Registered Nurse - Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program (RRTP)

Veterans Health Administration • Togus, ME

18h • Onsite

About The Position

The Registered Nurse works in the Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program (RRTP) within Mental Health Service in Augusta, Maine. The position is full-time, 40 hours per week, with various tours of duty, and is not virtual. The nurse provides and leads competent, evidence-based care for Veterans, including people living with substance use disorders and/or mental health conditions. Care is patient-centered, recovery-oriented, and trauma-sensitive, and the nurse collaborates with Veterans and other healthcare providers to support treatment goals and maintain a safe therapeutic environment.

The role includes nursing assessment, education, medication management, monitoring nursing outcomes, facilitating shift reports and nurse-led groups, responding to care needs and emergencies, participating in interdisciplinary treatment and safety activities, and documenting care according to facility policy. The position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), subject to its eligibility and application requirements. Approved awards may be up to $200,000, with an eligibility period of one to five years, as determined by the VHA program office. Former EDRP participants are ineligible to apply.

Requirements

• Proficiency in basic written and spoken English.
• Graduation from an appropriately accredited school of professional nursing, or qualifying nursing education under the stated bridge-program or foreign-education provisions.
• Current, full, active, and unrestricted professional nurse registration in a U.S. State, Territory, Commonwealth, or the District of Columbia. A Graduate Nurse Technician temporary appointment may be available to qualifying candidates actively pursuing licensure.
• Meet the education and experience criteria for the applicable VA nurse grade and level. Criteria vary by grade and include ADN or nursing diploma, BSN, MSN, or doctoral degree combinations with specified professional or specialized nursing experience.
• Physically able to perform the duties satisfactorily and complete a pre-placement physical examination.
• U.S. citizenship, except where non-citizen appointment is permitted under VA policy.
• Applicants tentatively selected for a testing-designated position must undergo pre-employment urinalysis; refusal results in denial of employment.
• Meet applicable Selective Service registration requirements for males born after December 31, 1959.
• Submit to a background/security investigation and complete the online onboarding and pre-employment requirements.
• Pass the pre-employment evaluation and participate in the VA seasonal influenza vaccination program.
• Complete all application requirements listed in the announcement's Required Documents section; selected applicants may need to complete credentialing.
• Education used to qualify must be recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and meet applicable accreditation requirements. Foreign education requires the specified equivalency documentation.

Responsibilities

• Establish therapeutic relationships and use therapeutic interventions and person-first language to support trauma-sensitive care and reduce barriers to recovery services.
• Collaborate with Veterans and healthcare providers to create and maintain a safe, therapeutic, recovery-oriented environment.
• Assess and identify health-related illness using nursing assessments consistent with national standards.
• Provide individual or group education to Veterans on healthcare needs, recovery goals, mental health and substance use problems, treatment regimens, coping skills, stress management, relaxation techniques, crisis management, and medications.
• Manage medications in Mental Health RRTPs, administer medications as ordered by credentialed providers, and monitor their effectiveness.
• Consistently assess and monitor the physical environment to ensure medication safety and security.
• Develop and monitor nursing outcomes, objectives, and interventions that help Veterans achieve treatment goals.
• Lead and provide competent, evidence-based care to assigned patients.
• Provide patient-centered, recovery-oriented care and maintain self-awareness when caring for patients with substance use disorders and/or mental health conditions.
• Facilitate shift reports, warm hand-offs, and nurse-led psychoeducational groups; use therapeutic communication and de-escalation techniques and recovery-oriented language; and oversee the patient safe medication management program.
• Participate in the Mental Health interdisciplinary treatment team, patient safety activities, and environment-of-care rounds, and respond to psychiatric and medical care needs and emergencies as directed.
• Report safety concerns and document nursing assessments, risk screens, plans of care, patient safety rounds, and environment-of-care rounds according to facility policy.
• Maintain professional boundaries and act in the best interest of patients.
• Foster a safe and supportive environment for the professional development of healthcare professionals.
• Support colleagues through knowledge sharing and question clinical practices to promote safe, quality, evidence-based nursing care.

Benefits

• Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), subject to eligibility and approval, with awards up to $200,000 and eligibility periods of one to five years.
• Competitive salary, regular salary increases, and potential performance awards.
• 50 days of paid time off per year: 26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, and 11 paid Federal holidays.
• Traditional federal pension with five-year vesting.
• Federal 401(k) with up to 5% in contributions by VA.
• Federal health, vision, dental, term life, and long-term care insurance; many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement.
• One full and unrestricted license from any U.S. State or territory.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Associate degree