Summary
The Community Services RN provides patient-centered nursing care, counseling, health promotion, illness and injury prevention, assessment, health education, treatment, and care coordination using the nursing process. The RN demonstrates leadership in the delivery and improvement of holistic, evidence-based care and collaborates with providers, VA facilities, community facilities, and interdisciplinary team members to coordinate services and promote optimal patient outcomes.
Duties
The Community Services Registered Nurse functions as a clinical leader and resource within the assigned practice setting. Responsibilities include providing competent, evidence-based nursing care; overseeing licensed vocational nurses and nursing assistants as appropriate; supporting nursing education, orientation, and competency development; participating in quality improvement; and promoting professional development and evidence-based practice. Major duties that include, but are not limited to: Provides and leads competent, evidence-based nursing care for Veterans, including patients with complex care needs, utilizing the nursing process of assessment, diagnosis, outcome identification, planning, implementation, and evaluation. Coordinates inpatient and outpatient care and services, assists with appointment scheduling as needed, communicates patient conditions and care needs with physicians/providers, and collaborates with VA and community facilities to support interdisciplinary care. Identifies patient care problems and initiates appropriate referrals to other disciplines and services; accurately documents patient findings, assessments, interventions, and care provided in the medical record. Provides oversight of licensed vocational nurses and nursing assistants, as appropriate to the practice setting, and maintains accountability for the evaluation of delegated nursing activities. Promotes Veteran/patient-driven care by addressing coordination, timeliness, safety, patient experience, and other care-delivery concerns and serves as an advocate and resource for Veterans, families, and caregivers. Leads and collaborates with interdisciplinary teams in patient care planning, decision-making, and evaluation of outcomes; promotes effective communication, teamwork, cooperation, and professional practice. Assists with nursing education, orientation, competency development, mentoring, precepting, and teaching and supports the professional development of nursing and other healthcare staff. Integrates evidence-based practice and research into clinical practice and leads patient-care improvement through monitoring, analysis, and evaluation of outcomes and identification of efficient, cost-effective approaches to care delivery. Responds appropriately to emergency situations and maintains compliance with infection prevention, patient safety, occupational safety, and emergency preparedness requirements. - Provides age-appropriate care that considers Veterans' cognitive, emotional, developmental, chronological, and lifestyle needs while promoting dignity, autonomy, safety, self-care, and independence. Protects sensitive patient information and printed and electronic records in accordance with the Privacy Act, federal regulations, VA policy, and VHA requirements. Maintains Basic Life Support (BLS), completes required orientation and ongoing mandatory education, and participates in competency assessment and validation. Supports continued accreditation readiness by maintaining standards of care, complete and timely documentation, safety and infection-control practices, patient privacy, and participation in performance-improvement activities. Maintains flexibility in work schedules and assignments based on the operational needs of a 24/7 hospital and performs other duties as assigned. 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: To be determined based on the needs of the service. Work schedules may include varying tours and are subject to change based on operational needs. Telework: AD-HOC telework available as needed by service. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Requirements
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/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.
How you will be evaluated
IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment. NOTE: Candidate's education, scope, and length of nursing practice (experience) will be considered in determining the grade and salary of the applicant selected. The recommended salary may be at any point in the range listed for this vacancy. Experience as an RN will be evaluated to determine if the experience is of an acceptable level of quality with regard to the following five dimensions of nursing: Practice, Veteran/Patient Driven Care, Leadership, Professional Development, and Evidence/Based Practice/Research. Each dimension of practice has criteria that demonstrate essential core competencies for VHA Nursing Personnel. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position. It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment. Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.