This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application. 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. Preferred Experience: Bachelor of Science in Nursing Previous procedural experience with conscious sedation ACLS 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: Heavy lifting (45 pounds and over), Straight pulling (6 hours), Pushing (2 hours), Reaching above shoulder, Use of fingers, Both hands required, Walking (6 hours), Standing (2 hours), Repeated bending (6 hours), Both legs required, Ability to distinguish basic colors, Hearing (aid may be permitted) Visual acuity 20/30 corrected ["Duties include but are not limited to: The RN practices in the Gastroenterology/Hepatology clinics. The clinics provide outpatient and inpatient endoscopy, gastroenterology and hepatology care. The RN is responsible for managing patient flow through the clinic and participating in the plan of care as part of an interdisciplinary team. The RN is experienced in Conscious Sedation (Level II), trained in the use, care and processing of endoscopes. Identifying and understanding daily nursing assignments, admitting Veteran for endoscopy procedure, recovering, and discharging Veteran who received no sedation, moderate sedation, monitored anesthesia care or general anesthesia. Starting and maintaining peripheral intravenous access for procedural sedation, blood glucose monitoring, obtaining laboratory specimens pre or post-procedure. Completing moderate sedation training and competency. Familiarity with respiratory rescue assist devices such as oral airways, nasal trumpets, and bag masks. Administering moderate sedation under the guidance of an Attending physician. Monitoring vital signs, ECG, Sp02, respiratory rate, patient responsiveness, and pain. Donning, doffing, disposing of PPE. Understanding unit specific emergency procedures and assisting in responses within the RN scope of practice for: Code Blue, MET response, Code Green, Fire Safety/Evacuation. Completing pre-procedural nursing documentation, moderate sedation flowsheet, and post-procedural documentation. Labels specimens and assists with pathology documentation. Maintains all practice-specific, specialized competencies and mandatory reviews including code cart, unit equipment, endoscope care, high-level disinfection, moderate sedation and ACLS certification. Anticipates emergencies, coordinates prevention, and evaluates responses through critical analysis of patient situations. Providing discharge teaching with Veteran and/or family members. Completing post-procedural wellness calls as needed. Removing endoscopes from storage cabinet, connecting scope to the endoscope light source and attaching applicable accessories, providing point of use treatment upon procedure completion, transporting scope to dirty scope room for reprocessing. Assisting with endoscopic procedures with such tasks as: polyp removal, obtaining biopsies, tattoo injection, medication injection, cautery, esophageal savory or balloon dilation, variceal banding, argon plasma coagulation (APC), radiofrequency ablation (RFA), endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) guided fine needle biopsy or aspiration, endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR), and other areas like manometry, capsule endoscopy, impedance and wireless pH monitoring. Utilizes signed written protocols as approved by the Director of the Gastroenterology/Hepatology Section and the Director of Nursing providing patient education regarding the timing and instructions for completing the pre-procedure preparations. Implements the protocols as described above, enters orders into CPRS for medications and supplies needed for the pre-procedure bowel preparation for routine procedures. Identifies area(s) for quality improvement and participates in unit or hospital wide improvement activities. Consistently conducts self in a manner that demonstrates adherence to standards of professional practice and patient care. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 7:30am - 4:00pm Compressed/Flexible: May be available for a highly qualified candidate Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Contact V20CompensationTeam@vgov and VHAEDRPProgramSupport@VA.gov, the EDRP Coordinators for questions/assistance. Learn more. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required 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 VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package: VA Nurse Total Rewards"]
The Veterans Health Administration is America’s largest integrated health care system, providing care at 1,298 health care facilities, including 171 medical centers and 1,113 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics), serving 9 million enrolled Veterans each year.
