This position is located in the Primary Care Services and functions as a practitioner that is a Float/GAP for coverage to other Hospital Primary Care clinics and CBOCs. The position's duty station is to be determined by this announcement and may require physical or virtual (tele-primary care) staffing for surrounding Community Based Outpatient Clinics.

Duties

Duties of this practitioner include, but are not limited to: Provides medical services to Veterans on an outpatient basis in the primary care and urgent care setting. The population of male and female Veterans served ranges from the adult, age 18, to the elderly adult, age 65 and over. Veteran populations we serve are mostly male, with diseases consistent with those seen in the general population, namely diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, COPD, mental health disorders, amongst others. Comprehensive primary health care for women is also required. A primary focus of practice is on preventive medicine. Participates in the provision of Pain Management, Mental Health, and End of Life Care to Veterans in the primary care setting as required. Participates in the use of clinical practice guidelines, provision of standard of care to patients, and meets relevant performance measures as mandated by Veterans Health Administration (VHA). The Primary Care Float/GAP Practitioner is accountable to the Chief, Primary Care Service. Nurse practitioners and physicians assistants caring for primary care patients will have access to a physician from whom timely collaboration is expected. All information is entered into the Computer Patient Record System (CPRS) by this Practitioner. Duties include, but may not be limited to: - Diagnose, treat and manage a panel of patients. - Identify acute/non-acute, chronic health problems. - Use principles of risk management to identify system issues which impact patient care. Order and evaluate appropriate diagnostic tests. - Adhere to clinical practice guidelines for patient chronic diseases. - Conduct appropriate preventive screens and diagnostic tests. - Inform Veterans in order to accomplish share-decision making in medical treatment/regimes. - Provide appropriate disposition of identified health care problems. - Participate in Primary Care multidisciplinary activities. - Demonstrate medical expertise in diagnosing and treating multi-symptomatic patients. - Adhere to local policies, procedures and directives related to timeliness of documentation and encounters for verification of patient visits, findings and medical recommendations in the electronic medical record. - Provide quality patient care to Veterans. - Providing coverage for the absent practitioner more than 1 to 4 weeks for planned or unplanned leave. Providing care by Face-to-Face, Virtual Face-to Face through Telehealth, and Non Face-to-Face delivery, such as Telephone encounters, secure messaging, and triaging RN Wave Appointments. - Filling vacant practitioners until a replacement can be found. - Coordinating care for the Transplant Patient and assuming the Transplant Coordinator role. - Coordinating care for the Veteran placed on the Veterans Choice List for Primary Care in the Community. VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package: VA Nurse Total Rewards Work Schedule: Monday-Friday; 8:00am-4:30pm. Compressed/Flexible: Not Available Telework: Ad-hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required. EDRP Authorized: This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application. Learn more

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. 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. Master's or Doctoral Degree from a program accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing or the Commission (ACEN-Formerly NCLAC) or the Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). 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. Nurse Practitioners must be licensed or otherwise recognized as a nurse practitioner in a State and maintain full and current certification as a nurse practitioner from the American Nurses Association or another nationally recognized certifying body. The certification must be in the specialty to which the individual is being appointed or selected. Preferred Experience and Certifications -Minimum of three years of clinical nursing experience in a hospital setting; five years is preferred. 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 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 year's of nursing practice/experience; OR a Master's degree in nursing or related field with a BSN and approximately 1-2 year's 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 year's of nursing practice/experience; OR a Doctoral degree and approximately 2-3 year's 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: VA Regulations, specifically VA Handbook 5019

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 James E Van Zandt VA Medical Center 2907 Pleasant Valley Boulevard Altoona, PA 16602 US
• Name: Esperanza Obinyan
• Email: [email protected]