As a member of the nursing team and assists the RN in the care of patients in acute, subacute, or chronic states of illness. The LPN delivers fundamental, knowledge-based care to assigned patients while developing technical competencies. The primary purpose is to perform a very wide range of patient personal care, support diagnostic services, and chart activities on a regular and continual basis on a surgical, medical, rehabilitation, psychiatric, or long-term care ward or clinic.

Duties

Duties included: Functions independently as the charge nurse for the shift, responsible for the care provided to the community living center (CLC) Veterans by the other licensed and non-licensed nursing staff during the assigned shift. Assists the RN and other members of the IDT with providing input in the development of the care plan, based on the Veterans care needs. This includes input into completion of the Minimum Data Set (MDS) assessment at required and various time points. Performs support duties for diagnostic procedures, which include preparing the Veteran and monitoring the Veteran's condition. Assists with discharge planning of Veterans to more appropriate level of care. Coordinates the transfer of Veterans to more appropriate levels of care dependent on acuity needs. Promotes the values of cultural transformation and Veteran-centered care to nursing staff in the CLC. Actively seeks Veteran choice in care plan participation and goal development. Administers prescribed medications and performs more complex treatments in accordance with hospital policy and procedure and standard operating procedures (SOPs). Verifies physician orders in compliance with hospital policies and procedures and SOPs. Seeks clarification, as needed, for orders with medical providers, pharmacy, or other departments, as applicable. Identifies, initiates, and acts as a leader in the rehabilitation aspect of Veteran care, such as maintaining and/or improving current functional status through consideration of therapy programs such as Nursing Restorative Therapy, Resistance Therapy, Kinesiotherapy and other Veteran therapy groups. Ensures that Veterans' recreational needs are met. Performs nursing care to the unit's Veterans including all aspects of personal care and grooming. Monitors bladder and bowel functioning, tracking of I&O and hydration and initiates intervention when it is indicated. Performs rehabilitative and restorative nursing care, as applicable. Supports and enhances Veteran self-determination. Serves as a resource for Veterans and staff in addressing ethical issues that arise on the unit. Treats the Veteran with dignity and respect. Advocates for the Veteran in regards to decisions made about the types of treatment provided during the end-stage disease process and at the end-of-life. Consistently follows policies, SOPS, and procedures applicable to reusable medical equipment (RME) and infection control. Assigns care and required documentation to the most appropriate level of skill required for the tasks/duties. Determines priority of care needs and communicating to staff expectations of care. Conducts routine rounds throughout the shift on each Veteran. Evaluates and observes Veterans levels of acuity and communicating/reporting changes in acuity level to the medical provider, nursing supervisor, covering RN, and/or nurse manager (NM). Coordinates the transfer of Veterans to a more acute level of care, as applicable, which includes hand-off communication to the receiving unit. Reports required information for hand-off communication to the oncoming shift and at other times to applicable staff and departments. Completes the necessary documentation for these duties. Communicates effectively with the NM, Nurse Officer of the Day (NOD) and/or medical provider on duty for issues affecting Veteran care and staffing levels. Educates Veterans on their care needs. Communicates with families and significant others, as appropriate. Supports the NM in monitoring the practice of licensed and unlicensed nursing staff in Veteran care delivery. Promptly reports any deviations from normal practice patterns to the NM or the nursing supervisor. Ensures completion of all shift documentation by other nursing staff, such as activities of daily living (ADL) notes, pain management notes, and nursing entries. Completes all assigned routine documentation, such as monthly summary notes; psychotropic drug review notes; MDS assessments, as applicable; and care plans. Evaluates unit for safety issues, taking appropriate action when indicated, to include routine equipment checks (i.e., Wanderguard unit, crash cart, refrigerators, etc.) and any equipment malfunction. Work Schedule: Full-Time, 10pm-6am with rotating weekends and holidays Compressed/Flexible:Not available Telework: Not available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Preferred experience: 2 years LPN experience

Requirements

Qualifications

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 Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) formerly known as the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC), at the time the program was completed. OR Health care education obtained in the military service or training in the military service which was accepted by the licensing body in the jurisdiction in which you are licensed. OR Current GS-0620 LPN/LVN employee of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) who was converted to an appointment under 38 U.S.C. 7401(3) in implementation of Public Law 98-160, enacted November 21, 1983, or who was converted to an appointment under 38 U.S.C. 7405 in implementation of Public Law 99-576, enacted October 28, 1986. D. OR Granted a license by a jurisdiction that does not require graduation from an approved school AND have at least one year of successful practice as an LPN/ LVN. Licensure: Candidates must be currently licensed to practice as practical or vocational nurses in a State or territory of the United States or the District of Columbia, or must have applied for a license to practice. Applications of candidates possessing a license must be accompanied by a certified or photostatic copy of the license, a notarized statement attesting to the fact, or a citation of the license number and State issuing it. Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements stated in section A, the following qualification criteria must be met for each grade. The candidate's qualifications must clearly demonstrate the level of competence required for the grade. GS-07: Completion of at least one (1) year of additional qualifying experience at the GS-6 level or equivalent, fully meeting all of the performance requirements for the GS-6 LPN/LVN. 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 Functional Statement - Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) GS-0620-7 Charge Nurse, Nursing Home, Page 4 June 2019 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. Capability to assist RN and/or Doctor of Medicine (MD)/Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (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/licensed vocational nurse (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. Experience 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Preferred experience: 2 years LPN experience References: VA Handbook 5005 Part II Appendix G13 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-07. Physical Requirements: The population of male and female Veterans served ranges from the adult, age 18 to the elderly adult, age 65 and over. Lebanon VA Medical Center is a major interdisciplinary teaching facility, serving medical and surgical inpatients and outpatients. The incumbent must be physically and mentally able to perform the essential functions of the position without hazard to themselves or others. This position requires visual acuity, keen hearing, clear distinctive speech, and manual dexterity. This position requires potentially long periods of continued walking, standing, stooping, sitting, bending, pulling, pushing, lifting 45 pounds or more, reaching above the shoulder, frequent pushing medication carts; use of fingers; use of both hands required; walking and standing 8 hours; and use of both legs required. 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. 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. The incumbent must be able to navigate all areas of the facility, use a keyboard, perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) when necessary, as well as direct others to perform it, and perform other activities of the position without any restrictions.

Education

See Qualifications Section for education requirements, if applicable.

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 Lebanon VA Medical Center 1700 South Lincoln Avenue Lebanon, PA 17042 US
• Name: Sharon Hill
• Phone: 770-901-1803
• Email: [email protected]