Houston Methodist is proud to be named to Forbes’ America’s Best Large Employers 2026 list, a significant national recognition that reflects how our employees experience working here every day. The list, developed by Forbes in partnership with Statista, was announced February 10, 2026.
This honor is based on an extensive, …
Lead Patient Observation Technician
Location:
Corporate
6550 Fannin St., Houston TX, 77030
6550 Fannin St., Houston TX, 77030
- Job Ref:
- JR-5949
- Job Shift:
- Day
- Job Type:
- Full Time
At Houston Methodist, the Lead Patient Observation Technician position is responsible for playing a critical role to support Management in the Virtual Observation program. This position supports real-time coordination of Patient Observation Technician team, maintains accuracy in patient assignments, and ensures high-quality, continuous monitoring services. The Lead Patient Observation Technician position is distinguished by exercising a greater degree of independent judgment and analysis and serves as a liaison between management, staff, and providers for routine matters. This team lead position acts as the primary point of contact for resolving basic questions and issues that arise during the shift, ensuring delivery of exceptional patient care and adherence to standards of practice for safety, quality, and service. The Lead Patient Observation Technician position models ICARE values, supports technician development, manages the daily huddle board and staff schedule, and ensures accurate shift handoffs, equipment availability, and coverage. This position serves as a role model for the team and supports the interprofessional care team in delivering safe, effective, and compassionate virtual observation that contributes to positive patient outcomes and a high-performing team environment.
EDUCATION
EXPERIENCE
LICENSES AND CERTIFICATIONS
Required
FLSA STATUS
Non-exempt
QUALIFICATIONS
EDUCATION
EXPERIENCE
LICENSES AND CERTIFICATIONS
Required
KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITIES
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
PEOPLE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
SERVICE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
QUALITY/SAFETY ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
FINANCE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
GROWTH/INNOVATION ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
SUPPLEMENTAL REQUIREMENTS
QUALIFICATIONSNon-exempt
QUALIFICATIONS
EDUCATION
- High School diploma or equivalent education (examples include GED, verification of homeschool equivalency, partial or full completion of post-secondary education, etc.)
- Associate degree preferred
EXPERIENCE
- One year experience in a Patient Observation Technician or related role
- Prior experience in a lead, preceptor, or charge capacity preferred
LICENSES AND CERTIFICATIONS
Required
- BLS - Basic Life Support or Instructor (AHA) - American Heart Association and
- NVCRISIS - Nonviolent Crisis Intervention or Instructor (CPI) - Crisis Prevention Institute within 6 months
KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITIES
- Demonstrates the skills and competencies necessary to safely perform the assigned job, determined through on-going skills, competency assessments, and performance evaluations
- Sufficient proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing the English language necessary to perform the essential functions of this job, especially with regard to activities impacting patient or employee safety or security
- Ability to effectively communicate with patients, physicians, family members and co-workers in a manner consistent with a customer service focus and application of positive language principles
- Ability to lead shift operations independently and maintain alignment with clinical, operational, and safety priorities
- Exhibits strong interpersonal and team player skills with all levels of the healthcare team and assures delivery of excellent customer service to all patients, visitors, physicians, and co-workers
- Adapts to multiple ongoing priorities with minimal supervision including, organizing workflow, and actively participating in problem solving
- Proficiency with Epic, care.ai, Microsoft Teams, Outlook, and census tracking tools
- In-depth knowledge of virtual observation workflows, escalation protocols, and patient monitoring best practices
- Strong skills in communication, time management, problem-solving, and staff coordination
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
PEOPLE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
- Promotes a positive and collaborative work culture where team members support one another to achieve department goals. Encourages staff development and helps improve team communication and cohesion across shifts and units.
- Leads daily operations, including technician coordination, patient list validation, break coverage, and real-time communication. Facilitates shift handoffs and team huddles using ICARE values and effective communication principles.
- Coaches and mentors technicians in professionalism, communication, and technical accuracy. Drives initiatives of improvement of department scores for employee engagement.
SERVICE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
- Oversees virtual observation assignments using Epic and care.ai and ensures accurate and balanced patient distribution throughout the shift. Addresses staff shift assignments based on patient census and escalates staffing needs/issues to management as appropriate.
- Tracks admissions, discharges, and observation order status across the system and supports fair, timely reassignment when workloads shift.
- Manages the huddle board to reflect real-time staffing, coverage, and patient status updates. Assists management in daily operations and workflow coordination, including timely equipment distribution and patient service.
- Provides direct patient observation when needed and ensures appropriate scripting and redirection techniques are used. Role models skills, through peer-to-peer accountability, towards improving departmental score for patient satisfaction.
QUALITY/SAFETY ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
- Drives quality patient care through vigilant monitoring, timely communication to unit staff, and documentation of adverse events or escalations. Assimilates and communicates information from multiple systems and sources to ensure complete situational awareness.
- Completes MS Form Handoff Reports with critical updates: equipment issues, patient events, IT tickets, staffing concerns, and safety flags.
- Audits and reconciles patient assignments at the start and end of shift; ensures Epic and care.ai records match station monitoring. Identifies and recommends corrective actions to leadership, ensuring timely communication and follow-up. Actively contributes to quality and safety improvement initiatives through coordination with management.
FINANCE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
- Maintains accurate shift documentation and assists with department charge tracking if applicable.
- Manages time effectively and minimizes incidental overtime while helping team members prioritize and complete tasks.
GROWTH/INNOVATION ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
- Supports continuous learning by engaging team members in real-time development opportunities. Fosters a supportive teaching environment to improve performance and team outcomes.
- Contributes to innovation by identifying workflow gaps and sharing feedback with leadership for process and technology improvements. Participates in department projects, performance improvement initiatives, and shared governance activities.
- Seeks opportunities to identify self-development needs and takes appropriate action. Ensures own career discussions occur with appropriate management. Completes and updates the My Development Plan on an on-going basis.
SUPPLEMENTAL REQUIREMENTS
- WORK ATTIRE
- Uniform: No
- Scrubs: Yes
- Business professional: No
- Other (department approved): Yes
- On Call* No
- May require travel within the Houston Metropolitan area No
- May require travel outside Houston Metropolitan area No
ON-CALL*
*Note that employees may be required to be on-call during emergencies (ie. Disaster, Severe Weather Events, etc) regardless of selection below.
TRAVEL**
**Travel specifications may vary by department**
EDUCATION
- High School diploma or equivalent education (examples include GED, verification of homeschool equivalency, partial or full completion of post-secondary education, etc.)
- Associate degree preferred
EXPERIENCE
- One year experience in a Patient Observation Technician or related role
- Prior experience in a lead, preceptor, or charge capacity preferred
LICENSES AND CERTIFICATIONS
Required
- BLS - Basic Life Support or Instructor (AHA) - American Heart Association and
- NVCRISIS - Nonviolent Crisis Intervention or Instructor (CPI) - Crisis Prevention Institute within 6 months
Company Profile:
Houston Methodist is one of the nation’s leading health systems and academic medical centers. The health system consists of eight hospitals: Houston Methodist Hospital, its flagship academic hospital in the Texas Medical Center, seven community hospitals and one long-term acute care hospital throughout the Greater Houston metropolitan area. Houston Methodist also includes a research institute; a comprehensive residency program; international patient services; freestanding comprehensive care clinics, emergency care and imaging centers; and outpatient facilities. Come lead with us!
Houston Methodist is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
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