Summary The RN - Clinical Nurse Educator is responsible and accountable for all elements of the nursing process when providing and/or supervising staff education. Delivers a fundamental understanding of adult learning principles and a lifelong learner that can practice with flexibility to adapt or change learning strategies based on the assessment of learning needs within the healthcare organization. Responsibilities The RN - Clinical Nurse Educator is responsible and accountable for all elements of the nursing process when providing and/or supervising staff education. Delivers a fundamental understanding of adult learning principles and a lifelong learner that can practice with flexibility to adapt or change learning strategies based on the assessment of learning needs within the healthcare organization. Assesses, plans, implements, and evaluates educational needs to facilitate learner development and skill training of clinical staff. Utilizes innovative teaching strategies, assessment skills, and evaluation of outcomes. Assumes responsibility for the coordination of education focused on staff education, self-management, and customer satisfaction throughout the healthcare continuum. Follows procedures per established policies and guidelines. Influences care outcomes by collaborating with members of the interdisciplinary team. Core elements of performance include knowledge and active participation in the department level quality improvement process and initiatives as well as customer service programs. The Clinical Nurse Educator and other staff execute a variety of programs assigned to the Clinical Education including but not limited to Scholarship Program, BLS/ACLS/RQI, Nursing Student Coordination, Safe Patient Handling, Simulation, Competency and other programs. The RN Clinical Nurse Educator is responsible for providing competent, evidence-based education to staff. Provides educational instruction and training for nursing staff in clinical and outpatient units. The Clinical Nurse Educator understands instructional design, implementation, and application related to education and training. Duties include, but are not limited to: Performs learning needs assessments, develops educational trainings for clinical staff within organization Assists with the orientation of new employees, evaluation of their progress in the orientation process, and development and implementation of a learning plan for improving identified deficiencies. Serves as a trainer and consultant for Resuscitation Education Initiative (Redi) Program including certification as Basic Life Support (BLS) instructor. Monitors and tracks BLS/Advanced Life Support (ALS) compliance within the organization. Collaborates with interdisciplinary team to support and evaluate responses to emergency responses in the facility to include BLS and ALS. Organizes, participates, and evaluates mock codes. Supports nurse residency programs including the development of curriculum utilizing strategic learning methodologies such as simulation, lecture case studies and virtual reality. Develops proficient level coaching and mentoring skills. Systematically evaluates current practice, formulate outcomes for groups of patients and/or organizational processes within area of expertise. Collaborates with other Clinical Nurse Educators and interprofessional healthcare teams in the ongoing clinical education activities including in-services, training, competency assessment, and evaluations of both current and new staff nursing skills. Reviews current nursing literature for new trends and changes based on evidence-based research with the ability to propose practice and documentation revisions based on evaluation of outcomes. Collaborates with leadership and unit managers to identify educational training needs for staff, while supporting activities that foster competence, critical thinking, and decision making. Provides consultation and collaboration through the participation within organizational committees. Ability to analyze, interpret, and evaluate data to determine outcomes and changes related to educational programs. VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package: VA Nurse Total Rewards 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: Full Time, Mon-Fri 07:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Schedule is subject to change based on the needs of the healthcare system. Compressed/Flexible: Not Authorized. Telework: Not Available. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized. 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. Subject to background/security investigation. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. 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). You may be required to serve a probationary period. Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement. Qualifications Basic Requirements: English Language Proficiency. In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7403(f), 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 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); OR Individuals attending a master's level bridge program in nursing who have completed coursework equivalent to a bachelor's level degree in Nursing may have opportunity to become registered as a nurse with a state licensing board prior to completion of the bridge program. Upon achievement of a State license, the individual may be appointed on temporary basis and later converted to a permanent appointment upon successful completion and graduation from the bridge program. (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 to warrant an appointment as a Nurse who has completed an associated degree/entry level Nursing education program. Credit for foreign nursing education higher that associate degree/entry level requires a formal degree equivalency validation from a recognized equivalency evaluation accepted by VA such as International Consultants of Delaware (ICD). 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. Graduate Nurse Technician (GNT) Exception: Candidates who otherwise meet the basic education requirements, but do not possess the required licensure, may be appointed at the entry step of the grade and level applicable to the completed nursing education as a GNT on a 120-day temporary appointment while actively pursuing licensure (may be extended up to two years on a case-by-case-basis.) NOTE: Grandfathering Provision - All persons currently employed in VHA in 0610 series and performing the duties as described in the qualification standard on the effective date of the standard (1/29/2024) are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade held including positive education and licensure/certification. Grade Determinations: The following Scope, Education and Dimension criteria must be met in determining the grade assignment of candidates, and if appropriate, the level within a grade. The Dimension requirements (Practice, Veteran/Patient Driven Care, Leadership, Professional Development and Evidence-Based Practice/Research) are detailed for each grade and level within the online assessment: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12900668. Grade/Level Scope Education Nurse I, Level I Delivers fundamental, knowledge-based care to assigned clients while developing technical competencies. An Associate Degree (ADN) or Diploma in Nursing, with no additional professional nursing required. Nurse I, Level II Demonstrates integration of biopsychosocial concepts, cognitive skills and technically competent practice in providing care to clients with basic or complex. An ADN or Diploma in Nursing AND 1 year of specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse I, Level 1 ;OR a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) with no additional professional nursing experience required. Nurse I, Level III Demonstrates proficiency in practice based on conscious and deliberate planning. Self-directed in goal setting for managing complex client situations. An ADN or Diploma in Nursing AND 2 years of professional nursing experience in which one year is equivalent to Nurse I, Level 2; OR a BSN and 1 year of professional nursing experience equivalent to the Nurse I, Level 2; OR a Master's degree in nursing (MSN) and no additional professional nursing experience; OR a Master's degree in a related field with a BSN and no additional professional nursing experience. Nurse II Demonstrates leadership in delivering and improving holistic care through collaborative strategies with others. A BSN with 2 years of professional nursing equivalent to Nurse I, Level 3; OR an MSN with one year of specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse I, Level 3; OR a Master's degree in a related field with a BSN and one year of specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse I, Level 3; OR a Doctoral degree in Nursing with no professional nursing experience; OR a Doctoral degree in a related field with a BSN with no additional professional nursing experience. Nurse III Executes position responsibilities that demonstrate leadership, experience and creative approaches to management of complex client care beyond the immediate practice setting. MSN and 2 years of specialized nursing experience, one of which is equivalent to Nurse II and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse III; OR a Master's degree in related field with BSN and two years of specialized nursing experience, one of which is equivalent to Nurse II and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse III; OR a Doctoral degree in Nursing with and one year of specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse II and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse III; OR a Doctoral degree in a related field with a BSN and one year of specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse II and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse III. Note: Foreign education programs/degrees are not creditable as related degrees. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Preferred Experience: Two years of charge nurse experience preferred 3-5 years of clinical experience with in-depth understanding of electronic health records and clinical workflows preferred Experience as a program manager, clinical educator, or clinical resource nurse preferred MSN preferred Certification in nursing education, professional development, or informatics preferred Physical Requirements: This position includes a level of physicality normally associated with duties performed by nurses such as direct patient care, and potentially long periods of walking, standing, sitting, moderate lifting, repeated bending, or kneeling. Examples may include but are not limited to: significant amounts of time standing assisting assigned patients, and utilization of safe patient handling and mobility protocols. This position requires potentially long periods of continued walking, standing, and sitting. The incumbent may be exposed to infected patients and contaminated materials and may be required to don protective clothing. 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, able to shift priorities based on patient needs. Education 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. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.
