Registered Nurse- Clinical Deployment Team

Summary
Stand ready with VA to help in an emergency
A disaster can strike at any time - an earthquake, tornado, hurricane, or global pandemic can leave our Veterans, families, and communities in desperate need of help. That's why the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is creating Clinical Deployment Teams (CDTs) to stand ready to assist. We're looking for clinical personnel to serve on these teams and help transform how we provide health care services in times of great need.
This job is open to

• Internal to an agency
  Current federal employees of this agency.
• The public
  U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Videos
Duties
These positions may be 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. The EDRP Coordinator(s) can be reached at VHAVISN23EDRP@va.gov. Not all positions on this announcement are eligible for EDRP. Please contact Jamie.Marvin@va.gov for further assistance to determine if the position is EDRP eligible.
This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT and will remain open until December 31, 2023. The initial cut-off date for referral of eligible applications will be November 15, 2023.
Working in Primary Care, Medical-Surgical, Emergency Room, and Intensive Care Unit, Clinical Deployment Team (CDT) staff will be allocated among 18 networks for a total of 20 full-time employees per network, including 11 Registered Nurses, When they are not deployed, CDT staff will work at an assigned VA facility. Members of the team must:

• Be available to deploy with 72 hours' notice within 2 windows of time per calendar year, for up to a month at a time
• Work in a high-stress environment, possibly in austere conditions or an emergency setting
• Treat or provide direct patient care within the requirements of practice/privileges/licensure
• Participate in CDT training activities and demonstrate readiness to apply professional skills to a range of emergency situations
• Ensure qualifications and required certifications are maintained, including Basic Life Support (BLS), Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), or Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) certification
• Maintain CDT physical readiness requirements, vaccinations, and safety precautions related to infection control

RN responsibilities include:

• Emergency Department - This position provides care to Veterans for acute and urgent medical problems and referrals to primary care for Veterans requesting primary care. Psychiatric emergencies are triaged and referred to psychiatric specialty as PES (Psychiatric Emergency Services). The Registered Nurse - Emergency Department CDT is accountable for all elements of the nursing process when providing and/or supervising direct patient care.
• Intensive Care/Critical Care - This position is responsible and accountable for individual nursing practice and determines the appropriate delegation of tasks consistent with the nurse's obligation to provide optimal care (ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses) in delivering safe care to critically ill patients. The Registered Nurse - Intensive Care/Critical Care CDT is responsible for recognizing critical patient care situations and initiates effective actions in emergencies.
• Inpatient Medical/Surgical - This position is responsible and accountable for individual nursing practice and determines the appropriate delegation of tasks consistent with the nurse's obligation to provide optimal care (ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses) in delivering safe care to critically ill patients. The Registered Nurse - Inpatient Medical-Surgical CDT is responsible for delivering safe care to assigned patients while developing technical competencies.
• Primary Care - This position participates in Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) performance measure improvement activities such as, but not limited to, 2-day post-discharge contact, chronic disease management, clinical reminder compliance, etc. The Registered Nurse - Primary Care CDT is assigned patient care responsibilities based upon PACT recommendations, patient care needs and staff competencies and will be required to complete TEACH and Motivational interviewing training within first year of assignment to PACT.

Work Schedule: May vary depending on deployment and/or assigned facility needs
Compressed/Flexible: may be available for some position depending on location and department
Telework: Not Available
Travel: Up to 50% may be required.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Recruitment Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Available for well-qualified applicants
EDRP Authorized: 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. Contact VHAVISN23EDRP@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more. *** Please not all all facilities and all position will qualify for EDPR, please reach out to jamie.marvin@va.gov with any questions***
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
NOTE: Prior to accepting a final employment offer, all selected applicants will be required to sign a Memorandum of Understanding regarding deployment responsibilities

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. 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 and maintain CDT physical readiness.
• 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.
• Must be able to meet physical demands which include strenuous physical activity to include carrying persons and equipment, walking long distances over difficult terrain, running, climbing, working long hours in primitive or arduous conditions, long periods of standing, and bending and stooping.

Qualifications
Basic requirements must be meet by the time of application.
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 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). The approving official may authorize a waiver of the requirement for ACEN or CCNE accreditation of any degree in nursing provided the college or university has regional accreditation from an accrediting body recognized by the Department of Education at the time of the candidate's graduation and the composite qualifications of the applicant warrant such consideration. 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 and Certifications -

• Emergency Department -2-3 years of Registered Nurse emergency room, medical crisis unit or critical care experience, Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)
• Intensive Care/Critical Care -2-3 years Critical Care/Intensive Care Unit and Telemetry Nursing Practice, Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)
• Inpatient Medical/Surgical - 2-3 years Medical-Surgical Unit and Telemetry Nursing Practice, Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)
• Primary Care -2-3 years Primary Care, Basic Life Support (BLS)

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.

Note regarding MSN degrees: If your MSN was obtained via a Bridge Program that qualifies for professional nursing registration, a BSN is not required.
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: Eligible applicants must be physically and mentally able to perform efficiently the essential functions of the position, with or without reasonable accommodation, without hazard to themselves or others. Depending on the essential duties of a specific position, usable vision, color vision, hearing or speech may be required. However, in most cases, a specific physical condition or impairment of a specific function may be compensated for by the satisfactory use of a prosthesis or mechanical aid.
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.
This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required
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...