Mental Health Educator RN

Summary The Mental Health Educator Registered Nurse provides services to clinical staff that includes but is not limited to orientation, training, education, skill validation, competency assessment, and consultation in response to mandates, needs assessments, requests associated with performance improvement plans, qualify and safety recommendations, national or VISN initiatives.

This position potentially requires flexibility in schedule and assignments. Responsibilities The Mental Health Educator Registered Nurse is responsible for providing competent, evidence-based education to staff.

Duties include but not limited to : Provided educational instruction and training for nursing staff in clinical and outpatient units.

Understands instructional design, implementation, and application related to education and training. Performs learning needs assessments, develops educational trainings for clinical staff within organization.

Assists with the orientation of new employees, evaluation of their progress in the orientation process and development and implementation of a learning plan for improving identified deficiencies.

Serves as a trainer and consultant for Resuscitation Education Initiative (Redi) Program including certification as Basic Life Support (BLS) instructor.

Monitors and tracks BLS / Advanced Life Support (ALS) compliance within the organization. Collaborates with interdisciplinary team to support and evaluate responses to emergency responses in the facility to include BLS and ALS.

Organizes, participates, and evaluates mock codes. Supports nurse residency programs including the development of curriculum utilizing strategic learning methodologies such as simulation, lecture case studies and virtual reality.

Develops advanced basic level coaching and mentoring skills. Systematically evaluates current practice, formulate outcomes for groups of patients and / or organizational processes within area of expertise.

Collaborates with other Clinical Nurse Educators and inter-professional healthcare teams in the ongoing clinical education activities including in-services, training, competency assessment, and evaluations of both current and new staff nursing skills.

Reviews current nursing literature for new trends and changes based on evidence-based research with the ability to propose practice and documentation revisions based on evaluation of outcomes.

Collaborates with leadership and unit managers to identify educational training needs for staff, while supporting activities that foster competence, critical thinking, and decision making.

Provides consultation and collaboration through the participation within organizational committees. Ability to analyze, interpret, and evaluate data to determine outcomes and changes related to educational programs.

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, 8 : 00-4 : 30pm Telework : Available at the discretion of the nurse manager Virtual : This is not a virtual position.

Relocation / Recruitment Incentives : Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS) : Not Authorized Requirements Conditions of Employment U.

S. Citizenship; non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.

All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment.

Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12 / 31 / 1959.

You may be required to serve a probationary period. Subject to background / security investigation. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.

Must pass pre-employment physical examination. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).

Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.

Qualifications Basic 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.

Grade 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 / 12596213. 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. Preferred Experience : Teaching experience.

Five years of Registered Nurse experience. At least three years of Mental Health / Psychiatry experience. Master's Degree in Nursing (MSN) with specialization in nursing education or education or post masters certificate in nursing education or willingness to enroll in an MSN program with focus in nursing education.

Excellent communication and collaboration skills. Salary for this position ranges dependent upon applicant qualifications Grade 1 : $149,816-$199,250 annually Grade 2 : $172,288-$221,900 annually Grade 3 : $189,516-$221,900 annually Reference : For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https : / / www.

va.gov / ohrm / QualificationStandards / . Physical Requirements : This position requires visual acuity, keen hearing, clear distinctive speech, and manual dexterity.

The position requires potentially, long periods of combined walking, standing, stooping, sitting, bending, pulling, and pushing.

The incumbent must be a mature, flexible, sensible individual capable or working effectively in stressful situation, able to shift priorities based on needs of the organization.

The incumbent may be required to travel occasionally. This position potentially requires flexibility in schedule and assignments.

Telework is position dependent and appropriate approvals are required; telework is not guaranteed and incumbent must comply with all regulations relevant to telework agreements, policies, and processes.

If a position requires driving, incumbent is required to maintain compliance with all relevant policies and processes. Education IMPORTANT : A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on 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 / . Additional Information This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status. VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply.

The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.

Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.

e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date.

The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer.

For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration / Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA / OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.