Licensed Practical or Vocational Nurse (Mental Health)

Veterans Health Administration • Bedford, MA

6d • Onsite

About The Position

This full-time, 40-hour-per-week Practical Nurse position is in Nursing Service (Mental Health), serving the Inpatient Mental Health and Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program at the VA Bedford Healthcare System in Bedford, Massachusetts. The announcement may be used to fill multiple vacancies. Nurses may be assigned to days, evenings, nights, weekends, or holidays, and shifts may change according to patient and facility needs. Staff may be required to float among inpatient units—including mental health, acute and long-term psychiatric care, residential care, long-term and short-term care, hospice, rehabilitation, and dementia care—to support hospital needs.

The nurse provides practical nursing care to patients with physical and/or behavioral health needs under the general supervision of a registered nurse or physician. Duties include gathering patient information, implementing delegated care plans, monitoring and reporting changes in patient condition or behavior, documenting care in the electronic record, providing delegated patient and family education, and supporting diagnostic tests and specialized procedures. The full performance level is GS-06; selections may be made at GS-03 through GS-06.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship, subject to the stated VA exception for non-citizens when qualified citizens cannot be recruited.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• Graduation from an approved practical or vocational nursing school, or an applicable education exception described in the announcement.
• Full, active, current, unrestricted LPN or LVN licensure in a U.S. state, territory, commonwealth, or the District of Columbia, unless qualifying under the stated grandfathering provision.
• Meet the experience and knowledge, skills, and abilities requirements for the grade sought: GS-3 has no additional requirements beyond the basic requirements; GS-4 requires qualifying experience or an eligible education-and-experience alternative; GS-5 requires at least one year of qualifying GS-4-level experience and the specified KSAs; GS-6 requires at least one additional year of qualifying GS-5-level experience and the specified KSAs.
• Complete required pre-employment evaluation, background/security investigation, onboarding, and applicable identification requirements.
• Submit to pre-appointment urinalysis if selected for a testing-designated position.
• Participate in the VA seasonal influenza vaccination program and complete Employee Health requirements.
• Serve a one- or two-year trial period, as applicable.

Nice To Haves

• One year of experience in mental health or detox work.

Responsibilities

• Collect data and collaborate in assessing patients’ health status.
• Implement delegated aspects of patient care plans and participate in evaluating patient responses to interventions.
• Provide delegated health teaching and counseling to promote and maintain patients’ health.
• Recognize, promptly report, and document changes in patients’ physical condition and behavior.
• Document care and treatment in accordance with policies and instructions, including in electronic records and information networks.
• Distinguish emergent from non-emergent conditions and promptly report and accurately record critical or emergency situations.
• Provide practical nursing care to patients with varied physical and behavioral needs under the general supervision of an RN or MD/DO.
• Carry out assigned care in response to patients’ conditions, including medication, equipment-assisted care, and patient or family education.
• Support complex diagnostic tests and specialized practices or procedures.
• Float among inpatient units as needed to support facility and patient-care needs.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and regular salary increases.
• 37–50 days of annual paid time off per year, including annual leave, sick leave, and 11 paid federal holidays.
• Up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave after 12 months of employment, in connection with birth, adoption, or foster-care placement.
• Eligible full-time employees may qualify for a child-care subsidy after 60 days of employment, subject to income and other eligibility limits.
• Traditional federal pension, with five-year vesting, and federal 401(k) with up to 5% in VA contributions.
• Federal health, vision, dental, term life, and long-term-care insurance; many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement.
• Eligible employees may receive credit toward annual leave accrual based on prior work or military service, subject to request and approval.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed