Benefits:
As a UW employee, you will enjoy generous benefits and work/life programs. For a complete description of our benefits for this position, please visit our website, click here.



As a UW employee, you have a unique opportunity to change lives on our campuses, in our state and around the world. UW employees offer their boundless energy, creative problem-solving skills and dedication to build stronger minds and a healthier world.

UW faculty and staff also enjoy outstanding benefits, professional growth opportunities and unique resources in an environment noted for diversity, intellectual excitement, artistic pursuits and natural beauty.

The Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences within the UW School of Medicine is the third largest clinical department with 285 full-time faculty members, 280 clinical faculty members, and over 300 staff. Department faculty provide clinical services in 5 hospitals, 14 primary care locations, and several outpatient sites in addition to telepsychiatry consultations to more than 150 clinics in Washington and beyond. As the only academic psychiatry department serving the five state WWAMI region (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, Idaho), the Department\xe2\x80\x99s highly competitive residency training program is largely responsible for developing the mental health workforce in the Pacific Northwest. The Department\xe2\x80\x99s robust research portfolio totals $35 million in grants and contracts per year for projects ranging from clinical neurosciences to treatment development to health policy and population health. The Department is recognized as an international leader in developing, testing, and implementing Collaborative Care, an integrated care model increasingly seen as a solution for population-based mental health care. Other areas of excellence include Addictions, Autism, High Risk Youth, Neurosciences, and Trauma, and the Department is developing innovative new programs in Technology and Mental Health, Global Mental Health, Maternal and Child Mental Health, and Targeted Intervention Development.

The Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences has an outstanding opportunity for a full time MENTAL HEALTH NAVIGATOR (MHN) across our Telepsychiatry and Patient and Caregiver Support programs. The hours for this job will be from 11am to 730pm, Monday through Friday, with the possibility of holiday hours. Under the supervision of the Assistant Director of Patient and Family Experience (ADPFE), the MHN will facilitate and process electronic, telephone and video-based clinical care encounters to UW division supported mental health service programs offering both provider to provider and patient to provider services. The MHN will collaborate with the telepsychiatry teams, including Psychiatrists and program leadership, to plan, implement and document services offered to patients or eligible providers regarding mental health and/or substance use disorder treatment.

In support of several of the departments\xe2\x80\x99 state-wide psychiatry consultation programs, including Psychiatry Consultation Line (PCL), Mental Health CareConnect (MHCC) and Perinatal Psychiatry Consultation Line (PPCL), MHN staff are responsible for triaging telephone or electronic consults from eligible healthcare providers from throughout Washington state who contact us seeking mental health and/or substance use disorder consultations for their patients. The PCL operates twenty-four hours per day, seven days per week while PPCL and MHCC are staffed Monday through Friday during business hours.

For programs supporting patient care, MHN staff triage inquiries via calls, online submissions or electronic chats from individuals seeking mental health care for themselves or for a family member. The MHN monitors the entire episode of care via a standardized intake. Utilizing the electronic medical record (Epic), the MHN completes registration, referrals, and scheduling, as well as documenting the clinical care encounter and tracking follow up as indicated. After the visit, the MHN may provide referrals and navigation assistance for community mental health or substance use disorder treatment options based on the recommendations of the program psychiatrist.

Programs rely on numerous platforms for documentation and tracking including secured texting and chat, Epic, RedCap, and SharePoint. Based on funding or contract, the MHN will complete all aspects of data collection and required reports. Additionally, the MHN will develop and maintain relationships with healthcare providers within the UW Medicine Health Care system and partnering clinics or agencies to assist with system navigation and patient access.

As a member of the MHN team, the MHN will actively participate in unit and departmental activities to promote delivery of quality patient care, effective problem solving and communication, and continued quality improvement. All MHNs provide cross coverage for one another so will have the opportunity to work with a broad spectrum of clinical cases and programming. The team is frequently asked to implement new, related programs so MHNs are expected to be flexible, willing to try new things, and actively engage in program development and implementation efforts. This position provides an opportunity to work in a fast-paced, challenging, diverse and rewarding environment.


DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The individual in this role will support telepsychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, with responsibilities including but not limited to:

Case Triage Services:
Conduct brief, scripted intakes with clients or community- based providers who call seeking mental health consultation or resources and triage cases as indicated.
Follow all program screening and intake procedures, including data collection and caller triage.
Provide callers with community-based resources based on type of care they are seeking, insurance coverage, and by identifying providers who are accepting new patients in order to provide the client with a narrow and vetted list of care options.
Monitor electronic consult referrals via Epic and triage to team psychiatrists as indicated.
Handle patient inquiries via telephone, email, or secure text messaging and chat with a high level of professionalism, sensitivity, and confidentiality.
Offer top level customer service to a diverse client base.
Work with program supervisor and leadership to ensure patients and providers are connected to services in accordance with program guidelines.
Manage a high volume of calls and complete all necessary patient registration and other care encounter documentation according to UW electronic medical record (Epic) standards.
Provide coverage for MHN colleagues as requested by program managers or designee.
Assist program managers with case triage and resource procurement as requested.

Program Support:
Attend MHN team meetings and actively engage in supervision as scheduled.
Contribute to the development and implementation of tele mental health service protocols.
Recommend process improvements to existing procedures.
Assist in the development of computerized systems for tracking program metrics and patients served.
Assist in data validation processes to support contractually required reporting.
Assist in monitoring data quality control to ensure adherence to service protocol.
Perform related duties as required.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
High school graduation or equivalent AND two years of experience in the program specialty OR equivalent education/experience.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS
MHN are currently working a combination of remote and in office hours. When working remotely, MHNs must have consistent access to reliable high-speed internet, ethernet port, and a quiet and private space to work given the confidential and sensitive nature of our programs.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS
College degree (Associate of Arts Degree or Bachelor\xe2\x80\x99s Degree); AND two years of experience in a behavioral health setting.
Experience may substitute for education on a year-for-year basis.
Customer service experience with people who are in distress related to mental health care needs.
Excellent verbal and interpersonal skills to interact positively with a wide range of people.
Ability to multi-task across many different electronic systems, prioritize tasks, and quickly synthesize information.
Demonstrated attention to detail, excellent organizational skills, and creative problem-solving skills.
Experience with data management.
Ability to work effectively as part of an interdisciplinary team while also working independently with minimal supervision.
Proficiency in the use of MS Word, MS Excel, PowerPoint, MS Outlook, SharePoint, and Epic.




Committed to attracting and retaining a diverse staff, the University of Washington will honor your experiences, perspectives and unique identity. Together, our community strives to create and maintain working and learning environments that are inclusive, equitable and welcoming.
The University of Washington is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, age, protected veteran or disabled status, or genetic information. To request disability accommodation in the application process, contact the Disability Services Office at 206-543-6450 or dso@uw.edu.
Applicants considered for this position will be required to disclose if they are the subject of any substantiated findings or current investigations related to sexual misconduct at their current employment and past employment. Disclosure is required under Washington state law.
COVID-19 VACCINATION REQUIREMENT Employees of the University of Washington are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 unless a medical or religious exemption is approved. Being fully vaccinated means that an individual is at least two weeks past their final dose of an authorized COVID-19 vaccine regimen. As a condition of employment, newly hired employees will be required to provide proof of their COVID-19 vaccination. View the Final candidate guide to COVID-19 vaccination requirement webpage for information about the medical or religious exemption process for final candidates.