Mental Health Clinical Nurse Specialist Grade 2

NSW Health; Sydney; On-site; AUD 128,000 - 133,000; Full time

Job summary

NSW Health is seeking a Mental Health Clinical Nurse Specialist Grade 2 to join the NSW Ambulance Virtual Clinical Care Centre (VCCC) Mental Health TeamHub. This role provides advanced virtual mental health assessment, triage and care coordination for consumers accessing 000 with complex presentations.

You will exercise high-level clinical judgement, support safe care pathways, and collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to improve outcomes across NSW Health.

Qualifications

• Registration as a Registered Nurse with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia via AHPRA.
• Post-registration qualifications in Mental Health Nursing.
• At least three years’ full-time equivalent mental health experience.
• Advanced knowledge of mental state examination, risk assessment and crisis intervention.

Responsibilities

• Provide advanced virtual mental health assessment, triage, crisis intervention and care coordination for consumers accessing 000 with complex presentations.
• Exercise advanced clinical judgement and autonomy to manage high-risk cases and determine appropriate care pathways.
• Act as a specialist mental health nursing resource, offering guidance to NSW Ambulance clinicians and junior staff.
• Collaborate with Clinical Nurse Consultants, nurse practitioners, and external providers to coordinate care and improve outcomes.

Skills

Mental health nursing

Clinical assessment

Crisis intervention

Care coordination

De-escalation

Advanced clinical judgement

Education

Mental health nursing qualifications

Job description

Mental Health Clinical Nurse Specialist Grade 2

Discover a role that takes your mental health nursing expertise into a modern virtual care environment shaping the future of healthcare in NSW

Enjoy a role with virtual patient contact - ideal for nurses with a strong clinical background looking for a different pace

Grow your professional and clinical experience - join a new model of care with exposure to the healthcare system across NSW

Employment Type:Permanent Full Time and Part Time (hours averaged over a 9-week period)
Salary Range: $128,301 - $132,523 per annum (Clinical Nurse Specialist Grade 2)
Location:NSW Ambulance State Operations Centre, Sydney Olympic Park
Closing Date: 11:59 PM, Sunday 22 Nov 2026

About the opportunity

As a Clinical Nurse Specialist Grade 2 with the NSW Ambulance Virtual Clinical Care Centre (VCCC) Mental Health TeamHub, you will:

Provide advanced virtual mental health assessment, triage, crisis intervention and care coordination for consumers accessing Triple Zero (000) with complex mental health presentations, psychosocial distress or behaviours of concern.

Exercise advanced clinical judgement and extended autonomy to manage complex and high-risk presentations, identify deterioration and support safe, appropriate care pathways.

Act as a specialist mental health nursing resource, providing clinical advice, professional role modelling and support to NSW Ambulance clinicians and less experienced members of the team.

Work collaboratively with Clinical Nurse Consultants, Nurse Practitioners, virtual psychiatry services, external providers and NSW Ambulance clinicians and operational teams to coordinate care and improve continuity and consumer outcomes

Work as part of a supportive multidisciplinary team within the purpose-built State Operations Centre at Sydney Olympic Park, contributing to clinical governance, quality improvement and evidence-based mental health practice.

About you

To be successful you will:

Hold current unrestricted registration as a Registered Nurse with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia through AHPRA, with relevant post-registration qualifications in Mental Health Nursing and at least three years’ full-time equivalent mental health experience, or other qualifications or equivalent experience deemed appropriate.

Demonstrate advanced clinical expertise in mental state examination, psychosocial and risk assessment, clinical formulation, crisis intervention, therapeutic engagement, de-escalation and care coordination for complex or high-risk mental health presentations.

Apply advanced knowledge of the Mental Health Act 2007, recovery-oriented practice, trauma-informed care and least restrictive care principles to support safe, evidence-based and person-centred decision-making.

Exercise a high level of professional judgement, autonomy and accountability, remaining calm and adaptable when managing complex presentations where information may be limited or rapidly evolving.

Communicate and collaborate effectively across multidisciplinary health, emergency and community service settings, providing specialist mental health advice and contributing to quality improvement and the advancement of mental health nursing practice.

Demonstrate strong interpersonal, written, verbal and IT skills with a commitment to ongoing professional development.

Your day to day, training and start dates

• Comprehensive training will be provided as part of your onboarding, aligned with the available start dates.
• The VCCC Mental Health will operate a 12-hour per day, seven-day-per-week service model. The successful applicant will participate in a rotating roster to ensure service delivery.

Need Further Information

Additional Information

• Employment of temporary visa holders is only considered if no suitable permanent resident or citizen is identified after labour market testing.
• Eligibility lists and talent pools may be created and used to fill ongoing and temporary vacancies over the next 18 months at the same, or other locations, that are at the same grade and capability level.
• Applicants are expected to provide responses that reflect their own knowledge, experience, and understanding of the role.
• Any AI assisted content should still reflect your own capability; candidates may be asked to discuss or demonstrate examples during interview.

Our Commitment

NSW Ambulance is committed to achieving a diverse workforce that reflects the communities we serve. All are welcome to apply, including women, Aboriginal People, people from culturally diverse backgrounds, refugees, people of diverse genders and sexuality, and people living with a disability. We value the knowledge, skills, experiences, and perspectives thatall people bring to our organisation, patients, communities, and workforce.

If you are an Aboriginal job applicant and wish to obtainmore information about applying for a role with NSW Ambulance, please contact our Aboriginal Workforce Engagement Coordinator via ***************@health.nsw.gov.auor visit Stepping Up. Stepping Up aims to assist Aboriginal job applicants by providing information about applying for roles within NSW Health - visit https://www.steppingup.health.nsw.gov.au/

If you wish to discuss any changes to the process, you may need to present yourbest self, including accessibility requirements; please contact the panel convenor or recruitment team for support at NSW Ambulance Corporate Recruitment Team via ***************@health.nsw.gov.au.

Additionally, you can contact the NSW Ambulance Diversity & Inclusion Team at***************@health.nsw.gov.au

Child Safe Employment

NSW Ambulanceis dedicated to fostering a child-safe environment that respects and upholds the rights of children and young people, aligned with NSW Health's commitment to implementingthe Child Safe Standards.We aim to ensure that children and young people feel safe, supported, and included in their care. All current and prospective staff are expected to prioritise the safety, welfare, and well-being of children and young people, actively working to protect them from harm and abuse.

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