Clarification from the agency

NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below. Announcement is open to Current, Permanent VHA employee's and open to Current, permanent other agency employees, first consideration will be given to Current, permanent Birmingham VHA employee's.

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DUTIES
The incumbent reports to and collaborates with the GMH/BHIP Program Manager to ensure effective functioning of all BHIP operations. Responsibilities include helping develop and implement policies and procedures; supervising BHIP staff; establishing goals and objectives; and monitoring, evaluating, and coordinating BHIP services. Duties encompass strategic planning, resource deployment, performance and quality improvement, and promoting recovery oriented, team-based care. The BHIP Supervisory RN Nurse Manager works with other BHIP supervisors to ensure compliance with VHA directives, Joint Commission standards, State licensure requirements, and VAOIG expectations. They conduct ongoing reviews and evaluations to ensure adherence to regulatory and accreditation standards. A portion of the incumbent's time is dedicated to direct clinical service.

• Establishes guidelines and performance expectations for the staff supervised, which are clearly communicated through the formal employee performance management system;
• Establishes and monitors productivity targets for staff supervised;
• Observes employee performance and conducts work performance critiques in accordance with performance expectations, which included FPPEs and OPPEs;
• Establishes and monitors clinic profiles in terms of availability, utilization and scheduling, and staff productivity;
• Monitors and reports data from relevant BHIP and provider management dashboards, as indicated;
• Provides informal feedback and periodically evaluates employee performance formally;
• Coordinates performance evaluations with Discipline Leads for direct reports who are outside of Psychiatry;
• Resolves informal complaints and grievances; develops work improvement plans, recommending personnel actions as indicated;
• Exercises supervisory authorities and responsibilities involving work assignment;
• Reviews the administrative and personnel management functions relative to the staff supervised;
• Assists with performance measure monitoring, evaluation and action plans for enhancement as well as accreditation reviews and pertinent site visits;
• Guides and oversees BHIP services and delivery of services, determining staffing requirements and assignments in conjunction with members of treatment teams and staff areas where individual skills are best utilized;
• Incumbent assists with directing operation and management of key clinical, training, and administrative programs of the team;

Remedying actions:

• Resolves informal complaints and grievances;
• Establishes and executes performance improvement plans;
• Makes personnel recommendations;
• Enforces disciplinary measures as appropriate to delegated authority and in coordination with Human Resource Management Service (HRMS) and appropriate Union representatives;
• Incumbent hears and resolves complaints voiced by BHIP staff and works to resolve issues involving direct reports and other team members on the BHIP team; and
• Incumbent is responsible for furthering the goals of equal employment opportunity (EEO) by taking positive steps to assure the accomplishment of affirmative action objectives and by adhering to nondiscriminatory employment practices in regard to race, color, religion, sex, and affirmative action for the area under incumbent supervision

Operational duties:

• Reviews and approves or disapproves leave requests;
• Assures that direct reports are trained and fully comply with the provisions of the safety regulations as appropriate for general and area specific operations;
• Reviewing and assuring that the documentation of the assigned staff reflects the services provided and meets TJC, Health Care System, and mental health documentation standards;
• Works with local medical center, health care center or community-based outpatient clinic leadership to meet site specific administrative and operational goals and may assume local leadership functions as necessary and as approved by BHIP Program Manager, Lead Psychiatrist, or the ACOS MH; and
• Works with BHIP Program Manager and Discipline Leads in identifying and prioritizing BHIP resource needs to include staffing and equipment needs of BHIP providers.

Duties related to the area of mentoring:

• Provides work related advice and counsel to employees with purposes of further developing careers of subordinates, as deemed appropriate by incumbent and in line with employees' clinical disciplines and practice areas.

Duties related to the area of clinical guidance:

• Coordinates and monitors clinical training/development of direct reports who provide psychotherapy, mental health assessments, care management, and other psychosocial services;
• Responsible for assessing, verifying, monitoring, and reporting on the clinical competency of supervisees providing these services, and
• Considers and recommends staff members for further clinical training and development based on staff abilities, goals, and clinic operational needs.

Duties continued under requirements:

Conditions of employment

Duties Continued:

Clinical research

• Guides BHIP team in application of current psychological research to their clinical work;
• Encourages utilization of evidence-psychotherapy protocols, and
• Encourages research activities deemed beneficial to VHA patient care of Veterans or to clinical and health care system operations.

Clinical Responsibilities

• Will provide clinical care approximately 50% of the time practicing within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice.
• Specific clinically role and function within the team will be determined by GMH BHIP Program manager.

Preferred Experience:

1. Experience with VA mental health clinical services.
2. Experience with process improvement including lean, systems redesign, and high reliability organizations.
3. Experience with managing access, quality, and patient experience.
4. Experience with Measurement Based Care, FLOW, Evidence Based Care

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm (Schedule could change base on the needs of the Service line
Telework: Ad-Hoc Telework Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements:

• English Language Proficiency. In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7403(f), 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 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); OR Individuals attending a master's level bridge program in nursing who have completed coursework equivalent to a bachelor's level degree in Nursing may have opportunity to become registered as a nurse with a state licensing board prior to completion of the bridge program. Upon achievement of a State license, the individual may be appointed on temporary basis and later converted to a permanent appointment upon successful completion and graduation from the bridge program. (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 to warrant an appointment as a Nurse who has completed an associated degree/entry level Nursing education program. Credit for foreign nursing education higher that associate degree/entry level requires a formal degree equivalency validation from a recognized equivalency evaluation accepted by VA such as International Consultants of Delaware (ICD).
• 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. Graduate Nurse Technician (GNT) Exception: Candidates who otherwise meet the basic education requirements, but do not possess the required licensure, may be appointed at the entry step of the grade and level applicable to the completed nursing education as a GNT on a 120-day temporary appointment while actively pursuing licensure (may be extended up to two years on a case-by-case-basis.)

NOTE: Grandfathering Provision - All persons currently employed in VHA in 0610 series and performing the duties as described in the qualification standard on the effective date of the standard (1/29/2024) are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade held including positive education and licensure/certification.

Grade Determinations: The following Scope, Education and Dimension criteria must be met in determining the grade assignment of candidates, and if appropriate, the level within a grade. The Dimension requirements (Practice, Veteran/Patient Driven Care, Leadership, Professional Development and Evidence-Based Practice/Research) are detailed for each grade and level within the online assessment: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13034700.

Grade/Level	Scope	Education
Nurse I, Level I	Delivers fundamental, knowledge-based care to assigned clients while developing technical competencies.	An Associate Degree (ADN) or Diploma in Nursing, with no additional professional nursing required.
Nurse I, Level II	Demonstrates integration of biopsychosocial concepts, cognitive skills and technically competent practice in providing care to clients with basic or complex.	An ADN or Diploma in Nursing AND 1 year of specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse I, Level 1 ;OR a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) with no additional professional nursing experience required.
Nurse I, Level III	Demonstrates proficiency in practice based on conscious and deliberate planning. Self-directed in goal setting for managing complex client situations.	An ADN or Diploma in Nursing AND 2 years of professional nursing experience in which one year is equivalent to Nurse I, Level 2; OR a BSN and 1 year of professional nursing experience equivalent to the Nurse I, Level 2; OR a Master's degree in nursing (MSN) and no additional professional nursing experience; OR a Master's degree in a *related field with a BSN and no additional professional nursing experience.
Nurse II	Demonstrates leadership in delivering and improving holistic care through collaborative strategies with others.	A BSN with 2 years of professional nursing equivalent to Nurse I, Level 3; OR an MSN with one year of specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse I, Level 3; OR a Master's degree in a *related field with a BSN and one year of specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse I, Level 3; OR a Doctoral degree in Nursing with no professional nursing experience; OR a Doctoral degree in a *related field with a BSN with no additional professional nursing experience.
Nurse III	Executes position responsibilities that demonstrate leadership, experience and creative approaches to management of complex client care beyond the immediate practice setting.	MSN and 2 years of specialized nursing experience, one of which is equivalent to Nurse II and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse III; OR a Master's degree in *related field with BSN and two years of specialized nursing experience, one of which is equivalent to Nurse II and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse III; OR a Doctoral degree in Nursing with and one year of specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse II and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse III; OR a Doctoral degree in a *related field with a BSN and one year of specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse II and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse III.

*Note: Foreign education programs/degrees are not creditable as related degrees.


Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

Physical Requirements: Satisfactory physical examination as determined by the Employee Health Unit upon appointment only. The population of male and female veterans served ranges from the adult, age 18, to the elderly adult, age 65 and over. The VA Medical Center is a major interdisciplinary teaching facility, serving medical, surgical, and neurological inpatients and outpatients. There is a large outpatient psychiatric population, with admissions for medical co-morbidities. This position requires visual acuity (glasses permitted), keen hearing (hearing aid permitted), clear distinctive speech, and manual dexterity. This position requires potentially long periods of continued walking (up to 8 hours), standing (up to 8 hours), stooping, sitting, bending (up to 8 hours), pulling, and pushing. Light lifting under 15 lbs. Light carrying 15-44 lbs. Transferring patients and objects may be required. The incumbent may be exposed to infected patients and contaminated materials and may be required to don protective clothing in isolation situations or operative/invasive procedures. Use of rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously. The incumbent may occasionally be exposed to patients who are combative secondary to delirium, dementia, or psychiatric disorders. The incumbent must be a mature, flexible, sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations, able to shift priorities based on patient needs.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

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.

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.

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.

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.