Mental Health Technician 2 Behavioral Health ED
Listed compensation
$20.3-$33.09/hr
The week · per this posting3-day week · 3×12s
Ask the employer about call expectations, weekend coverage and time off.
Job Description
Inova Fairfax Hospital Emergency Department is looking for a dedicated Mental Health Technician 2 to join the team. The role falls under the Adult Emergency Department with a focus on our Behavioral Health population in a designated BH area in the emergency department. This role will be full-time day shift: (3 x 12-hour shifts, 7:00 am to 7:00 pm).
Inova is consistently ranked a national healthcare leader in safety, quality and patient experience. We are also proud to be consistently recognized as a top employer in both the D.C. metro area and the nation.
Featured Benefits
- Committed to Team Member Health: offering medical, dental and vision coverage, and a robust team member wellness program.
- Retirement: Inova matches the first 5% of eligible contributions – starting on your first day.
- Tuition and Student Loan Assistance: offering up to $5,250 per year in education assistance and up to $10,000 for student loans.
- Mental Health Support: offering all Inova team members, their spouses/partners, and their children 25 mental health coaching or therapy sessions, per person, per year, at no cost.
- Work/Life Balance: offering paid time off, paid parental leave and more.
Mental Health Technician 2 Job Responsibilities
- Assists unit leadership with oversight of the unit's Mental Health Technician education needs/compliance.
- Provides individualized patient support for activities of daily living including bathing, feeding, bed making and measurement of vital signs and intake/output.
- Provides information to patients, families and visitors which may include orients patients to the unit/program, explains rationale for rules or restrictions and provides printed information.
- Serves as a resource and unit preceptor for all new Mental Health Technicians. Works with the unit leadership to ensure Mental Health Technicians have current competencies and skills to perform their work.
Minimum Qualifications
- Education: High School or GED
- Experience: Two (2) years of experience as a Mental Health Technician 1 or Clinical Technician 1 at Inova Health System and/or two (2) years as psychiatric technician at another facility.
- Certification: Basic Life Support (BLS) – American Heart Association- upon start
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience in a fast paced environment
- Previous behavioral health experience with patients experience serious mental illness
We are Inova, Northern Virginia’s leading nonprofit healthcare provider. Every day, our 26,000+ team members provide world-class healthcare to the communities we serve. Our people are the reason we're a national leader in healthcare safety, quality and patient experience.
And from best-in-class facilities to professional development opportunities, we support them at every step. At Inova, we're constantly striving to be ever better — to shape a more compassionate future for healthcare.
Inova Health is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, marital status, national or ethnic origin, political affiliation, pregnancy (including childbirth, pregnancy-related conditions and lactation), race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status, genetic information, or any other characteristics protected by law.
Key Responsibilities
The Mental Health Technician 2 provides individualized patient support for activities of daily living and monitors vital signs within the emergency department. They also assist unit leadership with education compliance and serve as a preceptor for new staff members.
Requirements
Candidates must have a high school diploma or GED and at least two years of experience as a mental health or clinical technician. A Basic Life Support (BLS) certification from the American Heart Association is required upon starting the role.
Qualifications
- Education
- Professional certificate or licensure
- Experience
- 2+ years of experience
Key Skills
Healthcare Professional Career Context
The cost-of-living index for Virginia is 101.1 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$56k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $55k in an average-cost state. 61.1% of Virginia clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).
Of the 40 active healthcare listings this role was benchmarked against, 75% have no call, 40% require no weekends.
| Measure | This job | Market |
|---|---|---|
| Listed pay | $42k–$69k | healthcare median $34k (middle half $33k–$43k)32 comparable listings, Oct 2026 |
| Cost-of-living adjusted pay | ~$55k in purchasing power | Virginia index 101.1 (US = 100)BEA Regional Price Parities (2024) |
| healthcare listings in Virginia | 37 active | 1,743 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Oct 2026 |
| Work setting | on-site | peers: 75% no call · 40% no weekends40 benchmarked listings |
| Sign-on & loan repayment | $10k loan repayment | US healthcare professional listings: 4% state a sign-on bonus (median $3k) · 12% offer loan repayment1,743 active listings, Oct 2026 |
| healthcare pay trend | +3.9% vs prior quarter | —through Sep 2026 |
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