The Dayton VAMC is looking for a Licensed Practical Nurse - Team Lead for the Community Living Center (CLC). The CLC provides care to resident's needing skilled nursing, rehabilitation services, support and comfort for end of life care, as well as providing restorative nursing services, long term maintenance care, Hospice and palliative care and respite caregiver relief care. This is a bargaining unit position.

Duties

Major duties include but not limited to: Provide care in a safe and cost-effective manner by following all policies/procedures. Maintain a safe environment using appropriate equipment, devices, and safety measures for all residents with demonstrated special awareness of the needs of all residents with impaired mobility. Contribute to the evaluation of resident's fall risks and implement appropriate preventative measure; assist residents to cope with and/or compensate for changes affecting mobility and balance for geriatric residents, residents with impaired mobility, surgery residents, and orthopedic residents. Implement care for more complex/specialized resident care duties based on broader knowledge and skills with less direct supervision. Incorporate current resident care data by gathering data and actively contributing to the development and modification of treatment plans. Assist the registered nurse (RN) and/or provider to appropriately prioritize overall resident care needs and adjust plans of care delivery. Provide one-on-one group teaching as appropriate and will communicate calmly, courteously, and tactfully with all residents, personnel, and visitors maintaining confidentiality in accordance with HIPAA regulations and medical center policies. Assist the RN or provider in managing the resident's medications/treatments. Recognizing potential or actual drug reactions; promptly informing the RN or provider of observed changes in resident condition and initiating appropriate, prescribed intervention with safe and therapeutic resident care delivery. Perform capillary and/or whole blood glucose testing, evaluate glucose results, and act accordingly. Interpret mental and physical changes based on theoretical and practical understanding of psychology, anatomy, and physiology and cope quickly and decisively with emergency situations or unpredictable behavior. Contribute to the evaluation of pain/comfort status consistently using the scale of 1-10, the FLACC scale or the PAIN- AD scale and implement interventions to maintain comfort status. Promote the values of cultural transformation and Resident Centered Care in the Community Living Center in creating a homelike living experience. Work Schedule: 7:30 PM to 8:00 AM (with an additional 8-hour shift per pay period) OR 11:30 PM to 8:00 AM; Must be available to work Weekends and Holidays Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required

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. Education: Graduate of a school of practical or vocational nursing approved by the appropriate State agency and/or [accredited by] the National League for Nursing [Accrediting Commission (NLNAC)] at the time the program was completed by the applicant. Exception: Health care education in the military service or training in the military service which is accepted by the licensing body in the jurisdiction in which the individual is licensed as qualifying for full LPN/LVN licensure will be accepted as meeting the education requirements for VHA employment. Licensure: Full, active, current and unrestricted licensure as a licensed practical or vocational nurse in a State, Territory or Commonwealth (i.e., Puerto Rico) of the United States, or District of Columbia. English: Licensed practical or vocational nurses appointed to direct patient care positions must be proficient in [both] spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d). Grade Determinations: GS-7: Completion of at least one (1) year of additional qualifying experience at the GS-6 level or equivalent, fully meeting all performance requirements for the GS-6 LPN/LVN AND Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities. In addition to the requirements above, candidates must demonstrate all the following KSAs. YOUR RESUME MUST CLEARLY CONVEY THAT YOU MEET ALL BELOW LISTED KSAs AT THIS GRADE LEVEL: a. Knowledge and skills necessary to carry out more specialized patient care duties, including assignments in selected, more complex inpatient and/or outpatient care settings. Knowledge base promotes the incorporation of current patient care data in actively contributing to the development of the patient's overall health plan and in carrying out assigned nursing interventions. Positions at this grade level require broader knowledge and skills because supervision is more general and employees are expected to be involved to a greater degree in the development and modification of treatment plans. b. Ability to assist RN and/or MD/DO to appropriately prioritize overall patient care needs and adjust plans for care delivery. Makes astute observations of subtle, less obvious changes, both physical and emotional, in patient's condition, and accurately and thoroughly documents care delivered and patient's response to care that could require immediate modification of the patient's care plan. Appropriately seeks assistance and guidance by informing RN or MD/DO of changes in patient's condition requiring higher-level intervention. At this grade level, the LPN/LVN is expected to participate to a greater degree in prioritizing, and, as appropriate, modifying patient care treatment. They must also possess the ability to observe more subtle physical and emotional changes in patients and demonstrate taking appropriate action based on those observations. c. Ability to proactively assist the RN or MD/DO in addressing patient's needs for medication/treatments, accurately administering prescribed medications/treatments according to established policies/procedures and appropriately recording administration and patient's response to medications/treatments received. (This may include restricted medication locally authorized for administration by employees at this grade level.) Demonstrates the knowledge and ability to readily recognize the more subtle signs and symptoms of potential or actual drug reactions, promptly inform the RN or MD/DO of observed changes in patient's condition and initiate appropriate, prescribed interventions. Employees at this grade level demonstrate broader knowledge and skill with respect to these responsibilities than employees at lower grade levels. d. Knowledge and skill to promptly recognize potential urgent or emergent patient care situations, seek assistance of the RN and/or MD/DO for appropriate team intervention and effectively intervene, as directed, to assure the continuation of optimal, safe and therapeutic patient care delivery. At this grade level, the LPN/LVN must have a broader knowledge of the patient treatment process and exercise judgment that demonstrates the ability to effectively intervene when appropriate. e. Assists individuals or groups of patients and their families to take an active role in promoting healthy lifestyles for more positive patient outcomes. Exercises skill in influencing and communicating with unusually difficult to care for or communicate with patients and/or family members who may exhibit problems with lack of self-control, resistant or abusive behaviors, or impediments in their ability to understand or follow instructions. This includes the ability to effectively deal with the above types of patients under very general supervision. f. Exhibits skill, creativity and initiative in contributing to the improvement of overall care delivery and patient and/or family satisfaction levels through active participation in committees/task forces, research projects or in developing educational materials/media. Actively promotes and effectively incorporates established customer service standards in all aspects of their practice. g. Possesses comprehensive practical nursing knowledge and skills in specialized procedures and practices to serve as a resource person for other staff in organizing and implementing more complex/specialized patient care. Serves as a role model and mentor to other nursing staff in the application of more complex technology, effectively guiding and directing their continuing practice in these areas. h. Supports the RN or MD/DO in monitoring the practice of unlicensed nursing or non-medical staff in patient care delivery. Promptly reports any deviations from normal practice patterns to the RN or MD/DO. In addition to responsibilities at the lower grade level, the LPN/LVN is responsible for monitoring the practice of non-licensed nursing and medical staff. i. Work of considerable difficulty and responsibility is performed under general supervision. Individuals in these positions are, to a considerable extent, expected to exercise independent technical judgments and to possess and apply a comprehensive working knowledge of the principles, art and science of practical nursing. The staff mix is such that employees at this grade level are expected to perform practical nursing duties of considerable difficulty and responsibility under very general supervision. j. Actively seeks out educational opportunities to enhance nursing knowledge and skills, and providing leadership in assisting other staff improve and advance their nursing practice. References: VA Handbook 5005, Part 11, Appendix G-13.The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-07. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-07. Physical Requirements: This position requires visual acuity, keen hearing, clear distinctive speech, and manual dexterity. This position requires potentially long periods of continues 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. Incumbent may be exposed to patients who are combative secondary to delirium, dementia, or psychiatric disorders.

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by 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: 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.

Contacts

• Address Dayton VA Medical Center 4100 West Third Street Dayton, OH 45428 US
• Name: Amy Huguenot
• Phone: 937-516-1498
• Email: [email protected]