Summary

Mental Health Nursing Assistant provides essential support to patients with psychiatric or behavioral health needs by assisting with daily living activities such as bathing - dressing - and eating - while ensuring safety and comfort. They observe and document patient behaviors - report changes to nursing staff - and help implement therapeutic and recreational programs to promote emotional well-being.

Qualifications

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

Basic Requirements:

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy
• English Language Proficiency
• In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d) - no person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English
• Experience or Education or Training: You must meet one of the following to meet the basic requirements for a Nursing Assistant (NA): Six (6) months of general experience
• Experience must demonstrate the ability to acquire the knowledge and skills to perform the work of a NA
• OR - One year of education above high school with courses related to the NA occupation
• OR - Completion of an intensive - specialized - occupation-related training course of study or program of less than one year as a NA may also meet in full the experience requirements for GS-3. May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria)
• Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements stated above - the following qualification criteria must be met for each grade
• The candidate's qualifications must clearly demonstrate the level of competence required for the grade
• GS-03 - None beyond the basic requirements
• NAs at this grade NAs are considered entry-level and are closely supervised
• GS-4 NA Experience
• One year of specialized experience as a NA or experience in another medical field (licensed practical nurse - health technician - hospital corpsman - etc.) - performing technical and nursing skills requiring knowledge of the human physical and emotional states - therapeutic communication - and technical skills required for basic and intermediate treatments
• OR - Education
• Successful completion of 2 years above high school in an accredited institution with courses related to nursing care - healthcare or in a field of study appropriate to the specialization of the position - such as education in a program for psychology - psychiatric - or operating room technicians
• AND Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities (KSAs)
• In addition - the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: i Ability to provide a range of patient/resident care and contribute to the completion of the nurse care plan and recovery of patients/residents
• ii Ability to observe patients/residents' or resident's physical or emotional status and refer deviations and/or problems to supervisor in a timely manner
• iii Ability to properly use equipment - materials and supplies in simple diagnostic and treatment procedures such as bladder scan - continuous passive motion device - blood glucose monitoring machine - specimen collection - etc
• iv Ability to communicate effectively with patients/residents - their families and other health professionals
• GS-5 NA (Full Performance Level) Experience
• One year of progressively responsible assignments and experience equivalent to the GS-4 level
• see above - which demonstrates knowledge - skills - and abilities that are directly related to the specific assignment
• In addition - the candidate must demonstrate the professional KSAs in subparagraph (c) below
• OR - Education
• Successful completion of a 4-year course of study above high school leading to a bachelor's degree that included 24 semester hours of courses related to health care or possession of a bachelor's degree
• AND (c) Demonstrated KSAs
• i Ability to assist in the full range of nursing care to patients/residents with physical and/or behavioral problems in a hospital - long-term care or outpatient setting under the direction of a Registered Nurse and/or Licensed Vocational Nurse/Licensed Practical Nurse
• ii Ability to communicate orally with patients/residents - families - interdisciplinary team and other personnel
• This includes serving as a preceptor to new NAs by assisting with the coordination of their orientation and overseeing/assessing their practical experience while in a clinical setting
• iii Ability to recognize and react to emergent patient/resident care situations and intervene while waiting for assistance
• For example - recognizing need for basic life support - controlling bleeding and assisting with behavior crisis - etc
• Preferred Experience: One year of clinical experience providing direct patient care in a psychiatric - behavioral health - or inpatient mental health setting
• Experience supporting individuals with acute or chronic mental health conditions - including de-escalation and crisis-intervention techniques
• Demonstrated ability to observe - document - and report changes in patient behavior - mood - and safety risk factors
• Experience assisting with therapeutic groups - patient engagement activities - or milieu management
• Familiarity with trauma-informed care principles and patient-centered communication
• Skill in working as part of an interdisciplinary team (nurses - social workers - psychologists - providers)
• Experience performing vital signs - basic ADL assistance - and safety checks in a mental health unit
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to maintain professionalism in high-stress situations
• Prior VA - DoD - or other federal healthcare experience preferred (optional - if relevant to your posting)
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• The full performance level of this vacancy is 05
• The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of 03 to 05
• Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019 - Employee Occupational Health Service for requirements.

Duties

• Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Utilizes glucose monitoring machine to receive glucose readings for veterans Provides direct care for complex veterans Makes observations of subtle changes in resident's condition - i.e
• behavior shifts - mood - skin coloring - appetite - etc
• Documents care given - observations and responses on appropriate tools or forms
• Performs oral and nasopharyngeal suctioning
• Administers complete tracheostomy care - including suctioning
• Monitor and documents patient intake and output Performs nursing procedures within scope of practice and according to policies and standard procedures to care for the veteran for such procedures but not limited to: enemas - catheterization - colostomy care - skin care simple dressing - application of braces and prosthetic devices - EKGs Works on small group activities with veterans/residents according to the patients/resident treatment plan
• Recognizes the residents' autonomy and promotes independence by means of respect - limit setting and individualized treatment
• Actively participates in Treatment Planning Meetings
• Utilizes equipment to promote the veteran self-care - such as
• lift equipment - Hydro sound Tubs - and Veteran/Resident Wandering System
• Verbally provides patient information to the treatment team for inclusion in the veteran/residents' plan of care - participates in treatment team meetings for resident care planning
• Enters information about the residents' condition in the chart - utilizing appropriate formats
• Participates in maintaining a clean - safe environment for the patient/resident Removes defective equipment - reports hazards - observes safety regulations - contributes to infection control - and utilizes proper aseptic technique in performance of duties
• Transport Veterans in government vehicle on and off station Provides escort to Veterans for appointments Will perform breathalyzer/intoximeter and collect and deliver urine for screening Performance of Health and Wellness inspections and documentation of findings Daily medication drawer checks Participates in environment of care rounds Monitors Veterans who may be at risk for harming themselves and or others according to established policies and procedures
• Reporting patient status to the Charge Nurse and documenting pertinent observations in the medical record according to established procedures
• Work Schedule: 7:30AM - 8PM Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized
• Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized
• Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases
• When setting pay - a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade)
• Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave - 13 days of sick leave - 11 paid Federal holidays per year)Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual - based on prior [work experience] or military service experience
• Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment - up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth - adoption - or foster care placement of a child
• Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment - full time employees with a total family income below $144 -000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66
• 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) Telework: Not Available
• Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: FS-512-118-006 - 512-118-007 - 512-118-008 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized.