Registered Nurse (Outpatient - Primary Care Mental Health Integration)

Summary

VA South Texas Health Care System's Office of Nursing/Mental Health Service is seeking to fill an RN (Outpatient - Primary Care Mental Health Integration) position at Audie L. Murphy Memorial Veterans' Hospital.

Duties

Outpatient Mental Health RN with Primary Care Mental Health Integration is responsible and accountable for all elements of the nursing process when providing direct patient care. These RN assess, plan, implement and evaluate care based on age-specific components. They assume responsibility for the coordination of care focused on patient education, self-management, and customer satisfaction throughout the continuum of care while influencing care outcomes by collaborating with members of the interdisciplinary team. They execute position responsibilities that demonstrate leadership, experience, and creative approaches to management of complex client care. Typical Duties may include but are not limited to: Serving as a Collaborative Care Manager Providing patient-centered and recovery-oriented care and maintaining self-awareness while caring for patients living with MH conditions Facilitating care coordination, linking with the Inpatient MH Units to facilitate continuity of care Participating in MH interdisciplinary treatment team huddles and meetings, warm hand-offs, and developing content as well as facilitating nurse-led psychoeducational groups Using therapeutic communication techniques, practicing de-escalation techniques, utilizing recovery-oriented language, and providing Veterans, their family members, and/or significant others with education regarding their illness, medications, and treatment plan Reporting, assisting and/or directing safety concern resolution and collaborating with program leadership to help improve patient and program outcomes; and directing team response to psychiatric and medical emergencies Documenting nursing triage assessments, risk screens, measurement-based care tools, clinical reminders, and patient plan of care according to facility policy. Maintaining professional boundaries to protect patient vulnerabilities and act in the best interest of the patient. Providing peers with formal or informal constructive feedback for improvement Supporting colleagues and other nurses through knowledge sharing Fostering safe and supportive environment conducive to the professional development of health care professionals Working with infectious patients and/or contaminated materials requiring prolonged wearing of various levels of personal protective equipment Working in various work environments based on patient care, organizational needs, and/or safety requirements Working with patients who may be combative secondary to delirium, dementia, or behavioral health conditions Working while exposed to loud noises, alarms, chaotic situations or other distractions and stressors in which the RN must maintain professional bearing and composure Working in modified work environments, caring for patients on isolation precautions, screen potentially infectious patients, and participating in labor pools, etc. 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 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Work Schedule: TBD (Typically 0730-1600 CST, may be required to work nights, holidays and/or weekends) Telework: Available on an ad-hoc (as needed) basis Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Duty Location: Audie L. Murphy Memorial Veterans' Hospital VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package: VA Nurse Total Rewards

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. May be required to pass pre-employment physical evaluation/examination, depending on the needs of the organization. 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.

Qualifications and evaluation

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment. PREFERRED EXPERIENCE: BSN (or higher) American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) certification 5+ years of Mental Heath (MH) experience 5+ years of Emergency Department (ED) experience Experience as an RN will be evaluated to determine if the experience is of an acceptable level of quality with regard to the following five dimensions of nursing: Practice, Veteran/Patient Driven Care, Leadership, Professional Development, and Evidence/Based Practice/Research. Each dimension of practice has criteria that demonstrate essential core competencies for VHA Nursing Personnel. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position. It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment. PAY-SETTING NOTE: Candidate's education, scope, and length of nursing practice (experience) will be considered in determining the grade and salary of the applicant selected. The recommended salary may be at any point in the range listed for this vacancy. Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

Education

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. 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.

How to apply

All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the full questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 10/29/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire, click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13090183. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire. Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package. NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation are submitted prior to the closing date. During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

Required documents

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package. IMPORTANT REMINDERS: Current federal employees (VA and other federal Agencies) applying to this position are asked to submit with their application, a copy of their latest Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 (SF-50). Foreign education graduates higher than an associate degree applying to this position are asked to submit with their application, a copy of their formal degree equivalency validation from a recognized equivalency evaluation accepted by VA such as International Consultants of Delaware (ICD) with your transcript. Failure to provide copy of the same may result in an ineligible rating. Current/past/upcoming HPT graduates must submit a copy of their latest Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 (SF-50), the FL-294 (or a WOC appointment letter) The following documents are accepted and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please ensure you have included all documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), etc. Cover Letter DD-214/ Statement of Service Disability Letter (Schedule A) Disability Letter (VA) License Long-form resume/Curriculum vitae (CV) Other (1) Other (2) Other (3) Performance Appraisal Professional Certification Separation Notice (RIF) SF-15 SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action Transcript Veterans' Preference Note: Preference eligible candidates and other Veterans will be given preference when qualification of candidates are approximately equal for Title 38 positions in VHA. When applying for Federal Jobs, eligible Veterans should claim preference for 5pt (TP), 10pt (CP/CPS/XP), or for Sole Survivor Preference (SSP) in the questionnaire. You must provide a legible copy of your DD214(s) which shows dates and character of service (honorable, general, etc.). If you are currently serving on active duty and expect to be released or discharged within 120 days you must submit documentation related to your active duty service which reflects the dates of service, character of service (honorable, general, etc.), and dates of impending separation. Additionally, disabled veterans and others eligible for 10-point preference (such as widows or mothers of eligible Veterans) must also submit an SF-15 "Application for 10 Point Veteran Preference" with required proof as stated on the form. Documentation is required to award preference. For more information on Veterans' Preference, please visit Feds Hire Vets - Veterans - Job Seekers - Veterans' Preference.

Additional information

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status. VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.