Registered Nurse (RN) - Children’s Neurodevelopmental and Behavioral Health, Outpatient

Job description

Bring your pediatric nursing expertise to a role where clinical judgment, compassionate communication, and advocacy can shape a child’s care journey .
Join UVA Health Children’s Neurodevelopmental and Behavioral Health outpatient clinic as a Registered Nurse supporting children with developmental, behavioral, and mental health needs. In this relationship-centered position, you will partner with families, providers, pediatric psychology, and an interdisciplinary team to help patients access timely care, understand new diagnoses, and navigate treatment and community resources.
The Role
This position combines telephone triage, family education, care coordination, behavioral support, and clinical nursing partnership. You will often serve as a trusted point of connection for caregivers facing complex questions or unfamiliar care pathways, helping them understand next steps while ensuring that concerns are heard and addressed.
Your clinical assessment skills will be especially important when children or families experience urgent behavioral or mental health needs. Working alongside pediatric psychology and other specialists, you will identify immediate safety concerns, determine the appropriate level of care, and connect patients with timely interventions.
In an average day, you may:
• Triage calls and messages from families, provide clinical guidance, and determine appropriate next steps.
• Assess patients experiencing behavioral or mental health crises by phone , identify immediate safety concerns, and route families to the appropriate level of care.
• Provide clinical nursing support to the pediatric psychology team.
• Help children feel safe, regulated, and comfortable by providing behavioral and sensory support during clinic visits.
• Partner with families following a new neurodevelopmental diagnosis, offering education, guidance, and reassurance.
• Explain available treatment, therapy, educational, and community-based supports.
• Connect families with wraparound resources , including social work, family navigation, and community organizations.
• Collaborate with providers and interdisciplinary colleagues to identify barriers to care and develop family-centered solutions.
• Advocate for children and caregivers while contributing to a welcoming, inclusive, and sensory-friendly clinical environment that respects neurodiversity and individual differences in communication, behavior, and sensory needs.

This is an opportunity to practice beyond task-based nursing. You may be the clinician who helps a caregiver understand a new diagnosis, reassures a child overwhelmed by the clinical environment, identifies a resource a family did not know existed, or connects a patient with the right member of the care team at a critical moment.
Why UVA Health
At UVA Health Children’s, you will join a nationally recognized pediatric academic center where nurses, physicians, psychologists, advanced practice providers, educators, and other specialists work together to advance care for children and families. UVA Health Children’s is recognized as Virginia’s number one children’s hospital , offering an environment grounded in interdisciplinary practice, clinical excellence, learning, and innovation.
This role places nursing at the center of communication and continuity for children whose care may involve multiple specialties, therapies, schools, and community resources. Your ability to recognize risk, coordinate care, and build trusting relationships will help families move through the healthcare system with greater clarity and confidence.
UVA Health offers:
• A Magnet-recognized professional nursing environment that values nursing expertise, collaboration, and evidence-based practice.
• The resources and clinical depth of a premier academic health system.
• Opportunities to collaborate with specialists in developmental-behavioral pediatrics, pediatric psychology, and other pediatric disciplines.
• A team culture focused on whole-child and whole-family care .
• Meaningful work supporting children with autism, developmental delays, behavioral differences, intellectual disabilities, and other neurodevelopmental needs.
• An inclusive care philosophy that recognizes each child’s strengths, challenges, communication preferences, and sensory experience.
• Opportunities for professional development, continued learning, shared governance, mentorship, specialty certification support, and nursing career growth.

Relocation assistance may be available for qualified candidates.
Why People Love Living in Charlottesville
Charlottesville offers an appealing balance of professional opportunity and everyday livability. Located near the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the community provides convenient access to hiking, cycling, parks, scenic drives, and year-round outdoor recreation. The area also features a vibrant food scene, arts and cultural experiences, historic neighborhoods, highly regarded educational opportunities, and a welcoming community atmosphere. For healthcare professionals and families, Charlottesville combines the energy and resources of a university town with the accessibility, natural beauty, and connectedness of a smaller city.
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
Education: Graduate of an accredited nursing program required. Bachelor of Science in Nursing required within 5 years of hire.
Experience: 1 year of relevant experience.
Licensure: Licensed to Practice as a Registered Nurse in the Commonwealth of Virginia. American Heart Association (AHA) Healthcare Provider BLS certification required.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS
Job requires standing for prolonged periods, frequently traveling, bending/stooping. Proficient communicative, auditory and visual skills; Attention to detail and ability to write legibly; Ability to lift/push/pull 20 - 50lbs. May be exposed to chemicals, blood/body fluids and infectious disease
The pay range for this role is $37.51 - $50.97 hourly. Individual compensation will be determined by the selected candidate's qualifications, previous work experience, and/or education.
Benefits
• Comprehensive Benefits Package: Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance
• Paid Time Off, Long-term and Short-term Disability, Retirement Savings
• Health Saving Plans, and Flexible Spending Accounts
• Certification and education support
• Generous Paid Time Off

UVA Health is a world-class Magnet Recognized academic medical center and health system with a level 1 trauma center. 2023-2024 U.S. News & World Report “Best Hospitals” guide rates UVA Health University Medical Center as “High Performing” in 5 adult specialties and 14 conditions/procedures. We are one of 70 National Cancer Institute designated cancer centers. UVA Health Children’s is named by 2023-2024 U.S. News & World Report as the best children's hospital in Virginia with 9 specialties ranked among the best in the nation. Our footprint also encompasses 3 community hospitals and an integrated network of primary and specialty care clinics throughout Charlottesville, Culpeper, Northern Virginia, and beyond.
The University of Virginia is an equal opportunity employer. All interested persons are encouraged to apply, including veterans and individuals with disabilities. Learn more about UVA’s commitment to non-discrimination and equal opportunity employment .