The Associate Chief Nurse for Medical Programs will provide primary assistance to the Associate Director of Patient Care Service (ADPCS), Chief of Staff (COS) and Deputy Nurse Executive Nursing Service in overall administration of patient care and nursing services by leading the overall management of the practice of nursing and the profession of nursing within the Central Texas Veterans Health Care System.

Duties

In the role of Associate Chief Nurse for Medical Programs, you are responsible for the overall nursing leadership of the specialty care services and ensuring the quality of nursing specialty care, the efficiency and productivity of the staff, and veterans access to specialty care. You will establish and promote productive, mutually supportive working relationships with facility leadership, other administrative and professional staff, including internal and external customers. You will assure optimal quality of care delivery thru productivity, efficiency, clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction. You will provide executive leadership and supervision to Nurse Managers, Assistant Nurse Managers for Chemotherapy Unit, Outpatient Medical Clinics, Endoscopy, Procedure Clinics, and other assigned or related programs. Duties and responsibilities include, but not limited to: Lead and organize delivery of care to assure continuity of care and peer accountability for practice, including access to care and discharge planning. Use advanced clinical knowledge/judgment to promote staff involvement in planning, decision-making, and evaluating outcomes. Function as an expert in clinical practice and/or areas related to the assigned roles and responsibilities. Systematically evaluate current practice, and formulate outcomes for groups of patients and/or organizational processes within an area of expertise. Guide, develop, and support staff from a leadership perspective. Use professional standards of care, scientific evidence, and practice to evaluate programs and/or service activities. As a member of the service leadership team, you will be routinely involved in decisions that impact the budget, staffing, and labor negotiations. You will review access, scheduling practices, External Peer Review Program (EPRP), Veterans Equitable Resource Allocation (VERA) reports, performance measures, and other data for trends and early intervention. You will contribute to the development and implementation of policies and procedures that guide and support the provision of services to patients. You will facilitate compliance with standards established by oversight and regulatory entities such as Joint Commission, CARF, OSHA, CAP, OIG, etc. We are in the process of making a cultural change, shifting from a disease-focused approach to a health and wellbeing approach, to implement the Whole Health System of Care. This is a VA-wide initiative to provide a comprehensive and systematic approach to improve healthcare delivery at all stages of Veteran care. This entails moving from an episodic, "siloed" approach to an interdisciplinary, holistic approach, emphasizing self-care in the larger context of well-being. All staff in this facility will be part of this process, shifting the focus from the question, "What's the matter with you?" to the question, "What matters to you, and how can we help you live your best life?" This strategy also involves integrating a full range of conventional approaches with Complementary and Integrative Health (CIH) approaches to optimize lifelong health and well-being, as defined by the Veteran, rather than narrowly focusing on disease 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; Monday-Friday; 7:30am-4:00pm Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: A Recruitment/Relocation Incentive may be authorized for a highly qualified individual. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Bargaining Unit Status: This position is not part of the bargaining unit.

Requirements

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. Education: 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. Licensure: 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: While not a requirement for consideration or selection, applicants with the following preferred education/experience will be considered highly qualified, Possess Systems Redesign and/or Lean-Six Sigma experience/training or certification. Possess experience leading/managing multiple programs or services. Possess experience and/or certification in change/project management. Possess Professional/Shared Governance experience. Possess Magnet or Pathway to Excellence experience. Such experience must be clearly identifiable in the supporting application documents. Grade Determinations: The following criteria must be met in determining the grade assignment of candidates, and if appropriate, the level within a grade: Nurse IV - Master's degree in nursing or related field with BSN and approximately 4-5 years of nursing practice/experience; OR a Doctoral degree in nursing or related field and appropriate basic or advanced certification desired, and approximately 3-4 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: Heavy lifting, 45 pounds and over, moderate lifting, 15-44 pounds, heavy carrying, 45 pounds and over, moderate carrying 15-44 pounds, light carrying, under 15 pounds, straight pulling (1-2 hours), pushing (8-12 hours), reaching above shoulder, use of fingers, walking (8-12 hours), standing (8-12 hours), repeated bending (8-12 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, both eyes required, depth perception, ability to distinguish basic colors, ability to distinguish shades of color, hearing (aid permitted), hearing without aids, mental and Emotional stability required, sitting (8 hours), simple grasping (2-4 hours), fine manipulation - including keyboarding (4-6 hours), twisting (2 hours)

Education

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the appropriate State agency and accredited by either: a) The Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN); or b) The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) or the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here:

1. ACEN - http://www.acenursing.us/accreditedprograms/programSearch.htm
2. CCNE - https://www.aacnnursing.org/CCNE-Accreditation/CCNE-Accredited-Programs
3. U.S. Department of Education - http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/

If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Note: If your school was accredited by Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) or Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) at the time of graduation but is no longer listed on the ACEN or CCNE website, you must provide documentation of accreditation with your application packet.

Note: If your school has changed names, or is no longer in existence, you must provide this information in your application.

Contacts

• Address VA Central Texas Health Care System 1901 Veterans Memorial Drive Temple, TX 76504 US
• Name: VISN 17 SSU USAS Group
• Email: [email protected]