Duties

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 The Surgical Cancer Care RN Patient Navigator, in collaboration with the interdisciplinary team, will be the primary gatekeeper for overseeing surgical cancer care coordination to include pre-surgical care, post-surgical care, and surgical care after hospital discharge. The Surgical Cancer Care RN Patient Navigator will possess a basic knowledge of surgical planning, utilization of management processes, clinical documentation requirements, current standards of care, and compliance guidelines. The Navigator is responsible for the initial review and triage of clinic consults and will follow consult timeliness and assigned service protocols. The Navigator will assure all necessary testing and documentation is secured prior to the patient being scheduled with a specialist. The Navigator will directly assist with patient care in his/her designated clinics or hospital setting including in the provision of patient education, scheduling and other duties assigned. Will develop and coordinate seamless transitioning of patients across the surgical cancer care continuum, from OR planning to postoperative cancer care/surveillance and involvement of other care teams. This includes serial/frequent record review to assure that ongoing monitoring and effective communication regarding the timely completion of preoperative testing, medication changes, travel, driver arrangements, availability of special equipment, imaging, pathology, and/or changes in the surgery schedule. Coordinates all preoperative and postoperative care required (appointments, labs, diagnostic tests, procedures, and imaging) to expedite plan of care as well as follow up results via timely Secured Messaging, video care, or telephone communication before the assigned section clinic appointment or procedure. Follows up results to communicate them to assigned team as well as the patient following test result notification protocol. Maintains excellent communication with both clinical surgical team and Surgical Cancer Care team in order to assure timely surgical requests and the required logistical, prosthetics, and loaner surgical items are available as needed. S/he will attend weekly surgical specialty meetings to review upcoming surgical procedures, provide updates on special equipment needs, and keep an open communication with the surgical team as needed. The nurse will review daily schedules for valuable clinic visits, provide pre-clinic contact if needed, assist providers in clinic with exams/procedures, education, orders per protocol and follows medical center policies. The Nurse Navigator will collaborate with members of the multi-disciplinary team caring for patients with complex issues requiring specialized care. Liaisons with staff regarding scheduling management or concerns in their assigned section, clinic, and procedure area. Completes accurate and timely documentation of patient care according to the standards of the work area. Follows assigned service patients from point of care to discharge from specialty care. Assists in obtaining outside medical records and communicates with the team when records are available. Also assists in having outside records and/or imaging studies imported into the EHR. Nurse Navigator will provide pre-and post-procedure education and phone calls to Veterans to provide instructions and to address any concerns or needs. Ensures veterans understand which home medications can be continued and which need to be held for procedures. Assists with resolving issues with Service Level Advocate. Participates in quality improvement processes and initiative. Completes assigned paperwork (FMLA, off work or return to work). The Navigator may need to provide cross coverage for other Surgery Nurse Navigators as needed. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00 am to 4:30 pm Compressed/Flexible: Not available Telework: Not available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized EDRP: Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): 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. 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: Basic knowledge of surgical planning, utilization of management processes, clinical documentation requirements, current standards of care, and compliance guidelines. Coordinating preoperative and postoperative care (appointments, lab, diagnostic tests, procedures, and imaging). 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. Physical Requirements: Satisfactory physical examination as determined by the Employee Health Unit upon appointment only. The population of male and female veterans served ranges from the adult, age 18, to the elderly adult, age 65 and over. The VA Medical Center is a major interdisciplinary teaching facility, serving medical, surgical, and neurological inpatients and outpatients. There is a large outpatient psychiatric population, with admissions for medical co-morbidities. This position requires visual acuity (glasses permitted), keen hearing (hearing aid permitted), clear distinctive speech, and manual dexterity. This position requires potentially long periods of continued walking (up to 8 hours), standing (up to 8 hours), stooping, sitting, bending (up to 8 hours), pulling, and pushing. Light lifting under 15 lbs. Light carrying 15-44 lbs. 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. Use of rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously. 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 needs. 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.

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 Birmingham VA Medical Center 700 South 19th Street Birmingham, AL 35233 US
• Name: Julie Boston
• Phone: 228-229-6027
• Email: [email protected]