Nursing Assistant- Mental Health

At the VA Maryland Health Care System, our health care teams are deeply experienced and guided by the needs of Veterans, their families, and caregivers. The Nursing Assistant (NA) will provide care to patients/residents with acute to chronic conditions in a health care setting. **This position is located in Perry Point, MD (Mental Health).

A Mental Health Nursing Assistant (MHNA) will significantly enhance patient care and support organizational goals by improving efficiency, safety, and quality outcomes. Mental health patients often require specialized attention, emotional support, and continuous monitoring, which can be challenging for nurses managing high workloads. An MHNA provides dedicated assistance with therapeutic interventions, de-escalation techniques, and routine care, reducing stress on nursing staff and allowing them to focus on complex clinical tasks. Duties of the Nursing Assistant with Mental Health - Perry Point include, but are not limited to: Mental Health Nursing Assistant provides essential support to patients with psychiatric or behavioral health needs by assisting with daily living activities. Providing care to patients/residents with acute to chronic conditions in a health care setting. The significant factor is that they provide care under close supervision and refer issues/questions to supervisors, higher graded NAs or other healthcare professionals. Observe and document patient behaviors, report changes to nursing staff, and help implement therapeutic and recreational programs to promote emotional well-being. Appropriately utilizes glucose monitoring machine to collect and document appropriate glucose readings for assigned patient veteran. Bathing, dressing, and eating, while ensuring safety and comfort. Maintains a positive therapeutic relationships by displaying respect for human dignity with patient, families and/or significant others utilizing learned communication skills. Utilize observation skills for data collection, reporting and recording patient/resident observations,. Performs aspects of nursing care to meet patient's needs for personal hygiene, physical comfort, activity, exercise, rest, nutrition, elimination, prevention of skin breakdown, rehabilitative aspects of care. Engages in group activities such as off-station trips, reality orientation, current events and other therapeutic groups, utilizing principles of proper body mechanics while caring for patients, reports patient observations to the RN and or other members of the treatment team. Sets up patient care related equipment, organizes and obtains routine supplies and equipment. Assists with orienting patient/family to unit routines and policies, work as a cooperative, courteous member of the interdisciplinary team. Under supervision, they may assist with medication administration and treatment plans, maintain a clean and secure environment, and intervene during crises to prevent harm. Offer empathetic communication and emotional support, fostering trust and stability for patients in their care. Additional duties as assigned. Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Work Schedule: Rotating shits nights and weekends. Compressed/Flexible: Not Authorized Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases. When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade). Telework: Not Authorized Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: FS_512-26787-F,FS_512-26788-F,and FS_512-26789-F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. 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. Must be proficient in written and spoken English. 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 evaluation. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.