Your steps to apply
Registered Nurse – Inpatient Mental Health
Veterans Health Administration · Topeka, Kansas · Closes tomorrow
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1 Check you can apply You are here
Who can apply: The public, Internal to an agency.
This job is open to the public and to current federal employees of the VA. You must be a U.S. citizen or national, or owe allegiance to the U.S. Non-citizens may only be appointed if qualified citizens cannot be recruited.
Experience: Your experience must match the level you apply for. For example, for Nurse I, Level II with an associate degree or diploma, you need 1 year of specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse I, Level I. For Nurse I, Level III with an associate degree or diploma, you need 2 years of professional nursing experience, one year of which equals Nurse I, Level II.
Education: A graduate of an accredited nursing school can qualify at the entry level, with an associate degree or diploma. A bachelor's degree in nursing (BSN) can qualify you for Nurse I, Level II with no added nursing experience. A master's degree in nursing (MSN) can qualify you for Nurse I, Level III with no added nursing experience. Schools must be accredited by ACEN or CCNE, or by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Licenses and certifications:
- Current, full, active, and unrestricted registration as a nurse in a U.S. state, territory, Puerto Rico, or the District of Columbia
Experience can be paid or unpaid, volunteer work included: if it matches the duties, it counts. The full rules are in the announcement.
2 Resume and documents
Write a federal resume for this job. For each job you held, give the month and year you started and ended, your hours per week and what you did, using the words of the experience the announcement asks for. Many announcements accept resumes of up to 2 pages: check this one.
3 Apply on USAJOBS
Closes tomorrow (November 4, until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time).
You sign in to USAJOBS with a Login.gov account, answer the questionnaire and upload your documents, then you submit. Answer the questionnaire honestly: your resume must show what you claim.
How they rate you: You are rated on how well you meet the qualifications through the online questionnaire. Your nursing experience is reviewed on five areas: practice, veteran and patient driven care, leadership, professional development, and evidence-based practice and research. Missing required information may lead to an ineligible rating or a lower score.
4 After you apply
In USAJOBS, under Applications, you can see where your application stands: received, reviewed, referred to the hiring manager or not, then selected or not. It can take a few weeks.
For the interview, prepare three examples with the STAR method: the Situation, the Task, what you did (Action) and the Result.
If they choose you: a tentative offer, then a background check, then the final offer with your start date.
Tips for this job:
- Describe your nursing experience clearly and specifically, including dates, hours, and patient populations, because the agency will not assume anything.
- If you want EDRP loan repayment, plan to submit the EDRP application within four months of appointment.
- If you claim veterans' preference, upload your DD-214 and, for 10-point preference, the SF-15 with proof.
Kandidatu is an independent website: only the official posting counts. Read it before you apply.