The Quality Nurse Consultant is a professional registered nurse in the Quality, Safety and Value (QSV) Section under the Office of the Director. The primary responsibilities of this position are to develop and coordinate quality assurance, quality control, performance metric monitoring, performance improvement and accreditation readiness related to Ambulatory Care Programs throughout the New Mexico VA Health Care System (NMVAHCS).

Duties

The Quality Nurse Consultant is directly responsible to the Chief of QSV but works closely with assigned services/service line chiefs, nurse managers, committee chairpersons, and hospital leadership. In addition, this Quality Nurse Consultant develops and uses collaborative relationships with other medical center disciplines to enhance the delivery of patient care to veterans, specifically behavioral health care. The Nurse Consultant will provide oversight for compliance with all standards, laws, regulations and VHA policy, including performance metrics related to Behavioral Health Services. Duties include but are not limited to: Providing clinical expertise and consultation to assist in data driven decision making and performance improvement matters related to ambulatory care. Providing support to assigned services/service chiefs/committee chairpersons in planning, integrating, modifying, implementing, and evaluating the on-going service/committee quality management programs Support/collaborate on policy and program development and implementation strategies and provision of linkages for the medical center-wide quality management program Develop, plan, implement, and evaluate VHA, VISN, or Facility performance measurement and performance improvement related to behavioral health care and/or as assigned. Conducts various patient care studies based on areas assigned, including review of patient occurrence reports, medical record reviews for evidence of required documentation as well as reviews for the quality and safety of care, treatment, and services provided. Identifies patient care trends that require intervention for improvement of patient care issues or risk situations Assists ambulatory care areas to maintain continuous survey readiness, participates in tracer activities as assigned. Participates in the development of innovative approaches to the establishment, enhancement, modification, and/or improvements in a variety of facility programs, committees, and councils related to performance improvement/quality management. Works effectively with all levels of staff, to include collaborative efforts with other health professionals. This nurse provides leadership in improving patient care, maintaining standards of care, and directing and teaching personnel in a variety of settings. Participates in the design and analysis of other special studies as assigned to define the cause and scope of issues or trends, and assist in the identification of appropriate criteria for problem resolution. 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: Monday through Friday; 7:30am - 4:00pm Compressed/Flexible: Not Available Telework: Yes-as determined by the agency policy. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. 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. 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: Heavy lifting (45 lbs and over); Heavy carrying (45 lbs and over); Straight pulling and pushing; reaching above shoulder; use of fingers; both hands required; walking and standing up to 8 hours; repeated bending; Ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously; hearing aid permitted.

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 Raymond G Murphy Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center 1501 San Pedro Drive, Southeast Albuquerque, NM 87108 US
• Name: Jeremiah Morales
• Phone: 505-265-1711 X5702
• Email: [email protected]