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Veterans Health Administration is Hiring a Registered Nurse - Geriatrics Extended Care Near Tuscaloosa, AL

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:

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 theadult, age 18, to the elderly adult, age 65 and over. TVAMC services medical, geriatricand mental health inpatients, residents and outpatients. This position requires visualacuity, keen hearing, clear distinctive speech, and manual dexterity. This positionrequires potentially long periods of continued walking, standing, stooping, sitting,bending, pulling, and pushing. Transferring patients and objects may be required. Theincumbent may be exposed to infected patients and contaminated materials and may berequired to don personal protective equipment. The incumbent may occasionally beexposed to patients who are combative secondary to delirium, dementia, or psychiatricdisorders. The incumbent must be a mature, flexible, sensible individual capable ofworking effectively in stressful situations, able to shift priorities based on patient needs.

Responsibilities:

Geriatrics & Extended Care provides skilled nursing care, and supportive personal care including the Restorative Care Program, Hospice Care, inpatient rehabilitation care in an inter-professional environment to include social, diversion, recreational, and spiritual care in a culturally transformed and patient centered environment. Specialty provides clinical nursing services through clinical nursing services through assessment of walk-in patients in an outpatient ambulatory clinic, preventative treatment, and consultation in the treatment of patients in various specialty areas.

Duties below are listed but not limited to:

• • Assess, plan, implement, supervise, teach, evaluate and document patient care.
  • Serves as an integral member of the treatment team and is responsible for helping to produce a therapeutic Mental Health.
  • Cultural Transformation environment and plan of care to promote optimal health status.
  • Demonstrates leadership and initiative in delivering and improving holistic care through collaborative strategies with others.
  • Ensure compliance with the mission, vision and values of the medical center and/or VISN.
  • Accountable for the delivery of quality, age-specific healthcare.
  • Utilize critical thinking skills and sound clinical judgment to ensure positive patient outcomes.
  • Demonstrates ethical practice.
  • Participate in performance improvement activities to improve the quality of care and ensure performance measures are met and/or exceeded.
  • Skill in basic Psych emergency management.

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 /Rotating shifts, including weekends, holidays, evenings and nights
.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 Tonya Gibson at Tonya.Gibson@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more

Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Recruitment Incentives - including Recruitment Bonus, Relocation Bonus and Retention Allowance, each up to 10% of the rate of basic pay

Job Summary