Nursing Assistant-Mental Health-Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program (RRTP)

United States Department of Veterans Affairs • Chelsea, ME

34d • Onsite

About The Position

These Nursing Assistant positions are located in the Mental Health Service at the VA Maine Healthcare System in Togus - ME. 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. The purpose of this position is to serve as a Nursing Assistant and 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 (RN) and/or Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) The Togus VA is an interdisciplinary facility providing care for a large Veteran inpatient and outpatient population with multiple medical and/or mental health co-morbidities

Requirements

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy
• Experience or Education or Training: Six 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.
• English Language Proficiency: Nursing Assistants must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005 - Part II - chapter 3 - section A - paragraph 3j
• 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.
• Must complete annual Employee Health requirements - such as annual TB screening or testing - as a condition of employment.

Responsibilities

• Perform - with skill and effectiveness - any and all duties associated with nursing assistant work
• Observes and reports physical - emotional - behavioral and psychosocial aspects of the patient's condition
• Provides complete personal hygiene care needs - turns and positions patients to maintain proper body alignment - lifts - ambulates - and transfers patients
• Promotes the physical independence of the patient by encouraging and teaching individual patients and groups of patients in self-care activities - such as progressive steps in personal hygiene - bathing - and oral care - also assists in teaching and encouraging other care activities such as eating - dressing - undressing - and other training as needed
• Provides - structures and maintains a therapeutic environment in collaboration with the patient and other healthcare clinicians
• Assists with treatments - prepares equipment - performs selected procedures after appropriate instruction - observes infection control practices - and implements bowel and bladder programs
• Serve as members of the treatment team in motivating patients and directing their behavior toward achieving treatment plan goals
• Participates in the admission of patients by providing secure - reassuring milieu - orienting patients to the unit - checking them for contraband when indicated and assisting the registered nurse in implementing the nursing admission procedure

Benefits

• Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases
• 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)

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees