The Charge Nurse is a registered nurse professional who is accountable to the Unit Nurse Manager. The Charge Nurse is accountable for coordinating daily operations, to include daily assignments, lunch and break coverage, call-ins, updating paper schedule, conducting morning huddle, and making round on the unit hourly to assess the needs of staff.

Duties

The Charge Nurse promotes a positive image and cultivates positive relationships with colleagues and other facility team members, including but not limited to, unit staff, Unit Nurse Manager, the covering area Nursing Professional Development Practitioner (NPDP), other managers, Chief Nurses, and Providers and other facility staff members. The Charge Nurse promotes ongoing professional development and achievement of all the unit staff in collaboration with the Unit Nurse Manager and covering area NPDP. As the subject matter expert (SME) of the unit, the Charge Nurse must be highly competent in the delivery of patient care in addition to being capable of managing many activities and challenges in a simultaneous manner with minimal direction. In this role, the Charge Nurse will divide time amongst patient care and administrative duties, with 0.20 FTE being dedicated to patient care and 0.80 FTE being dedicated to unit-based education needs. This division of FTE can be changed at any time at the discretion of the nurse manager. RESPONSIBILITIES/ DUTIES: Specific roles and responsibilities for the Charge Nurse include, but are not limited to, the following: Coordinate daily operations, make, and post daily assignments. Assign work to staff based on individual staff competencies, priorities, selective consideration of the difficulty and requirements of assignments. Coordinate lunch periods and breaks for nursing staff, as needed. Accept call-ins, update paper schedule and notify the nurse manager and clinical coordinator. Conduct morning huddle. Make rounds on the unit to assess the needs of staff. Serves as a resource for staff members, providers, and others on the unit. Promotes adherence to the Joint Commission standard and other accrediting organization. Ensure fire drill documentation is completed. Checks the defibrillator on the code cart to ensure it is in working order. Maintains security and functionality of issued electronic equipment. Respond to emergencies on the unit. Telephone triage of patient concerns and provide warm hand-off of urgent issues directly to providers, provide CPRS tag/note for non-urgent issues Perform Chart audits. Maintain records of staff floated to other areas. Maintain clean organized appearance of nurse's station Assign code response to staff members Monitor - recording and taking appropriate action for Temp Trak recordings Maintain daily patient census roster Scan in daily huddle sheets Maintenance and use of contingency computer station Knowledge and awareness of unit Performance Improvement projects Ensure coverage for late patient care Review and update of High Reliability Board as needed. Admission assistance for patient care to include notification to bed flow coordinator and coverage for primary nurse while off the unit. Clear concise, frequent communication with Nurse Manager, Clinical Coordinator and Unit Based Educator. Assignment of routine inspections on Reusable Medical Equipment, Glucometer, Chart audits, staff refrigerator, other unit resources Assistance and support of the Orthopedic Clinic and Podiatry Clinic Nursing staff as needed Review weekly projected schedule Complete documentation in the electronic health record. Assist MSAs with patient care needs and questions Assist team leaders as need with updating schedule and clinic flow issues. Other duties as assigned by nurse manager to meet the needs of the veteran and the mission of the organization 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: Day Shift Monday-Friday 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. 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: 5 years of combined clinical or bedside 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: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019. This position requires potentially long periods of continued walking, standing, and sitting, lifting, carrying, pushing, reaching above shoulder, use of fingers, both hands, both legs and repeated bending. Heavy lifting (45 lbs. and over); Heavy Carrying (45 lbs. and over); Straight Pulling (up to 4 hours); Pushing (up to 4 hours); Reaching above shoulder; Use of fingers; Both hands required; Walking (up to 8 hours); Standing (up to 8 hours); Repeated bending (up to 8 hours); Both legs required; Ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously; Specific visual requirement: Read typed Chapters; Correctable vision :20/40 in one eye; Ability to distinguish basic colors and shades of colors; Hearing (aid permitted). The incumbent may occasionally be exposed to patients who are combative secondary to delirium, dementia, or psychiatric disorders; Emotional and Mental Stability: The incumbent must be a mature, flexible, sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations, able to shift priorities based on patient needs. Must complete annual Employee Health requirements, such as annual TB screening or testing, as a condition of employment. Work Environment: Work is performed primarily in a patient care setting; adequately lighted, temperature controlled, and ventilated. Office temperatures fluctuate periodically; involves everyday risks or discomforts which require normal safety precautions typical of such places as clinics, offices, meeting and training rooms or libraries; exposure to noise and dust on occasion. The work area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated. 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.

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 Central Virginia VA Health Care System 1201 Broad Rock Boulevard Richmond, VA 23249 US
• Name: Maria Espinosa Solis
• Phone: 909-583-6137
• Email: [email protected]