Duties

Summary : The Med/Surg registered nurse (RN) provides direct care to Veterans in an inpatient setting with acute or chronic medical and surgical needs. The inpatient setting provides care 24/7 with available telemetry services. The RN assesses, plans, implements, and evaluates care based on age specific components. The RN assumes responsibility for the coordination of care focused on patient transition through the continuum of care, patient and supporting factors that impact customer satisfaction.

VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package: VA Nurse Total Rewards

Duties include, but not limited to:

• The Medical Surgical Registered Nurse is accountable to the Nurse Manager of the designated unit and falls under the Acute Care Nursing Service Line.
• The RN will refer to the service Organizational Chart for the supervisory chain of command and the location of the position.
• He/she is responsible and accountable for the provision of direct patient care and for the delivery of quality nursing care to a culturally diverse veteran patient population.
• The registered nurse possesses the knowledge and skills to effectively apply all aspects of the nursing process within a collaborative, interdisciplinary practice setting, which will then enable effective implementation of health promotion and prevention practices, management of acute and chronic illnesses, and attainment of optimal levels of functioning and/or support of the dying patient and significant others.
• The registered nurse demonstrates knowledge and skills necessary to provide care appropriate to the age-related needs of the Veteran. This knowledge includes understanding changes associated with aging and principles of growth and development relevant to the adult and geriatric population.
• The RN is responsible and accountable for completing required training to include EKG arrhythmia class.
• He/she performs patient assessment and provides appropriate concerns regarding Veteran condition based on a sound theoretical and technical basis. The RN may order emergent diagnostic tests such as x-rays, labs, and 12 lead EKG

Pay: Competitive salary, regular salary increases, potential for performance awards
Paid Time Off: 50 days of paid time off per year (26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year)
Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA
Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)
Licensure: 1 full and unrestricted license from any US State or territory

Work Schedule: Nights 7:00p-730a and Day Shift 7:00am-7:30pm
Compressed/Flexible: Not Available
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Authorized
PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

* Recruitment Incentive: Up to $20k for 3 year period for highly qualified applicants (Internal Hires do not qualify)

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• U.S. Citizenship; non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• You may be required to serve a probationary period.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.

Qualifications

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

Basic Requirements:

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
English Language Proficiency. In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), no person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English.
• Graduate of a school of professional nursing approved by the appropriate State-accrediting agency and accredited by one of the following accrediting bodies at the time the program was completed by the applicant: The Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing ( ACEN ) or The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education ( CCNE ). In cases of graduates of foreign schools of professional nursing, possession of current, full, active and unrestricted registration will meet the requirement of graduation from an approved school of professional nursing. OR The completion of coursework equivalent to a nursing degree in a MSN Bridge Program that qualifies for professional nursing registration constitutes the completion of an approved course of study of professional nursing. Students should submit the certificate of professional nursing to sit for the NCLEX to the VA along with a copy of the MSN transcript. (Reference VA Handbook 5005, Appendix G6) OR In cases of graduates of foreign schools of professional nursing, possession of a current, full, active and unrestricted registration will meet the requirement for graduation from an approved school of professional nursing.
• Current, full, active, and unrestricted registration as a graduate professional nurse in a State, Territory or Commonwealth (i.e., Puerto Rico) of the United States, or the District of Columbia.

Grade Determinations: The following criteria must be met in determining the grade assignment of candidates, and if appropriate, the level within a grade:

• Nurse I Level I - An Associate Degree (ADN) or Diploma in Nursing, with no additional nursing practice/experience required.
• Nurse I Level II - An ADN or Diploma in Nursing and approximately 1 year of nursing practice/experience; OR an ADN or Diploma in Nursing and a bachelor's degree in a related field with no additional nursing practice/experience; OR a Bachelor's of Science in Nursing (BSN) with no additional nursing practice/experience.
• Nurse I Level III - An ADN or Diploma in Nursing and approximately 2-3 years of nursing practice/experience; OR an ADN or Diploma in Nursing and a Bachelor's degree in a related field and approximately 1-2 years of nursing practice/experience; OR a BSN with approximately 1-2 years of nursing practice/experience; OR a Master's degree in nursing (MSN) or related field with a BSN and no additional nursing practice/experience.
• Nurse II - A BSN with approximately 2-3 years of nursing practice/experience; OR ADN or Diploma in Nursing and a Bachelor's degree in a related field and approximately 2-3 years of nursing practice/experience; OR a Master's degree in nursing or related field with a BSN and approximately 1-2 years of nursing practice/experience; OR a Doctoral degree in nursing or meets basic requirements for appointment and has doctoral degree in a related field with no additional nursing practice/experience required.
• Nurse III - Master's degree in nursing or related field with BSN and approximately 2-3 years of nursing practice/experience; OR a Doctoral degree and approximately 2-3 years of nursing practice/experience.

Reference: VA Regulations, specifically VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G-6 Nurse Qualification Standard. This can be found in the local Human Resources Office.

Physical Requirements: The physical requirement of this position may include long periods of walking, standing, stooping, sitting, bending, pulling, and pushing, reaching, and repetitive motion. The mental/sensory requirement include recall, reasoning, problem solving, logical thinking, hearing, visual acuity, reading, writing, keyboarding, and manual dexterity. Transferring patients and objects may be required up to 45 pounds. The RN may be exposed to infected patients and contaminated materials and may be required to wear personal protective equipment. The environment's pace may vary from steady to fast paced, requiring handling of multiple priorities, frequent, sometimes intense customer interactions, and the ability to adapt to frequent changes and shift priorities based on patient needs. Must complete annual Employee Health requirements, such as screening or testing, as a condition of employment.

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/ . If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html .

Additional information

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.

Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process.

If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application .