Nursing Assistant - Mental Health

Veterans Health Administration • Perry Point, MD

17h • Onsite

About The Position

The Nursing Assistant position is within the Nursing-Mental Health Domiciliary at the VA Maryland Health Care System. The incumbent provides direct care to Veterans experiencing mental health challenges and supports their individualized treatment plans, recovery, and overall wellness under the supervision and direction of licensed healthcare providers.

The vacancy may be filled at GS-3 through GS-5. GS-3 is the entry level, with close supervision and opportunities to develop basic nursing assistant skills. GS-4 is an intermediate or developmental level, where the nursing assistant learns to provide complex care as part of the nursing care team under close supervision. GS-5 is the full performance level, assisting licensed nursing staff with patients and residents receiving preventive, acute, subacute, chronic, maintenance, hospice, outpatient, home, or community living care. Assignments at this level typically involve more complex needs, and the nursing assistant may take on peer education and mentorship responsibilities. Additional duties may be assigned based on facility and Nursing Service needs.

The work schedule is rotational, with day and night shifts. Telework is not available, and the position is not virtual. Relocation and recruitment incentives and permanent change of station are not authorized.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship, subject to the stated VA policy exception for non-citizens when qualified citizens cannot be recruited.
• Proficiency in written and spoken English.
• Meet one of the basic qualification pathways: six months of general experience demonstrating ability to acquire nursing assistant knowledge and skills; one year of post-high-school education with courses related to the occupation; or completion of an intensive, specialized, occupation-related nursing assistant training course or program of less than one year.
• GS-4 qualification: one year of specialized nursing assistant experience or related medical-field experience performing technical and nursing skills; or two years of post-high-school education with related courses, plus the stated patient-care, observation, equipment-use, and communication abilities.
• GS-5 qualification: one year of progressively responsible experience equivalent to GS-4 with directly related knowledge, skills, and abilities; or a four-year course of study leading to a bachelor’s degree that included 24 semester hours of health-care-related courses, or possession of a bachelor’s degree, plus the stated nursing-care, communication, and emergency-response abilities.
• Pass a pre-employment physical examination and required background/security investigation; selected applicants must complete onboarding and applicable identification requirements.
• Submit to urinalysis drug screening if tentatively selected for this testing-designated position; refusal results in denial of VA employment.
• Meet Selective Service registration requirements for males born after December 31, 1959.
• Participate in the seasonal influenza vaccination program and complete annual Employee Health requirements, such as TB screening or testing.
• Serve a one- or two-year trial period, during which continued employment is evaluated.
• Meet the physical demands of the job, including lifting up to 30 pounds, potentially transferring patients or objects, and periods of walking, standing, stooping, sitting, bending, pulling, and pushing.
• Be able to work effectively in stressful situations, shift priorities based on patient needs, and potentially work around infected patients, contaminated materials, or occasionally combative patients.

Nice To Haves

• Two years of mental health experience.

Responsibilities

• Provide direct care to Veterans experiencing mental health challenges under the supervision and direction of licensed healthcare providers.
• Support individualized treatment plans, recovery, and overall wellness.
• Assist licensed nursing staff as a member of the nursing care team in providing care to patients and residents with a range of conditions and care needs.
• Observe patients’ physical and emotional status and refer deviations or problems to a supervisor in a timely manner.
• Use equipment, materials, and supplies in diagnostic and treatment procedures, such as bladder scans, continuous passive motion devices, blood glucose monitoring, and specimen collection.
• Communicate with patients, families, interdisciplinary team members, and other personnel.
• Recognize and respond to emergent patient-care situations, including providing basic life support, controlling bleeding, and assisting during behavioral crises while awaiting help.
• At the full-performance level, assist with orientation and practical experience assessment for new nursing assistants as a preceptor.
• Perform additional duties assigned based on facility and Nursing Service needs.

Benefits

• Federal employee benefits package, with benefits for employees and their families; specific eligibility depends on position type.
• Potential 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