Federal
Advanced Practice Nurse (Nurse Pract-Clinical/Psychiatric)
Military Treatment Facilities under DHA · Department of Defense
About This Position
About the Position: This position is located at Defense Health Network Pacific Rim, Naval Medical Center, San Diego, CA Directorate of Behavioral Health Mental Health. A recruitment or relocation incentive may be authorized Salary negotiation may be available for those candidates who are new to Federal service. Advanced Leave Accrual may be authorized. This is a Direct Hire Solicitation
Qualifications
Who May Apply: US Citizens In order to qualify, you must meet the education and experience requirements described below. 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; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document. Basic Requirement for Advanced Practice Nurse (Clinical/Psychiatric): Education A graduate or higher level degree, bachelor's degree, associate degree, or diploma from an accredited professional nursing educational program is required. This education must have been accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education(external link), Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs(external link), Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education(external link), or an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education(external link) at the time the degree was obtained. Degree from Foreign Nursing School: Official certification from the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (external link) is required for individuals who graduated from foreign nursing schools. Advanced Practice Nurse Positions: For Advanced Practice Nurse (APN) positions, applicants must possess a graduate or higher level degree in nursing from an accredited educational program in the area of expertise or specialty indicated by the position. Areas of specialties for positions include, but are not limited to, Acute Care, Anesthesia, Community Health, Family, Geriatric, Home Health, Midwifery, Neonatal, Oncology, Pediatric, Psychiatric, Allergy and Immunology, Women's Health, Cardiovascular, Dermatology, Occupational Health, Orthopedic, Respiratory, or other specialties identified for the position. LicensureFor all grade levels and positions, applicants must have passed the National Council Licensure Examination(external link). In addition, they must possess a current, active, full, and unrestricted license or registration as a professional nurse from a State, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or a territory of the United States. Additional License Requirements for Advanced Practice Nurse Positions: Applicants for Advanced Practice Nurse positions must be licensed or registered by a State, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or a territory of the United States in the clinical specialty required by the position. In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below: Professional Nursing Experience: One or more full years of professional nursing experience which includes (1) diagnosing psychiatric illnesses for beneficiaries needing psychiatric/behavioral health services; and (2) performing psychiatric evaluations to assess psychiatric/behavioral patients; and (3) prescribing medications to patients with psychiatric/behavioral health needs. This definition of professional nursing experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-11).
Major Duties
Perform full range of advanced practice nursing care duties for patients requiring psychiatric/behavioral health services.
Evaluate new patient and existing patients on behavioral health/psychiatric needs.
Implement mutually agreed upon solutions regarding behavioral health.
Educate patients about risks and benefits of prescribed medications.
Observe patients closely, evaluate and record any significant behavior and reaction patterns.
Comply with all appropriate Joint Commission standards and National Patient Safety goals, and other quality improvement projects.
Maintain appropriate records using a computerized record keeping and coding system.
Participate in the quality improvement system.
Evaluate new patient and existing patients on behavioral health/psychiatric needs.
Implement mutually agreed upon solutions regarding behavioral health.
Educate patients about risks and benefits of prescribed medications.
Observe patients closely, evaluate and record any significant behavior and reaction patterns.
Comply with all appropriate Joint Commission standards and National Patient Safety goals, and other quality improvement projects.
Maintain appropriate records using a computerized record keeping and coding system.
Participate in the quality improvement system.
Education
See Qualifications section for education requirements. Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required experience in order to qualify. For this job, you must meet the qualification requirement using experience alone--no substitution of education for experience is permitted. Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating. FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.
How You Will Be Evaluated
Once the announcement has closed, a review of your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility. If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Veterans and Military Spouses will be considered along with all other candidates.
Additional Information
Male applicants born after December 31, 1959 must complete a Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration. You will be required to provide proof of U.S. Citizenship. One year trial/probationary period may be required. Direct Deposit of Pay is required. Selection is subject to restrictions resulting from Department of Defense referral system for displaced employees. Recruitment or relocation incentives MAY be authorized for highly qualified candidates. Advanced Leave Accrual MAY be authorized. Advanced in-Hire/ Special Qualification Appointments MAY be authorized. Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement. Salary includes applicable locality pay or Local Market Supplement. If you have retired from federal service and you are interested in employment as a reemployed annuitant, see the information in the Reemployed Annuitant information sheet. Payment of Permanent Change of Station (PCS) costs is not authorized, based on a determination that a PCS move is not in the Government interest.
How to Apply
To apply for this position, you must complete the online questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 02/25/2026to receive consideration. To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application (https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12879123). Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. As a reminder, your resume must be two pages or less and must support the specialized experience described in this announcement. Resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration. For additional information, refer to the 'Required Documents' section. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process. You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. Your resume selected in USAJOBS will be included, but you must re-select other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application may be incomplete. It is your responsibility to verify that your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) is complete, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. Uploaded documents may take up to one hour to clear the virus scan. Additional information on how to complete the online application process and submit your online application may be found on the USA Staffing Applicant Resource Center. To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://www.usajobs.gov/applicant/profile/dashboard/), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to/application/status.
Required Documents
The documents you are required to submit vary based on whether or not you are eligible for preference in federal employment. A complete description of preference categories and the associated required documents is in the Applicant Checklist for Public Announcements. As described above, your complete application includes your resume, your responses to the online questionnaire, and documents which prove your eligibility to apply. f you fail to provide these documents, you will be marked as having an incomplete application package and you will not be considered any further. 1. Your resume: Your resume must be two pages or less and must support the specialized experience described in this announcement. Resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration. For each relevant work experience, make sure you include the employer's name, job title, start and end dates (include month and year), for qualifications purposes, the number of hours worked per week, and a brief description that show you can perform the tasks at the required level listed in the job announcement. If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as incomplete, and you may not receive consideration for this position. Use plain language. Avoid using acronyms and terms that are not easily understood. The hiring agency will not make assumptions about what's in your resume. If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content, it will not be used to make eligibility and qualification determinations, and you may not be considered for this vacancy. For additional information, to include formatting tips, see: What to include in your resume. 2. Other supporting documents: Cover Letter, optional Most recent Performance Appraisal, if applicable Transcripts: This position has a positive education requirement. You MUST submit a copy of your complete transcript(s) (unofficial transcripts are acceptable). You MUST submit a copy of your transcript with your application package or you will be rated ineligible. If your degree is from a Foreign Nursing School, you MUST submit your official certification from the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools. See: Transcripts and Licenses. License/Certification: Advanced Practice Nurse positions must be licensed or registered by a State, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or a territory of the United States in the clinical specialty required by the position. Basic Life Support (BLS) training certification from, or in accordance with, the American Heart Association and American Red Cross. Current Advanced Life Support. This position requires a job-related license or certification. You MUST submit a copy of your license or certification with your application package or you will be rated ineligible. See: Transcripts and Licenses. NOTE: Documents submitted as part of the application package, to include supplemental documents, may be shared beyond the Human Resources Office. Some supplemental documents such as military orders and marriage certificates may contain personal information for someone other than you. You may sanitize these documents to remove another person's personal information before you submit your application. You may be asked to provide an un-sanitized version of the documents if you are selected to confirm your eligibility.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the salary for the Advanced Practice Nurse (Nurse Pract-Clinical/Psychiatric) position at Military Treatment Facilities under DHA?
The salary range for this position is $177,442 - $222,642/yr. This is a GS-12 position on the General Schedule pay scale. Actual pay may vary based on locality adjustments.
Where is the Advanced Practice Nurse (Nurse Pract-Clinical/Psychiatric) job located?
This position is located in Naval Medical Center, San Diego, California. This is an on-site position.
What qualifications do I need?
Who May Apply: US Citizens In order to qualify, you must meet the education and experience requirements described below. 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; religious; spiritual;...
How do I apply for this position?
Apply through USAJobs.gov by clicking the 'Apply on USAJobs' button. You'll need a USAJobs account, a federal-style resume, and supporting documents. The deadline is Feb 25, 2026.
Is a security clearance required?
Yes, a Secret clearance is required.
What does GS-12 mean?
GS-12 refers to the General Schedule grade level. Higher grades require more experience and offer higher pay. Visit our GS Pay Scale page for full salary tables by grade and locality.
What benefits do federal employees receive?
Federal employees receive comprehensive benefits including health insurance (FEHB), retirement through FERS, Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) with government matching, paid annual and sick leave, paid parental leave, life insurance, and student loan repayment programs.