

From a TDD Phone (800) 735-2929
From a Voice Phone (800) 735-2922

Question Title

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