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Veterans Health Administration is Hiring a Registered Nurse - Emergency Department Near Saint Louis, MO

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 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: 2 years Emergency Department experience preferred, Current ACLS preferred.

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: The population of male and female veterans served ranges from 18 and above to the elderly adult. VASTLHCS is a major interdisciplinary teaching facility, serving medical, surgical, and neurological inpatients and outpatients. There is a large outpatient psychiatric population, with visits to the Emergency Department and admissions for medical coffmorbidities. 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 may be required. The incumbent may be exposed to infected patients and contaminated materials and may be required to don protective clothing in isolation situations or operative/invasive procedures. 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/organizational needs.

Responsibilities:

VA Saint Louis Health Care System is committed to Diversity and Inclusion. Together, we strive to create and maintain a working and learning environment that promotes professional growth and teamwork. We offer an inclusive, equitable, and welcoming environment where we celebrate our individual differences and unite as a team toward a common goal of providing outstanding service to our Nation's Veterans.

The Registered Nurse - Emergency Department position is located at John Cochran Medical Center in VA Saint Louis Health Care System in Saint Louis, Missouri. The RN demonstrates leadership, experience, and creative approaches to the management of complex patient/resident care. The incumbent is responsible for the documented outcomes at the program or service level. Care is provided in the least restrictive, most cost-effective manner through use of the clinical practice guidelines and clinical pathways. Evidence of health promotion and chronic disease indices will be monitored through the clinical practice guidelines and performance measures.

The ED RN responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

1. Performing triage assessments on patients that are being seen in the Emergency Department or Tele-Emergency Care, and classifying them using the Emergency Severity Index (ESI), a five-level ED triage algorithm that provides clinical relevant stratification of patients into five groups from 1 (most urgent) to 5 (least urgent) on the basis of acuity and resource needs.
2. Executes evidence-based nursing practice actions to care for the patient based on the determined acuity level.
3. Responsible for the initiation of standardized protocol orders outlined in the facility memorandum.
4. Conducts a focused assessment based on the patient's condition, reporting abnormal findings to the ED providers or Tele-Emergency Care Providers.
5. Implements nursing protocol/providers' orders.
6. Evaluates patient's response to all treatments and interventions.
7. Initiates interdisciplinary referrals for patients who require specialized services such as social work, mental health, diabetes education, and wound care.
8. Plays a pivotal role as the patient advocate on the interdisciplinary team collaborating with all other team members to assure optimal, timely and above all, safe care for the patient.
9. Identifies ethical issues in practice and takes appropriate action.
10. Implements an ongoing educational plan to support own professional development.
11. Participates in established quality improvement studies and/or activities.
12. Uses body of research to validate and/or change work group practice.

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: Rotating shifts to include days, nights, weekends, and holidays. Schedule is subject to change based on the needs of the health care system.
72/80 Work Schedule: Six regularly scheduled 12-hour tours of duty within a pay period (72 Hours) that is considered for all purposes to be a full 80-hour pay period. OR Traditional Work Schedule: Six 12-hour shifts and one 8-hour shift every pay period. Day/Night or Straight Night available.
Compressed/Flexible: Available.
Telework: Ad hoc only, with supervisory approval.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized.
EDRP Authorized: Contact VISN15EDRP@va.gov, the EDRP Coordination Team, for questions/assistance. Learn more
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized.
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Job Summary