Duties

Summary

The Neurology Clinic Advance Practicing Registered Nurse (APRN) Nurse Practitioner position is a member of the interdisciplinary pain management team at the within the Neurology Department at the Washington VA Medical Center.

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

The Pain Management program offers comprehensive pain care to Veterans with complex chronic pain conditions including medication management, interventional pain procedures, behavioral and physical therapy, and evaluation and treatment access for opioid use disorder. The Pain Clinic has an active interdisciplinary pain rehabilitation program and is seeking CARF accreditation. The Neurology Clinic APRN works closely with all members of the Chronic Pain Clinic, including another APRN and a physician assistant. The APRN works in close collaboration with the other attendings in the Neurology department and referring providers.
The Neurology Clinic APRN participates in the activities of the interdisciplinary Pain Management program, including evaluating and treating patients with pain disorders. The APRN participate in Pain and Neurology telehealth aspects including individual and group visits. After appropriate training and supervision, the APRN performs small bedside procedures such as trigger point injections for musculoskeletal pain, or battle-field acupuncture. The APRN provides care through Econsultation and responds to secure messaging, reviews consultation/referral requests, and supports the pain team regarding scheduling and care coordination.

The Neurology Clinic APRN has advanced knowledge and skills in the assessment and management of the physical and psychological problems of the population by which he/she serves. Utilizing a patient-centered model of care approach for delivery of services, the APRN will either have a scope of practice which guides their individual practice or be granted full practice authority in accordance with the By-Laws for the Medical Staff. The care delivery for the Neurology Clinic APRN will be performed in conjunction with the inter-professional team members and includes management of the patients assigned under his/her care and the APRN will provide comprehensive care to meet that patient's needs. This can include but is not limited to assessment of the patient's current condition, the status of any known chronic illness, diagnosis of any new illnesses, and prescribing appropriate treatment and therapies (including medications) in accordance with either his/her scope of practice or credentialing authority by the Chief of Staff. The Primary Care APRN is responsible for applying all relevant clinical guidelines when recommending care, and provides recommendations based on these nationally recognized standards. He/she may be required to cover other providers when needed or perform any number of functions as a member of the healthcare team. He/she provides care in a non-judgmental, non-discriminatory manner that is sensitive to the adult or elderly patient and family's diversity, preserving their autonomy, dignity and rights.

The Neurology Clinic APRN III RN focuses on problems, initiates referrals to other disciplines and/or services as appropriate. He/she accurately documents in the medical record patient findings, assessments, and care provided. He/she assigns staff to provide care based on staff competencies and identifies priorities to ensure safe and effective patients care. He/she demonstrates and/or verbalizes correct responses to emergencies as well as initiates effective action in emergencies. The Neurology Clinic ARPN demonstrates understanding of infection control precautions appropriate for the patient population. He/she participates/ leads unit-based shared governance, performance improvement and safety initiatives. He/she serves as a resource nurse for the Nurse I Level 1, Nurse I Level 2, and Nurse I Level 3 nurses. He/she pursues an education plan to maintain/improve knowledge in his/her clinical specialty in nursing.

Work Schedule: Full-Time, Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Travel Required

Not required

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
None

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• Designated and/or random drug testing required
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• You may be required to serve a probationary period
• Subject to a background/security investigation
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 07/30/2019.

Basic Requirements:

CITIZENSHIP: Citizen of the United States.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY: Must be proficient in spoken and written English.

BASIC EDUCATION / LICENSURE / CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENT: 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.

Nurse practitioner must be licensed or otherwise recognized as a nurse practitioner in a State, possess a master's or Doctorates degree from a program accredited by the NLNAC or CCNE, and maintain full and current certification as a nurse practitioner from the American Nurses Association or another nationally recognized certifying body. [Note: The certification must be in the specialty to which the individual is being appointed or selected.]

Preferred Experience: Nurse Practitioners whose primary function is managing patients with chronic pain and/or with neurologic illness is preferred.

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

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 population of male and female Veterans served ranges from the adult, age 18, to the elderly adult, age 65 and over. DCVAMC is a major interdisciplinary teaching facility, serving medical, surgical, and neurological inpatients and outpatients. There is a large outpatient psychiatric population with visits to the Emergence Department and admissions for medical co-morbidities. This position requires visual acuity, keen hearing, clear distinctive speech, and manual dexterity. This position requires potentially long periods of continued walking, standing, stooping, sitting, bending, pulling, and pushing. Transferring patient and objects may be required. The incumbent may be exposed to infected patients and contaminated materials and may be required to don protective clothing in isolation situations or operative/invasive procedures. The incumbent may occasionally be exposed to patients who are combative secondary to delirium, dementia, or psychiatric disorders. The incumbent must be a mature, flexible, sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations, and able to shift priorities based on patient needs.

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

Annual leave shall accrue for full-time Nurses, and Nurse Anesthetists at the rate of 8 hours for each full biweekly pay period.

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

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

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.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

If you are unable to apply online view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application .

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, résumé, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

NOTE: Candidate's education and length of nursing practice (experience) will be considered by a Nurse Professional Standards Board in determining the grade and salary of the applicant selected. The recommended salary may be at any point in the range listed for this vacancy.

Experience as an RN will be evaluated to determine if the experience is of an acceptable level of quality with regard to the following four dimensions of nursing: Practice, Professional Development, Collaboration and Scientific Inquiry. Each dimension of practice has criteria that demonstrate essential core competencies for VHA Nursing Personnel.

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; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Not Required

Drug test required
Yes

Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk

Trust determination process
Credentialing

Required Documents

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

• VA Form 10-2850a
• Nurse Practitioner Certification/License
• Resume
• Transcript

VA Form 10-2850a - Application for Nurses and Nurse Anesthetists can be found at: http://www.va.gov/vaforms/search_action.asp?FormNo=2850&tkey=&Action=Search .

The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please use this checklist to ensure you have included all documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), etc.

• VA Form 10-2850a
• Nurse Practitioner Certification/License
• Resume
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

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.