About Careertakes

👉 Important disclosure: Careertakes is a third-party recruiting platform supporting this hiring process. If selected, you will be employed directly by our client, Healthcare & Nursing.

Applicants for this role may also receive access to additional matched opportunities through the Careertakes platform.

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What You’ll Do

As a Nursing Assistant - Mental Health with our client, you will provide direct patient care and support the interdisciplinary team in behavioral health settings. Typical responsibilities include:

• Provide direct patient/resident care and contribute to the completion of nursing care plans.
• Observe and report changes in patients’ physical or emotional status to supervisors in a timely manner.
• Assist with simple diagnostic and treatment procedures such as bladder scans, continuous passive motion devices, blood glucose monitoring, and specimen collection.
• Support de-escalation and behavioral interventions and help maintain a safe therapeutic environment.
• Communicate effectively with patients/residents, families, and health professionals.
• Serve as a preceptor/mentor to new Nursing Assistants when assigned (applicable at higher grades).
• Recognize and respond to emergent patient care situations and perform basic life‑saving measures while awaiting assistance.
• Document care accurately and support quality improvement and compliance activities.

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Qualifications

Candidates may meet qualifications through a combination of experience, education, or training. Minimum and grade-based requirements include:

• United States citizenship: may be required by client policy where applicable.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• One of the following paths to meet entry requirements:
  • Six months of general experience demonstrating ability to acquire the knowledge and skills to perform NA work; or
  • One year of education above high school with courses related to the NA occupation; or
  • Completion of an intensive, specialized, occupation-related training program of less than one year.
• Grade-specific guidance:
  • GS-3 (Entry): Meets basic requirements; closely supervised.
  • GS-4: One year of specialized NA experience or equivalent education (e.g., two years post‑secondary with relevant coursework); plus demonstrated KSAs.
  • GS-5 (Full performance): One year of progressively responsible experience equivalent to GS-4 OR a bachelor’s degree with healthcare coursework; plus demonstrated professional KSAs and ability to precept others.
• Demonstrated KSAs: ability to provide a range of nursing care, observe and report patient conditions, properly use basic clinical equipment, and communicate with interdisciplinary teams.
• Ability to meet physical requirements such as lifting and carrying (45+ lbs), prolonged standing/walking, kneeling, repeated bending, and use of hands/legs as required by role.

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Compensation & Employment Details

• Pay range: $41,097 - $67,098 per year.
• Employment type: Full time; Contractor.
• Location: Nashville, TN.
• Full performance level: GS-5. Actual selection grade may be GS-3 to GS-5 depending on qualifications.
• Final employment decisions, background checks, and verification of qualifications are made by the Confidential Client.

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Preferred & Helpful Skills

• Prior experience in mental/behavioral health settings.
• Strong therapeutic communication and de‑escalation skills.
• Experience with basic diagnostic/treatment equipment (glucometer, bladder scanner, CPM devices).
• Experience mentoring or precepting junior staff.
• Current BLS/CPR certification is preferred.

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Equal Opportunity & Hiring Transparency

Careertakes and our client are Equal Opportunity Employers committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce. We prohibit discrimination or harassment of any kind. To support a fair and efficient hiring process, AI tools may be used to assist with application review or resume screening. These tools do not replace human decision-making. Final hiring decisions are made by people.

If you have questions about how your data is used, please contact us directly.