California Psychiatric Technician cheat sheet

Psychiatric Technician Certification Examination

• Scope of practice: the California psychiatric technician functions under the direction of a licensed physician or registered nurse and provides direct care, observation, and reporting for clients with mental disorders or developmental disabilities.

• Legal holds: Welfare and Institutions Code sections governing 72-hour detention (5150), 14-day certification (5250), and 30-day post-certification review (5270) require the technician to know documentation and patient-rights notification duties.

• Confidentiality: patient information is protected under state mental health confidentiality law and HIPAA; disclosure is permitted only for treatment, payment, operations, or specific legal exceptions such as danger to self or others.

• Restraint and seclusion: use only with a valid order, time limits, monitoring of circulation, respiration, and hydration, and documentation per Title 22 and hospital policy; never as punishment or staff convenience.

• Mandated reporting: suspected dependent adult or elder abuse, child abuse, and serious client-to-client injury must be reported to designated authorities within the timeframes set by law.

• Informed consent and refusal: a client may refuse medication or treatment unless an emergency or legal override applies; the technician documents the refusal and notifies the supervisor and prescriber.

• Least restrictive alternative: interventions progress from verbal de-escalation to environmental change to PRN medication to restraint, and each step must be documented with the reason it was chosen.

• Observation and reporting: objective, behavior-specific charting (what was said and done, time, context) is required; subjective labels and conclusions are avoided in the record.

• Involuntary hold criteria: danger to self, danger to others, or grave disability (inability to provide food, clothing, or shelter as a result of a mental disorder) are the statutory grounds for 5150.