Registered Nurse - Suicide Prevention Coordinator

Job Title

The VA Midwest Health Care Network advocates for a Whole Health System of care in each of the Medical Centers. This is an approach to healthcare that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their lives to the fullest. As an employee operating in a Whole Health System of care, you will operate in a model with three core elements, seeking to create a personalized health plan for each Veteran. This is done in the context of healing relationships and healing environments and a connection back to the Veteran's community. This aligns with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Mission Statement to Honor America's Veterans by providing exceptional health care that improves their health and well-being.

Major duties include, but are not limited to:

• Coordinating and managing seamless transitions of care to and from the community while planning, integrating, implementing, modifying, and evaluating effectiveness of care.
• Identifying and tracking Veterans at high risk for suicide; monitoring treatment to ensure needed services are received.
• Completing consults from the Veterans Crisis Line by arranging follow-up mental health assessments, treatment, health and safety checks in the home, and, if needed, follow-up hospitalization and/or outpatient care.
• Providing training to clinical staff on development of Veteran safety plans to prevent at-risk behaviors; facilitating required gatekeeper training and comprehensive suicide-prevention education upon request.
• Promoting evidence-based interventions and strategies for suicide prevention throughout the health care system.
• Ensuring Veterans identified to be at high risk have a 24-hour resource number and clear ways to receive assistance when needed.
• Developing and distributing outreach materials (brochures, fact sheets, web content) highlighting suicide prevention, warning signs, and risk factors.
• Developing treatment protocols for suicidal patients in the Emergency Room, for nurse-triage telephone calls, and for outpatient and acute levels of care; identifying gaps and working within the system to ensure timely, clinically appropriate treatment.
• Creating criteria for facility-wide identification of medical-record flags for patients at risk; overseeing monitoring systems and compliance with treatment plans; preparing and maintaining administrative records, databases, and reports per guidelines.
• Leading internal evaluation and quality-improvement activities, including progress monitoring, change implementation, impact assessment, and submission of required program reports to local, Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN), or VA Central Office leadership.

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

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 8:00am-4:30pm.

Telework: Not available.

Drivers License Requirement: Unrestricted drivers license is required. Must provide a clean driving record report from the DMV during onboarding.

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized.

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized.