Registered Nurse - Float Pool

Summary
This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT & will remain open until September 30, 2023. Eligible applications received after that date will be referred at regular intervals or as additional vacancies occur on a as-needed basis until positions are filled.
Applicants will remain active for 3 months after their initial application is received and/or updated. After that time, you must update your application again through your USAJobs account for possible consideration during the open period.
This job is open to

• The public
  U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Videos
Duties
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The Float Pool Nurse is a highly skilled individual who functions within the Education & Resources and areas of Nursing and Patient Care, and various patient care areas to provide clinical nurse expertise, care, and education to diverse patient populations. The staff nurse is required to work and support multiple inpatient areas within the medical center as staffing and patient acuity needs acutely arise. Duties may include but are not limited to:

• Identifies physiological, psychological, social and environmental variable affecting the functional status of the older adult and palliative care patient.
• Identifies current coping mechanisms and support systems and their effectiveness.
• Identifies current level of knowledge and skill of patient/significant other(s) in management of health care.
• Identifies needs for possible discharge planning and appropriate referrals.
• Documents on approved VA forms/computer programs.
• Determines nursing diagnoses based on analysis of assessment data.
• Classifies patients according to the patient acuity system.
• Plans and direct nursing care of medicine/surgical patients admitted to or referred from other services via contributions to the plan of care.
• Plans interventions which promote health.
• Develops teaching plans based on assessment of individual needs.
• Plans alternative interventions for medicine/surgical patients with unique needs.
• Initiates patient care conferences with nursing staff.
• Assures implementation of the plan of care.
• Role models the nurse as a professional who maintains a high standard of practice in giving direct care to patients with complex needs
• Participates in weekly interdisciplinary patient care rounds.
• Assists staff as needed in providing care for identified patients and families.
• Provides individualized instruction or directs nursing staff in teaching specific content/skill to geriatric patients/significant others.
• Anticipates possible discharge needs and assists patient/significant others and multidisciplinary team in achieving goals for discharge.
• Evaluates services rendered and the patient's response to the plan of care.
• Mutually with professional colleagues, monitors the patient response and makes needed revisions.
• Provides professional leadership regarding nursing standards and services.
• Participates with interdisciplinary team and families in exploring and resolving as much as possible the ethical dilemmas that arise in the care of individuals with the complex problems associated with age.
• Serves as a consultant throughout the Medical Center for clinical care problems related to the needs of medicine/surgical patients.
• The nurse is expected to take responsibility for attending in-services and continuing education activities and continued progression in knowledge and skills in medicine/surgical care nursing practice.
• Participates in established continuing quality improvement per nursing service policies.
• Participates in discharge planning per nursing service policies.
• Performing Care/Treatment Planning

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: Multiple schedules, will be discussed during interview process.
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required
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.

Preferred Experience: While not a requirement for consideration or selection, applicants with the following preferred education/experience are highly desirable. The supporting application must clearly identify the preferred experience, if applicable.

1. 2+ years experience in the following areas: Float Pool, emergency department, critical care, progressive care
2. Certified Emergency Nurse certification
3. Critical Care Nurse certification
4. Progressive Care Certified Nurse certification

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: 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 patients and objects will be required. The RN is expected to push patients on stretchers as part of the daily routine. The incumbent may be exposed to infected patients, bio-hazardous material and contaminated materials and may be required to don protective clothing. The incumbent must be a mature, flexible, sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations, able to shift priorities based on patient.
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.

• Benefits
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  Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

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 employmen...