The Waco Serious Mental Illness Life Empowerment Rehabilitation Treatment Program (SMILE) is a 22 bed residential care program providing mental health treatment in a structured setting. The SMILE Program population includes both male and female veterans with illnesses including mood disorders, anxiety disorders, Posttraumatic Stress Disorders, psychotic disorders, Substance Use Disorders, and other cognitive disorders. 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. HPTs who are on track to graduate/complete the requirements should respond as if they have met the requirements. Provide details in the narrative sections of the assessment. Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. English Language Proficiency: In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), no person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English. Graduate of a school of professional nursing approved by the appropriate State-accrediting agency and accredited by one of the following accrediting bodies at the time the program was completed by the applicant: The Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) or The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). In cases of graduates of foreign schools of professional nursing, possession of current, full, active and unrestricted registration will meet the requirement of graduation from an approved school of professional nursing. OR The completion of coursework equivalent to a nursing degree in a MSN Bridge Program that qualifies for professional nursing registration constitutes the completion of an approved course of study of professional nursing. Students should submit the certificate of professional nursing to sit for the NCLEX to the VA along with a copy of the MSN transcript. (Reference VA Handbook 5005, Appendix G6) OR In cases of graduates of foreign schools of professional nursing, possession of a current, full, active and unrestricted registration will meet the requirement for graduation from an approved school of professional nursing. Current, full, active, and unrestricted registration as a graduate professional nurse in a State, Territory or Commonwealth (i.e., Puerto Rico) of the United States, or the District of Columbia. Preferred Experience: -BLS -At least 2 years mental health/behavioral health (Acute psychiatric background preferred) -BSN -2 years mental health residential rehabilitation treatment and "Recovery Model" approach -2 years medical/surgical background -Documented ability to work independently with good critical thinking skills Grade Determinations: The following criteria must be met in determining the grade assignment of candidates, and if appropriate, the level within a grade: Nurse I Level I - An Associate Degree (ADN) or Diploma in Nursing, with no additional nursing practice/experience required. Nurse I Level II - An ADN or Diploma in Nursing and approximately 1 year of nursing practice/experience; OR an ADN or Diploma in Nursing and a bachelor's degree in a related field with no additional nursing practice/experience; OR a Bachelor's of Science in Nursing (BSN) with no additional nursing practice/experience. Nurse I Level III - An ADN or Diploma in Nursing and approximately 2-3 years of nursing practice/experience; OR an ADN or Diploma in Nursing and a Bachelor's degree in a related field and approximately 1-2 years of nursing practice/experience; OR a BSN with approximately 1-2 years of nursing practice/experience; OR a Master's degree in nursing (MSN) or related field with a BSN and no additional nursing practice/experience. Nurse II - A BSN with approximately 2-3 years of nursing practice/experience; OR ADN or Diploma in Nursing and a Bachelor's degree in a related field and approximately 2-3 years of nursing practice/experience; OR a Master's degree in nursing or related field with a BSN and approximately 1-2 years of nursing practice/experience; OR a Doctoral degree in nursing or meets basic requirements for appointment and has doctoral degree in a related field with no additional nursing practice/experience required. Nurse III - Master's degree in nursing or related field with BSN and approximately 2-3 years of nursing practice/experience; OR a Doctoral degree and approximately 2-3 years of nursing practice/experience. Note regarding MSN degrees: If your MSN was obtained via a Bridge Program that qualifies for professional nursing registration, a BSN is not required. Reference: VA Regulations, specifically VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G-6 Nurse Qualification Standard. This can be found in the local Human Resources Office. Physical Requirements: The position requires moderate to heavy lifting (15-45 pounds and over), light to heavy carrying (up to 45 pounds and over), straight pulling (1-2 hours), pushing (1 hour), reaching above shoulder, use of fingers, walking (8-10 hours), standing (8-10 hours), repeated bending (0.5 hours), both legs required, ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously, near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4, far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other, both eyes required, depth perception, ability to distinguish basic colors, ability to distinguish shades of colors, hearing (aid permitted), mental and emotional stability, simple grasping (2-4 hours), sitting (8 hours), fine manipulation (4-8 hours) and twisting (2 hours). ["VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package: VA Nurse Total Rewards The Registered Nurses play a very important role in the complex mental health and medical care and treatment that is provided to Veterans in the Program. The purpose of nursing is to provide patient care and education that maximizes self-care and independent functioning, facilitates positive adaptation to changes in health status, and promotes health or slows health deterioration. You will deliver theoretically and scientifically based nursing care to an assigned group of veterans. Constantly building upon current clinical competencies. Serve as an advocate for the veteran and is obligated to demonstrate nonjudgmental and nondiscriminatory attitudes and behaviors that are sensitive to veteran diversity. Accountable to function as an effective team member, team leader, preceptor and/or charge nurse. Demonstrate leadership in delivering and improving holistic care through collaborative strategies with others. Consistently modeling professional conduct in routine and stressful situations. Perform basic, physical, psychological, and social assessments. Demonstrate an ability to identify and prioritize care needs. Assess population-based care requirements. Implement the plan of care, meeting the needs of veterans in a safe, therapeutic manner. Demonstrate accountability for management of Veteran assignment. Recognize critical veteran care situations and seeking appropriate assistance. Maintain current BLS and initiating basic life-saving measures when appropriate. Demonstrate knowledge and/or required safety skills in area of assignment and, when appropriate, in the following: emergency preparedness plan, hazardous materials, fire plan, equipment failure emergency plan, and utility outage response procedures for their area. Systematically document/report Veteran care using nursing process, according to policies and procedures. Successful completion of Prevention and Management of Disruptive Behavior (PMDB) Level IV training is required to work on this unit. CTVHCS is in the process of making a cultural change, shifting from a disease-focused approach to a health and wellbeing approach, in order to implement the Whole Health System of Care. This is a VA-wide initiative to provide a comprehensive and systematic approach to improve healthcare delivery at all stages of Veteran care. This entails moving from an episodic, \"siloed\" approach to an interdisciplinary, holistic approach, emphasizing self-care in the larger context of well-being. All staff in this facility will be part of this process, shifting the focus from the question, \"What's the matter with you?\" to the question, \"What matters to you, and how can we help you live your best life?\" This strategy also involves integrating a full range of conventional approaches with Complementary and Integrative Health (CIH) approaches in order to optimize lifelong health and well-being, as defined by the Veteran, rather than narrowly focusing on disease management. 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: Full-time; Primary tours available: 0730-1600, 1530-12am, 2330-12am, Rotating weekends/holidays Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Recruitment Incentives: Recruitment incentive is authorized for selection(s) new to Federal Service. Relocation incentive is authorized for current Federal employees selected for the position who move more than 50 miles from current address. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required"]

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