The RN practices on 7 West, Seattle division. This is a short stay unit with both voluntary and involuntary admissions. Patient populations include veterans who are likely to present with acute psychosis, bipolar affective disorder, major depression, schizophrenia, suicide ideation/homicide ideation with a plan. Some of the patients may present with concomitant substance use intoxication who may need detoxification while being treated for their presenting psychiatric disorder.

Duties

The 7 West Inpatient Mental Health/Psychiatry RN assumes the following major duties and responsibilities: Inpatient Psychiatric Registered Nurses conducts an individualized patient assessment, prioritizing the data collection based on the adult or geriatric patient's immediate condition or needs. Provides safe and therapeutic care and coordination of services through the nursing process of assessment, diagnosis, planning and implementation and evaluation. Works in collaboration with a multidisciplinary team of medical and clinical professionals to administer safe and therapeutic treatment to patients. Milieu management and crisis de-escalation are also integral components of this nursing role. Administers and perform prescribed treatments and medical interventions, including administering routine and prescribed medications, and document patient's response following nursing procedures. Documents patient assessment findings, behavioral/psychosocial responses to nursing intervention and progress towards problem resolution. Performs therapeutic nursing interventions as established by individualized plan of care for the patient and his/her family. Ensures that patients requiring seclusion and/or restraint are monitored, assessed, evaluated and humanely treated using least to most restrictive measures and that appropriate documentation of same occurs per VA policy and as governed by law. Supports a system-wide understanding of trauma prevalence, impact and trauma informed care. Demonstrates a commitment to cultural competence. Maintains current competency in adult psychiatric/mental health care nursing including the safe use of restraints and seclusion. Provides care in a non-judgmental, non-discriminatory manner that is sensitive to the adult or geriatric patient's and family's diversity, preserving their autonomy, dignity and rights. Completes necessary training specific to psychiatric and mental health nursing and interventions. Completes appropriate VA training on prevention and management of disruptive behavior. If unable to complete training, has an alternative safety plan in place. All nursing grades are responsible for good communication skills, to include reading outlook email messages daily when on duty without prompting. Performs other duties as assigned. 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: 12 hour night shift (7:30pm-8:00am), with rotating weekends. Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized EDRP Authorized: Contact V20CompensationTeam@vgov and [email protected], the EDRP Coordinators for questions/assistance. Learn more. This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application.

Requirements

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. Graduate of a school of professional nursing approved 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). The approving official may authorize a waiver of the requirement for ACEN or CCNE accreditation of any degree in nursing provided the college or university has regional accreditation from an accrediting body recognized by the Department of Education at the time of the candidate's graduation and the composite qualifications of the applicant warrant such consideration. In cases of graduates of foreign schools of professional nursing, possession of current, full, active and unrestricted registration will meet the requirement of graduation from an approved school of professional nursing. OR The completion of coursework equivalent to a nursing degree in a MSN Bridge Program that qualifies for professional nursing registration constitutes the completion of an approved course of study of professional nursing. Students should submit the certificate of professional nursing to sit for the NCLEX to the VA along with a copy of the MSN transcript. (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. 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. Preferred Experience: Bachelor of Science in Nursing minimum of 1-2 years RN experience in a mental health setting Grade Determinations: The following criteria must be met in determining the grade assignment of candidates, and if appropriate, the level within a grade: Nurse I Level I - An Associate Degree (ADN) or Diploma in Nursing, with no additional nursing practice/experience required. Nurse I Level II - An ADN or Diploma in Nursing and approximately 1 year of nursing practice/experience; OR an ADN or Diploma in Nursing and a bachelor's degree in a related field with no additional nursing practice/experience; OR a Bachelor's of Science in Nursing (BSN) with no additional nursing practice/experience. Nurse I Level III - An ADN or Diploma in Nursing and approximately 2-3 years of nursing practice/experience; OR an ADN or Diploma in Nursing and a Bachelor's degree in a related field and approximately 1-2 years of nursing practice/experience; OR a BSN with approximately 1-2 years of nursing practice/experience; OR a Master's degree in nursing (MSN) or related field with a BSN and no additional nursing practice/experience. Nurse II - A BSN with approximately 2-3 years of nursing practice/experience; OR ADN or Diploma in Nursing and a Bachelor's degree in a related field and approximately 2-3 years of nursing practice/experience; OR a Master's degree in nursing or related field with a BSN and approximately 1-2 years of nursing practice/experience; OR a Doctoral degree in nursing or meets basic requirements for appointment and has doctoral degree in a related field with no additional nursing practice/experience required. Nurse III - Master's degree in nursing or related field with BSN and approximately 2-3 years of nursing practice/experience; OR a Doctoral degree and approximately 2-3 years of nursing practice/experience. Note regarding MSN degrees: If your MSN was obtained via a Bridge Program that qualifies for professional nursing registration, a BSN is not required. Reference: VA Regulations, specifically VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G-6 Nurse Qualification Standard. This can be found in the local Human Resources Office. Physical Requirements: Heavy lifting (45 pounds and over); Straight pulling (6 hours); Pushing (2 hours); Reaching above shoulder; Use of fingers; Both hands required; Walking (6 hours); Standing (2 hours); Repeated bending (6 hours); Visual acuity 20/30 corrected.

Education

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Contacts

• Address VA Puget Sound Health Care System 1660 South Columbian Way Seattle, WA 98108 US
• Name: Melody Laughlin
• Phone: 253-583-1173
• Email: [email protected]