Registered Nurse - Primary Care Mental Health Integration

Job Title

The duties will include, but are not limited to the following:

• Provides evidence-based, condition specific protocol-driven services to collaboratively assist Patient Aligned Care Team providers in treating common Mental Health and health behavior concerns in Primary Care.
• Participates in PCMHI same day access clinic to facilitate patient outreach and engagement in mental health treatment. Completes a functional assessment and initial 5-point screen.
• Obtains a health history of referred patients: data collection includes lifestyle patterns, pain issues, sleep/activity levels, support systems, cultural, social, and ethnic factors, patient treatment preferences and goals.
• Assesses, reviews, develops, maintains, and monitors Veteran specific plans of care, collaborating with the interdisciplinary team to ensure patient outcomes are reported and validated.
• Assess and screens for suicidal risk to ensure veterans at risk for suicide are provided appropriate suicide prevention interventions that ensure veteran safety.
• Collaborates with PCMHI team members, other VA healthcare services, and community care services for veteran care coordination.
• Participates in a weekly caseload consultation with PCMHI provider with prescribing privileges. Entry of all Veterans receiving PCMHI CoCM into a registry (e.g., Behavioral Health Lab software).
• Conducts assessments of mental health symptoms using a set of validated evidenced based assessment tools to measure progress toward treatment goals and outcomes.
• Provides education and brief behavioral health interventions using evidence-based techniques such as behavioral health coaching, behavioral activation, motivational interviewing, and other focused treatment strategies.
• Demonstrates knowledge of medications prescribed for patients with mental health conditions, including patient responses and possible adverse reaction.
• Demonstrates knowledge of current treatment for mental and behavioral health conditions, including key symptoms and patient manifestations.
• Conducts relapse prevention planning throughout care, including transition from active treatment to maintenance as goals are achieve.
• Effectively communicate with patients, families, caregivers, VA leadership, and members of the interdisciplinary team using therapeutic communication techniques, practices de-escalation techniques, and utilizes recovery-oriented language.
• Collaborates with PCMHI leadership/team members to develop/enhance educational materials and use marketing strategies to promote PCMHI CoCM services.
• Continuously collaborate with the PCMHI team to ensure high quality, effective, Veteran-centered services at the patient and programmatic levels.
• Knowledge of mental health/substance use long-acting injectable medications and procedures of administration-may provide injections infrequently.
• Care management appointments with veterans may be conducted via telephone, video, or in person.
• Assisting with triaging referrals for future scheduled appointments in PCMHI program via the E-consult process.

VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package: VA Nurse Total Rewards

Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP) Authorized: This position is eligible for EDRP, a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of your start date. Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP Participants are ineligible to apply for the program. Contact View email address on click.appcast.io for questions/assistance. Learn more

Pay: Competitive salary, regular salary increases, potential for performance awards

Paid Time Off: 50 days of paid time off per year (26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year)

Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA

Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)

Licensure: 1 full and unrestricted license from any US State or territory

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00a.m.- 4:30p.m. or 7:30a.m. - 4:00p.m

Telework: Not Available

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized