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VA has an existing workforce of 20,590 mental health staff that includes nurses, psychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers. Currently, the VA Puget Sound Health Care System has 320 mental health clinicians and support staff working locally supporting Puget Sound area Veterans. VA Puget Sound has divisions in Seattle and Tacoma, with seven Community Based Outpatient Clinics located throughout Western Washington. 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. 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: Master's degree or higher, with professional certification preferred. 2 to 3 years of specialized experience of teaching, program management, and curriculum development. Certification as ACLS/BLS instructor. Demonstrates a strong background in clinical and nursing education, including classroom teaching and knowledge of adult learning theory. Possess excellent leadership, communication, organizational skills with ability to be flexible and adaptable. Works independently, collaboratively, and is self-motivated. 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. 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: Heavy lifting (45 pounds and over), straight pulling (6 hours), pushing (2 hours), reaching above shoulder, use of fingers, both hands required, walking (6 hours), standing (2 hours), repeated bending (6 hours), both legs required, ability to distinguish basic colors, visual acuity 20/30 corrected. Environmental Factors: Working with hands in water, working closely with others. ["The Mental Health Clinical Nurse Educator role is critical for ensuring continuous accreditation readiness related to mental health. Key areas in which the Mental Health Clinical Nurse Educator can ensure readiness is in the training/education of all staff on restraints. suicide prevention., ligature risks and the prevention and management of disruptive behavior (PMDB) ensuring the delivery of safe patient care. The Mental Health Clinical Nurse Educator is a clinical expert in mental health, self-directed, able to function independently, be a team player and must be able to prioritize and function effectively in an autonomous environment. The Mental Health Clinical Nurse Educator assesses the educational needs of nursing staff related to mental health and develops and implements educational plans to meet those needs. The Mental Health Clinical Educator is expected to provide oversight to nursing education throughout facility including American Lake, Seattle campuses and CBOCS. Duties include but are not limited to: Collaborate with the Nurse Managers and Nursing leadership to identify educational and training needs for staff for the Nursing Service Line. Demonstrates excellent clinical practice and skills, problem solving skills and decision-making skills Collaborate/Consults with other Nurse Educators and inter disciplinary healthcare teams in the ongoing clinical education activities including in-services, training, competency assessment and evaluations of both current and new staff nursing skills. Support activities that foster competence, critical thinking and decision making, compliance with The Joint Commission, VHA and Puget Sound Health Care policies, regulations and best practices. Attain Prevention and Management of Disruptive Behavior (PMDB) instructor status within 6 months of hire and serve as a primary instructor for the Nursing service line. Support emergency responses in the acute setting to include BLS response and Code Green; evaluate response and recommend strategies to improve outcomes. Communicate with clinical staff to implement appropriate psycho-educational group activities. Provide staff education and assess staff competency regarding medications, disease process, RME, PMDB, Breathalyzer use and other skills within the mental health setting. Systematically evaluate current practice, formulate outcomes for groups of patients and/or organizational processes within area of expertise. Propose revision based on evaluation of outcomes during team meetings and meetings with administrative staff. Review current nursing literature for new trends and changes based on evidenced based research. Exhibit leadership principles that integrate mental health interdisciplinary services. Serve in leadership capacity by membership on committees or project teams. Mental health services must be closely aligned with Veterans' needs and fully integrated with health care facility. Contribute to professional development and retention of mental health nursing staff by providing educational and training programs. In addition to taking responsibility for their own learning by identifying individualized learning goals Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30am to 4:00pm Compressed/Flexible: Not available Telework: Available on a ADHOC basis only, as determined by the needs of the service. Virtual: This is not a virtual or remote position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized. Employee Debt Reduction Program: Not authorized. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized. Financial Disclosure Report: Not required 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 VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package: VA Nurse Total Rewards"]

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