Nurse

Summary

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific eligibility requirements per VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) & eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply.

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Duties

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

The Registered Nurse (RN) - Intensive Community Mental Health Recovery (ICMHR) is responsible for providing competent, evidence-based care to patients. They will assist in directing the provision of nursing education, orientation, and competencies, and in providing quality improvement and enhancing outcomes utilization. The ICMHR program provides clinical community-based case management services to Veterans with Severe Mental Illness (SMI), severe functional impairment, and high Inpatient MH unit utilization, in coordination with existing community and Veterans Affairs (VA) services.

Duties may include but are not limited to:

• Leads professional practice using the nursing process (assessment, diagnosis, outcome identification, planning, implementation, and evaluation) to improve evidence-based and/or data-driven outcomes for an identified patient population and/or specialized areas
  within immediate practice setting.
• Improves Veteran/patient driven care by optimizing the patient experience, satisfaction, and/or safety for the immediate practice setting.
• Communicates and collaborates as an effective leader of the interprofessional team, at the expert level, with improved evidence-based and/or data-driven outcomes for the immediate practice setting.
• Provide initial and ongoing psychiatric assessment of clients with timely documentation.
• Treatment planning, collaborating with the client and family members as appropriately coordinated with the interdisciplinary team to establish plans of care.
• Outpatient follow-up through office, community, and home visits with the client as often as needed and depending on program standards and policies as follows: Mental Health Intensive Case Management with a minimum of 1 visit per week or more as
  indicated by Veteran need.
• Some administrative assignments in support of accrediting entities' requirements, as applicable, that are shared by all team members (i.e., TJC).
• Utilizes the nursing process and evidence-based practice to collaborate with the MHICM team and other stakeholders (family/caregiver, internal and community-based services involved in providing care to the patient) in developing the patient-driven holistic care plan for life.
• Responsible for collaborating with services internal and external to VA to facilitate care transition to meet the patient's needs effectively and provide patient and family health education focusing on self-management, prevention, and wellness based on the patient's goals.
• Mental Health Intensive Case Management (MHICM) is a program that fully embraces and incorporates the core principles of psychosocial rehabilitation and recovery in all interactions, interventions, and program development. Based on VA's adaptation of the Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) model of care, the MHICM program provides case management services. It has primary clinical responsibility for Veterans with serious mental illness, often with co-occurring substance abuse and/or other complex psychosocial issues. These Veterans have been identified as high utilizers of acute psychiatric care wherein traditional clinic-based services are not adequate. The client caseload is complex based on the severity of the mental illness, co-morbidities, and resistance to standard treatments. Treatment interventions are innovative and highly individualized.
• The incumbent functions at a fully autonomous level. While working in the community, there may be limited supervision and the incumbent should be able to work independently.
• MHICM RN completes all required PMDB training.
• MHICM RN performs all duties as assigned by Supervisor.
• Required to maintain a valid Driver's License without restrictions to facilitate transportation of patients and complete community visits in various settings, including in the home setting.

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: M-F 8:00 am - 4:30 pm or as determined by the supervisor.

Compressed/Flexible: This may be authorized at the supervisor's discretion.

Telework: Not Authorized

Virtual: This is not a virtual position

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

EDRP Authorized : Former EDRP participants are ineligible to apply for the incentive. Contact View email address on click.appcast.io, the EDRP Coordinator, for questions/assistance. Learn more

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• U.S. Citizenship; non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements ( Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• You may be required to serve a probationary period.
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements :

• English Language Proficiency: In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7403(f), no person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English.
• Graduate of a school of professional nursing: Approved by the appropriate accrediting agency and accredited by one of the following accrediting bodies at the time the program was completed by the applicant: The Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) or The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE); OR
  
  
  • Individuals attending a master's level bridge program in nursing who have completed coursework equivalent to a bachelor's level degree in Nursing may have opportunity to become registered as a nurse with a state licensing board before completion of the bridge program. Upon achievement of a State license, the individual may be appointed temporarily and later converted to a permanent appointment upon successful completion and graduation from the bridge program. (Reference VA Handbook 5005, Appendix G6); OR
  • In cases of graduates of foreign schools of professional nursing, possession of a current, full, active, and unrestricted registration will meet the requirement for graduation from an approved school of professional nursing to warrant an appointment as a Nurse who has completed an associated degree/entry level Nursing education program. Credit for foreign nursing education higher than associate degree/entry level requires a formal degree equivalency validation from a recognized equivalency evaluation accepted by VA, such as International Consultants of Delaware (ICD).
• Current, full, active, and unrestricted registration: as a graduate professional nurse in a State, Territory or Commonwealth (i.e., Puerto Rico) of the United States, or the District of Columbia. Graduate Nurse Technician (GNT) Exception: Candidates who otherwise meet the basic education requirements, but do not possess the required licensure, may be appointed at the entry step of the grade and level applicable to the completed nursing education as a GNT on a 120-day temporary appointment while actively pursuing licensure (may be extended up to two years on a case-by-case basis).

NOTE: Grandfathering Provision - All persons currently employed in VHA in the 0610 series and performing the duties as described in the qualification standard on the effective date of the standard (1/29/2024) are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade held, including positive education and licensure/certification.

Grade Determinations: The following Scope, Education and Dimension criteria must be met in determining the grade assignment of candidates, and if appropriate, the level within a grade. The Dimension requirements (Practice, Veteran/Patient Driven Care, Leadership, Professional Development and Evidence-Based Practice/Research) are detailed for each grade and level within the online assessment:

Grade/Level

Scope

Education

Nurse I, Level I

Delivers fundamental, knowledge-based care to assigned clients while developing technical competencies.

An Associate Degree (ADN) or Diploma in Nursing, with no additional professional nursing required.

Nurse I, Level II

Demonstrates integration of biopsychosocial concepts, cognitive skills, and technically competent practice in providing care to clients with basic or complex needs.

An ADN or Diploma in Nursing AND 1 year of specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse I, Level 1; OR a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) with no additional professional nursing experience required.

Nurse I, Level III

Demonstrates proficiency in practice based on conscious and deliberate planning. Self-directed in goal setting for managing complex client situations.

An ADN or Diploma in Nursing AND 2 years of professional nursing experience in which one year is equivalent to Nurse I, Level 2; OR a BSN and 1 year of professional nursing experience equivalent to the Nurse I, Level 2; OR a Master's degree in nursing (MSN) and no additional professional nursing experience; OR a Master's degree in a *related field with a BSN and no additional professional nursing experience.

Nurse II

Demonstrates leadership in delivering and improving holistic care through collaborative strategies with others.

A BSN with 2 years of professional nursing equivalent to Nurse I, Level 3; OR an MSN with one year of specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse I, Level 3; OR a Master's degree in a *related field with a BSN and one year of specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse I, Level 3; OR a Doctoral degree in Nursing with no professional nursing experience; OR a Doctoral degree in a *related field with a BSN with no additional professional nursing experience.

Nurse III

Executes position responsibilities that demonstrate leadership, experience, and creative approaches to management of complex client care beyond the immediate practice setting.

MSN and 2 years of specialized nursing experience, one of which is equivalent to Nurse II and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse III; OR a Master's degree in *related field with BSN and two years of specialized nursing experience, one of which is equivalent to Nurse II and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse III; OR a Doctoral degree in Nursing with and one year of specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse II and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse III; OR a Doctoral degree in a *related field with a BSN and one year of specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse II and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse III.

* Note: Foreign education programs/degrees are not creditable as related degrees.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit

Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service.

Additional information

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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