Behavioral Health Assistant - Emergency Care Center

San Diego, California

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Job ID: 19376
Date posted: 09/18/2026
Schedule: Full-Time
Shift: Rotating
Department: Emergency Care Center

About the Department

The Rady Children’s Emergency Department (ED) is a Level I Trauma Center that consists of 42 beds, including two trauma rooms. We are a busy department, caring for over 103,000 patients last year, with a growing population of behavioral health patients, exceedingly over 4,700 last year. We have a big team composed of MDs, RN, LVNs, HUCs, PCAs, BHAs, Social Workers, Child Life Specialists, and Behavioral Specialists.

About the Position

The Behavioral Health Assistant (BHA) is a mental health worker who functions as part of our Emergency Department team caring for our behavioral health patients. These patients arrive in a mental health crisis needing direct supervision to assure their safety in the department. The BHA provides direct patient care and supervision in accordance with each patient's individualized plan of care, adhering to unit guidelines of safety, intake, and discharge processes. They monitor patient behavior, documenting changes or preferences, engage in safe distractions/activities/therapeutic communication, and work with the care team of physicians, nurses, social workers, and security staff to keep patient safe while disposition is determined. They should be strong communicators, comfortable with de-escalation techniques and managing challenging behaviors.

The Behavioral Health Assistant (BHA) is a caregiver who functions under the direct supervision of a Registered Nurse. The BHA provides patient care in accordance with each patient's individualized plan of care, unit standards and guidelines, hospital policies and procedures, and provides support to patients experiencing acute or chronic mental distress.

Day-to day tasks include assisting with the intake/check in process including contraband check, vitals etc., safety room checks, coordinating hygiene/ADLs with care team, 1:1 observation and monitoring, documenting changes in behavior, assisting with deescalating, and utilizing crisis intervention skills with other team members.

Schedule

Night shift 7:00pm-7:30am, 3 12-hour shifts

Weekend requirements are 4 weekend shifts per 4-week schedule. Night shift weekend days are Friday and Saturday.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

High School Diploma, GED or foreign equivalent

BLS for Healthcare Providers, issued by the American Heart Association

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

Bachelor's Degree

2 years of experience

Six months experience working in a psych program, schools, residential day treatment centers, security, clinical experience, etc.

Bilingual

Child and adolescent experience

Crisis Prevention Intervention (CPI) training/certification

Clinical Nurse Assistant (CNA)/Medical Assistant (MA) experience

The current salary range for this position is $23.00 to $30.27/hr

Rady Children’s Hospital is committed to compensation that is externally competitive and internally equitable. We demonstrate this commitment by conducting regular market reviews to remain competitive with organizations of similar size in the nonprofit, healthcare sector. The range listed above does not represent the full salary range for the position but is the expected hiring range for qualified candidates. Compensation decisions consider a variety of factors including experience, education, licensure, unique skillsets, organizational need, and internal equity. This posting will remain open from the “date posted” until the hiring manager has determined there is a sufficient applicant pool or until the position is filled.

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