Registered Nurse (Mental Heath)

Summary

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP),a student loan payment reimbursement program.You must meet specific eligibility requirements per VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment.Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000)& eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply.

Duties

• This Registered Nurse (RN) Mental Health position is within the Nursing, Mental Health service at the Bedford VA Healthcare System located in Bedford, MA. It is permanent and full-time at 40 hours per week. The RN practices patient-centered care, recovery-oriented principles, and self-awareness related to caring for patients living with substance use disorder and/or MH conditions. Duties include, but are not limited to: Attends and observes nurse-led psychoeducational groups; Uses therapeutic communication techniques; Practices de-escalation techniques; Utilizes recovery-oriented language; Identifies safety concerns and hazardous items to maintain a safe and therapeutic environment of care; Provides oversight of the patient safe medication management program; Identifies and reports psychiatric and medical care needs and emergencies as directed; Documents nursing assessments, risk screens, nursing plan of care, patient safety rounds, and environmental of care rounds in accordance with facility policy; Maintains professional boundaries to protect patient vulnerabilities and act in the best interest of the patient; and Performs other duties as assigned. 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: Various Tours: rotating weekends and some holidays required 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 Karen.Chapman@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more Notifications: Current and former Federal employees must submit copies of their most recent SF-50 (Notice of Personnel Action). Veterans' preference does not apply for internal or other current permanent Federal agency employees. This is an open continuous announcement until 8/28/2026. Qualified applicants will be considered and referred as vacancies become available.

Requirements

U.S. Citizenship; non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959. Subject to background/security investigation. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Must pass pre-employment physical evaluation/examination. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). You may be required to serve a probationary period. Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

Education

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html. The Associate Degree Nursing (ADN), Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing (BSN), or Master of Science degree in Nursing (MSN) must be fully accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) or the Commission On Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). Verification of accreditation may be obtained from http://www.acenursing.us/accreditedprograms/programsearch.htm or https://directory.ccnecommunity.org/reports/accprog.asp. If your school has changed names, or is no longer in existence, you must provide this information in your application.- If your school was accredited by ACEN or CCNE at the time of graduation, but is no longer listed on the websites, you must provide documentation of accreditation with your application packet.