Duties

Summary

The National Director, Facility Based Care Programs is an executive within the Office of Geriatrics and Extended Care and is a key member of the leadership team responsible for the operational and quality oversight of long-term care delivered in multiple settings across the continuum of VA services. S/he is responsible for strategic planning, organizational assessment, program development, and budget alignment.
Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

The National Director, Facility Based Care Programs is a Nurse with responsibility for policy, national program development, research, quality oversight, and budget alignment of facility-based programs across VHA (to include VA's Community Living Centers and state-owned State Veterans Homes). The National Director, Facility Based Care Programs is the subject matter expert of VHA's Facility Based Long-Term Care policies and sets national practice standards as they impact the treatment, and services Veterans receive. The incumbent is responsible for developing standards to measure, assess, and improve Veteran outcomes. Major duties include, but are not limited to:

• Providing excellent care in VA CLCs to Veterans in need of facility-based care; S/he works closely with other VA program offices including Physical Rehabilitation and Prosthetic Services, Spinal Cord Injury/Disorders, Mental Health, Nutrition and Food Service, Women's Health, Construction & Facilities Management, Patient Centered Care & Cultural Transformation, Reporting Analytic Performance Improvement Deployment, Communications, etc.
• Representing VHA when interacting with the Office of the Secretary, Correspondence, Office of General Counsel, Office of Congressional and Legislative Affairs, and Office of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs.
• Overseeing the State Veterans Homes (SVH) program which includes annual survey quality inspections, fiscal and budget audits, and surveys for recognition and for cause.
• Ensuring all SVH and Nursing Home Care regulations are written, established, and implemented in a timely manner.
• Representing VA and is the VA liaison to the National Association of SVH Directors which include Directors from 50 States and Puerto Rico.
• Participating fully in upper-level management decisions to speak on behalf of the Office of Geriatrics & Extended Care and participating in Councils and Committees that govern and influence the policies shaping practice, care, and research in across VHA's facility-based programs.
• Participating with leaders from senior management teams from various services, in strategic planning and decision-making processes.
• Engaging other national program leaders to participate in the development and implementation of national policies, handbooks, guidelines, and trainings and is fully supportive of the transformation of the culture of care to one which is Veteran-centered and where nursing practices, work practices, the environment of care and leadership strategies focus on quality of life and quality of care for Veteran-residents.
• Providing for management and program analyses that will include healthcare utilization parameters such as: life cycle determinations, cost-benefit evaluations, hospital readmission rates, review of ongoing aspects of quality indicators, and analyses of trends in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA).
• Leading the cost effectiveness studies for region-wide programs and reviewing reports and briefings on the interpretation and analysis of the quantitative/ qualitative data relevant to the Facility Based Care Programs.
• Overseeing the programs that initiates and directs nationwide policies and procedures while collaborating and providing guidance and direction to all VHA facilities for the development, implementation, coordination, and evaluation of VHA's Facility Based Care programs.
• Developing procedures and systems for establishing, operating, and assessing the effectiveness of administrative control systems.
• Approving resolution of audit/inspection activities for organizations agency-wide.
• Evaluating organizational structure, and making recommendations for improved effectiveness, so that the program and organization meet their goals and objectives.
• Making sure that program managers provide advice, assistance and/or service to internal and external customers that is consistently professional, provided in a courteous manner, responsive and timely.
• Maintaining a courteous and helpful rapport with all VACO personnel when providing guidance and assistance on program related matters or inquiries.
• Conducting and leading the development of future year, nationwide Facility Based Care programs projections in determining future year demands and resource requirements.

This is not a virtual position. This position is located in Washington, D.C.
Work schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Compressed/Flexible Schedule: Available
Telework: Available
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
PCS Expenses: May Be Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required
Designated Drug-Testing Position: 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. Applicants will not be appointed to the position if a verified positive drug test result is received.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - Some travel required to visit LTC Facilities and attend conferences/meetings.

Supervisory status
Yes

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,07/23/2019

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.
• 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.
  • 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)
• 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 V - Master's degree in nursing or related field with BSN (or a Bachelor's degree in a related field) and approximately 5-6 years of nursing practice/experience; OR a Doctoral degree (preferred) in nursing or related field and appropriate basic or advanced certification desired, and approximately 4-5 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 requirements of this position are concerned with the mental and physical ability of the applicant to satisfactorily perform the duties of the proposed assignment and may include requisite laboratory and other screening as required by Federal regulatory agencies.

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. The criteria are as follows:

• Practice: practice, ethics and resource utilization;
• Professional Development: performance, education/career development;
• Collaboration; collaboration, collegiality;
• Scientific Inquiry: quality of care, research

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
Other

Drug test required
Yes

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

Trust determination process
Credentialing , Suitability/Fitness

Required Documents

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

• Resume

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.

• Cover Letter
• DD-214/ Statement of Service
• License
• Other (1)
• Performance Appraisal
• Professional Certification
• Resume
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript