Registered Nurse - Mental Health

Job Title

Registered Nurse

Duties

The primary duties of the Registered Nurse may include but are not limited to:

• Responsible for providing competent, evidence-based care to patients. They will assist in directing the provision of nursing education, orientation, competencies and providing quality improvement and enhance outcomes utilization
• Independently provides patient-centered and recovery-oriented care and maintains self-awareness while caring for patients living with MH conditions
• Facilitates warm hand-offs, telemental health care, and nurse-led psychoeducational groups; use therapeutic communication techniques, practice de-escalation techniques, utilize recovery-oriented language, and provide Veterans, their family members, and/or significant others with education regarding their illness, medications, and treatment plan
• Actively participates in care coordination, liaising with Inpatient MH Units to facilitate continuity of care, MH interdisciplinary treatment team huddles and meetings and responds to psychiatric and medical emergencies as directed
• Reports and addresses safety concerns, document nursing triage assessments, risk screens, clinical reminders, and patient plan of care, according to facility policy
• Maintains professional boundaries to protect patient vulnerabilities and act in the best interest of the patient
• Demonstrates competence in practice and decision-making, deliberate planning, and critical thinking skills
• Provides Veterans and their family members with education regarding their illness, medications, and treatment plan
• Provides outreach to clients who are having problems with treatment adherence and who may be relapsing
• Coordinates with other agencies and make referrals to provide patients with necessary community services
• Enters orders for laboratory and consults per policy
• Administers injections per order
• Delivers efficient, comprehensive, and continuous patient-driven holistic care through active collaboration, communication, and coordination of resources. Refer to, consult with and coordinate care with other VA health care providers
• Assesses patients and provides additional support between visits with LIPs
• Provides information regarding expected outcome of medications
• Act as liaison to Inpatient Psychiatric Unit to facilitate continuity of care
• Assists in scheduling, re-scheduling appointments cancellations. Works closely with the advanced medical support assistant (AMSA) with appointments and scheduling
• Provides coverage as needed for other staff in the Outpatient Mental Health Clinic
• Demonstrates clinical knowledge in assessing, planning, implementing, documenting, and evaluating care for a designated group of patients across the continuum of care
• Provides crisis assessment/intervention
• Completes screenings/assessments/secure messages, alerts provider ASAP with any outliers
• Performs suicide risk assessments and/or mental status exams
• Identifies patients at high risk for harm to self or others related to mobility issues, disruptive behavior, suicidal/homicidal ideations, or withdrawal complications with appointments, phone call, and/or walk-ins
• Demonstrates a commitment to customer service and maintains a therapeutic and professional relationship with appropriate professional role boundaries
• Utilizes policy orders appropriately
• Maintains confidentiality of all patient information, including electronic, print, and conversations
• Promotes cost effective use of resources
• Promotes wellness by empowering the patient to self-management through education and patient-driven health care delivery
• Involves all members of both core and expanded teams in identifying problems, collecting, and analyzing data, and problem resolution
• Utilizes creativity and innovation and recommends changes that will improve patient care or clinical efficiency
• Promotes patient and personnel safety
• Follows infection control and VHSO policies, including reusable medical equipment

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 to 4:30pm, Subject to change per the needs of the facility.

Telework: Available

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

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

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized