Major Duties:
Clinical Operations & Patient Safety
- Ensures continuous monitoring and safety checks in accordance with suicidal and homicidal risk
protocols, contraband prevention procedures, elopement policies, and mental health observation
standards.
- Oversees implementation of trauma-informed care, de-escalation strategies, and approved
behavioral management interventions (e.g., CPI/PMDB-trained approaches).
- Ensures staff competency in psychiatric emergency response, including Code Green/behavioral
rapid response procedures, and safe application of seclusion/restraint in strict accordance with
regulatory standards.
- Monitors trends in behavioral incidents and leads corrective action plans to improve unit
safety.
Staff Supervision & Development
- Directs psychiatric nursing staff in performing mental status assessments, behavior
documentation, therapeutic communication, medication administration, and withdrawal monitoring.
- Ensures staff maintain competency in suicide prevention, recovery model principles, substance
use disorder protocols, and management of acute psychiatric symptoms.
- Provides real-time coaching during high-acuity events (e.g., escalation, aggressive behaviors,
rapid clinical deterioration).
Interdisciplinary Collaboration
- Actively participates in and coordinates daily treatment team rounds, reviewing each Veteran's
psychiatric symptoms, progress, barriers to discharge, and recovery goals.
- Partners closely with psychiatry providers on medication changes, behavioral plans, and crisis
interventions.
- Engages social work on discharge planning, safety planning, and coordination with outpatient MH
programs such as PRRC, HUD-VASH, and SUD services.
Quality & Compliance
- Ensures adherence to Joint Commission Behavioral Health standards, VA mental health policies,
seclusion/restraint regulations, and documentation requirements for high-risk patients.
- Leads performance improvement projects specific to inpatient psychiatry such as falls in MH
populations, seclusion/restraint reduction, suicide risk management, and aggression mitigation.
- Facilitates Root Cause Analyses and safety huddles related to psychiatric care events.
Environment of Care
- Maintains a ligature-resistant environment; ensures staff reporting, maintenance follow-up, and
environmental rounds are completed timely.
- Collaborates with engineering and MH leadership on safety enhancements and compliance with
ligature-risk mitigation plans.
Veteran-Centered Mental Health Care
- Ensures individualized therapeutic interventions, including psychoeducation, coping skills
development, crisis stabilization, and recovery planning.
- Promotes Veteran engagement in group therapies, treatment planning, and self-management
activities.
- Monitors patient experience feedback specific to mental health care (e.g., perceptions of
safety, therapeutic engagement, staff responsiveness).
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 7:30 am - 4:00 pm, Subject to change based on facility needs.
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
EDRP Authorized:
Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact
[email protected], the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
