Nursing Assistant (Acute Care Mental Health)

Quick Facts

Nursing Assistant (Acute Care Mental Health) delivering specialized personal nursing care in acute care/mental health settings.

Description

Provide specialized personal nursing care to residents whose needs may be affected by psychiatric, medical, and geriatric conditions. Perform multi-step treatments and procedures requiring knowledge of resident conditions and the effects of treatment. Support the treatment plan through resident care, diagnostic support procedures, treatments, charting, and resident teaching.

Responsibilities

• Provide resident-specific care for varying ages and needs; adapt interaction approaches based on physical and psychological effects of aging.
• Monitor oxygen flow; identify need for and administer oxygen per mask or cannula as directed by the professional nurse.
• Perform and monitor oral suctioning; identify risk factors for airway compromise or obstruction.
• Recognize emergency situations and institute appropriate actions such as CPR, choking emergency measures, and First Aid.
• Assist and encourage activities of daily living (ADLs): bed baths, showers, shampoos, oral hygiene, shaving, skin/nail care, grooming, and dressing.
• Observe, report, and document resident behavior associated with pain; provide emotional support and comfort measures.
• Accompany residents to meals; assist with or feed residents as appropriate and supervise dining areas for diet compliance and emergencies.
• Assist with positioning, turning, ambulating, and transferring; adapt techniques to resident condition.
• Prioritize assigned duties, select appropriate equipment and procedures, and document changes in resident medical conditions.
• Communicate effectively with residents, families, and other health professionals.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship
• Written and spoken English proficiency
• Background/security investigation required
• Pass pre-employment physical evaluation
• Complete online onboarding and pre-employment documentation requirements
• Testing may be required (including urinalysis for testing-designated positions)
• Seasonal influenza vaccination is required
• Annual Employee Health requirements (e.g., TB screening/testing)
• Selective Service registration required for eligible males
• Minimum qualification: 6 months general experience OR 1 year education above high school in related coursework OR completion of an intensive specialized NA training program of less than 1 year
• For higher grade eligibility (GS-4/GS-5): meet specialized experience/education and demonstrated knowledge/skills/abilities for care delivery, equipment use, communication, and emergency response

Benefits

• Competitive salary with regular salary increases
• Paid Time Off: 37–50 days annual paid time off per year (13–26 annual leave, 13 sick leave, 11 paid federal holidays)
• May qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual based on prior work or military service
• Up to 12 weeks paid parental leave after 12 months of employment
• Child care subsidy eligibility after 60 days for qualifying employees
• Federal retirement: traditional pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K (up to 5% employer contributions)
• Federal insurance options: health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care
• Not virtual; telework not authorized