Registered Nurse - Inpatient Behavioral Health Assistant Nurse Manager

01Basic 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 prior to completion of the bridge program.

Upon achievement of a State license, the individual may be appointed on temporary basis 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 that 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 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.

02Grade 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: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13099201.

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.

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.

03Preferred Experience

1 year experience in behavioral health. Must be able to complete PMDB 1, 2, and 3. Reference: VA Handbook 5005/160. For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

04Physical Requirements

See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services.

Duties include but are not limited to: Assists nurse manager in promoting professional development and motivation for employees to work at optimal efficiency Assists nurse manager in managing nursing staff in delivering nursing care. Assist nurse manager in planning/assigning work to be accomplished by subordinates, setting priorities, and preparing schedules for completion of work.

Assists nurse manager in the promotion of performance improvement activities, utilizes the information to enhance quality of patient care provided, and ensures staff participation. Assists the nurse manager in the collection of performance improvement data, customer service/patient satisfaction, patient, and employee safety, interviewing applicants, employee relations, standards of care and practice, the work environment, and accreditation and regulatory standards.

Assists nurse manager in compiling and submitting of required reports in a timely manner including performance appraisals, proficiencies, performance improvement reports, certified time, and other workload and patient care data requested. Assists nurse manager in planning and conducting regularly scheduled unit staff meetings; encourages open communication and verbalization of options when identifying and resolving problems on unit.

Assists nurse manager in regularly providing unit information to nursing administration through accurate verbal and written reports; keeps nursing administration informed regarding critical patient care issues. Assists the nurse manager in addressing and resolving complaints of subordinates and referring more serious complaints not resolved to higher level of nursing leadership.

Assist the nurse manager with time scheduling of the unit, partners with the NM in daily staffing grids, completes VA Time and Attendance requests, approvals, and certifications. Performs the role of the charge nurse as deemed necessary and other appropriate staffing coverage to maintain unit operations. Participates in daily team huddles, interdisciplinary treatment care rounding to discuss patient treatment plans.

Maintains collaborative partnerships with nursing leaderships, and BH service line leadership in the discussion of flow operations.

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, 12:00pm - 8:00pm with 24 hour coverage of assigned unit.

Telework: Position is eligible for telework Ad-hoc. May be authorized at Supervisory discretion. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized