Summary The Nurse is responsible and accountable for all aspects of the nursing process when delivering and supervising direct patient care. This role involves assessing, planning, implementing, and evaluating patient care based on age-specific needs, ensuring a holistic approach to patient management. The nurse assumes responsibility for coordinating care efforts that emphasize patient education, self-management, and customer satisfaction across the entire continuum of care. Responsibilities The Nurse is responsible and accountable for delivering comprehensive, evidence-based nursing care across surgical, invasive, and non-invasive procedures, ensuring optimal patient outcomes. This role involves independently planning, directing, and coordinating care for complex patients within the perioperative setting, including the operating room, ambulatory, surgery, and endoscopy units as needed. The nurse oversees the entire nursing process - assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation-while respecting individual patient needs and recognizing the vital contributions of interdisciplinary team members. Other duties included but not limited to the following: Maintains proficiency in both circulating and scrubbing roles across all surgical specialties and adheres to current standards from the Association of peri-Operative Registered Nurses (AORN), Veterans Health Administration (VHA) directives, and institutional SOPs. Applies clinical knowledge/judgment to lead staff involvement in planning, decision making, and evaluating outcomes within the immediate practice setting. Demonstrates the ability to improve the effectiveness of communications and interactions with others, to inspire their cooperation and confidence to ensure safe and effective outcomes in the current practice setting. Ensure the sterility of the surgical field, manage instrumentation and equipment safely, and perform accurate counting procedures to prevent retained surgical items. Actively participates in the Time Out process to verify correct site, side, and level and follows strict documentation protocols for implants, tissue products, and specimens. Delivers high-quality care for patients undergoing therapeutic and diagnostic endoscopy procedures, including both inpatients and outpatients. Assess physical and mental status pre-procedure, provide patient education on procedural and post-procedural care, and document responses and findings comprehensively. Collaborates with patients, families, and interdisciplinary teams to facilitate smooth transitions of care that align with the patient's goals and promote safety. Demonstrates leadership by fostering a safe, supportive environment that encourages professional development among colleagues. Provide informal feedback, share educational findings, and question clinical practices to ensure care remains evidence based. Participates actively in quality improvement initiatives, strategies to sustain evidence-based practice, and team discussions aimed at improving holistic care. Proficiency in maintaining, cleaning, and preparing endoscopy-specific equipment is essential. Recognizes changes in patient conditions and initiates appropriate emergency responses when necessary. Improves Veteran/patient driven care by resolving experience issues such as coordination of care, timeliness or process issues, common themes of dissatisfaction, or environment of care concerns for the immediate practice setting. Flexibility to adapt to schedule changes and to respond promptly during assigned on-call periods is required, with adherence to all facility policies regarding response times. Demonstrates the ability to improve the effectiveness of communications and interactions with others, to inspire their cooperation and confidence to ensure safe and effective outcomes in the current practice setting. Exemplifies clinical excellence, leadership, and collaboration to deliver safe, effective, and patient-centered care across all perioperative and endoscopic services. Consistently communicates and treats customers (patients, visitors, volunteers, and all Medical Center staff) in a courteous, tactful, and respectful manner. 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: Monday - Friday, 7:00am - 3:30pm (intermittent), excludes holidays and weekend, subject to change based on the needs of the facility. Telework: Unavailable 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 evaluation. 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. Preferred Experience: 2-3 years of operating room circulating experience with additional preference for those with scrub nurse experience 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/13052513. 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/. Physical Requirements: This position requires heavy lifting and carrying 45 pounds and over, straight pulling and pushing 1 hours, reaching above shoulder, use of fingers, both hands required, walking and standing 7 hours, kneeling .5 hour, repeated bending 7 hours, both legs required, ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously, near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4, far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other, ability to distinguish basic colors, ability to distinguish shades of colors, hearing without aid, mental, emotional stability and working with detergents and antiseptic solutions. 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.
