This announcement covers vacancies in multiple units/clinics within the New Mexico VA Health Care System, to include:
- Inpatient Psychiatric Units (6C, Ward 7/6B)
- Outpatient Mental Health (BHIP, PCMHI, MH Urgent Care/Walk-in, SUD, Psych Primary Care, TMH/Rural, Neuromodulation, Same Day Access).
- Mental Health Residential Rehabilitation Program (MHRRTP North/South Units)
VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package: VA Nurse Total Rewards
DUTIES:
The Psychiatric/Mental Health Registered Nurse (RN) is accountable for adhering to established policies and standards of care, and practice and for demonstrating leadership, self-direction, experience, and creative approaches to the management of complex patient care. The RN should possess understanding of ethical principles that create an environment of Veteran advocacy and is accountable for adhering to established policies and standards of care. The RN provides education to Veterans, their families, and staff members in Behavioral Health Services and through the Medical Center. The RN has contact with a variety of patients and families/significant others for the purpose of providing nursing care, encouragement, and fostering Veterans' self-reliance and independence. The RN assesses and analyzes age and culturally specific psychosocial, medical, spiritual, and social needs of Veterans aged 17 years and above who are seeking access to Behavioral Health services.. The Psychiatric/Mental Health RN is directly responsible to the Nurse Manager of the assigned area and indirectly supervised by the Chief Nurse, Behavioral Health.
Additional Duties for all positions include but are not limited to:
- Direct patient care includes the use of medical equipment as needed, medication education and management, and the provision of medical care for physical co-morbidities.
- Clinical supervision of Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN), Health Techs (HT) and Nursing Assistants (NA) to include delegation of duties within the LPN, HT or NA scope of practice.
- Precepting of new or less experienced nursing staff and nursing students
- Functioning in the Charge Nurse when assigned as appropriate
- Maintain BLS certification
- Providing Point of Care Testing
Inpatient Psychiatric Units:
Registered Nurses assigned to the Geropsychiatry Inpatient Unit (6C) and Inpatient Acute Psychiatric Unit (W7/6B) are part of a dynamic team that provide Inpatient Veteran Centered care to stabilize the patient in an acute inpatient psychiatry setting and return the Veteran to the community. As a part of the inpatient psychiatric nursing team, the inpatient psychiatric RN will be oriented and cross-trained on both 6C and W7/6B and will staff both units as needed to meet the operational needs of the service.
Work Schedule: Full-time, 12 hour tours, varied shifts
Outpatient Mental Health
The outpatient RN employs clinical and organizational skills to provide safe, quality, and efficient nursing care for veterans seeking walk-in or urgent mental health, general mental health and specialty services in any of our outpatient clinic settings. Specific responsibilities may include, but are not limited to screening and evaluation of behavioral consults, triage of secure messaging, phone calls, consults, and assessment and triage of Veterans who seek walk-in and/or urgent mental health care, cross-training and floating to all outpatient areas, administering injections, assisting with medical procedures, specimen collection, and transporting patients to the Emergency Department or other clinics throughout the hospital as needed.
Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8 hour day tour
MHRRTP:
Registered Nurses assigned to the MHRRTP will work in both the South and North units, providing assessment, evaluation, and care planning for Veterans receiving residential treatment for mental health issues including PTSD, Substance Use Disorder, Serious Mental Illness and related homelessness. The RN is an integral part of the MHRRTP interdisciplinary treatment team and participates in ongoing planning with the clinical staff using a recovery-based model.
Work Schedule: Full-time, 12 hour tours, varied shifts
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: See above, work schedules vary depending on unit.
Telework: Not Available.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized.
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized.
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required.