The SCI/D Home Care Program serves all SCI/D veterans within the SCI/D Center catchment area, on a consultative basis. Home visits are conducted for SCI/D veterans within a 100-mile radius of the SCI/D Center, or farther with the approval of the Chief, SCI/D. Telehealth modalities may be utilized to increase accessibility for veterans, as appropriate.

Duties

SCI/D Home Care Nurse Functions: Demonstrates a high level of clinical expertise, leadership, and creative approaches to management of the complex care of patients with Spinal Cord Injuries/Disorders. Responsible for program development and administration of the SCI/D Home Care program, in accordance with VA Directives, Handbooks and all applicable regulatory and accreditation standards. Demonstrates ability to develop, implement and articulate new home care program initiatives by exhibiting leadership in motivating the SCI/D Center inpatient and outpatient clinical teams to implement change in the delivery of patient care. Serves as liaison and encourages staff from SCI/D Center and SCI/D spoke sites to adopt innovative clinical practices. Promotes personal growth, continuing education, collaborative working relationships, creative problem solving and flexibility to support SCI/D hub and spokes home care program expansion. Ensures ongoing patient safety, dignity and satisfaction. Able to coordinate and lead activities geared towards maintaining and improving existing home care programs. Takes initiative to develop new clinical home care programs in collaboration with the SCI/D Nurse Manager and SCI/D Chief, as the need arises. Able to establish SCI/D Home Care program objectives, standards of care and standards of practice for SCI/D subspecialty clinical populations. Establishes methods for tracking patients' progress and evaluating effectiveness of care. Maintains appropriate and timely documentation of patients' care and progress within the plan, in accordance with all applicable standards. Develops and monitors home care program quality improvement and performance measures. Reviews quality and performance measures for process improvement. Selects methods for measuring quality of services, measures patient satisfaction and takes appropriate corrective actions based on program evaluation results. Provides direct patient care, conducts follow-up assessments, provides patient/caregiver education and training in the home setting, collaborating with team members both within and outside of the SCI/D service in order to coordinate care. Travels to patient homes and private care facilities within a 100-mile radius on a frequent basis in order to implement care activities and conduct follow-up assessments in the patient's residence. Conducts evaluations of home or institutionalized-living setting, focusing on safety and adequacy of available resources, with consideration for the patient's care needs. Shares findings/concerns with appropriate SCI/D team members and other agencies as appropriate. Oversees implementation of SCI/D patient treatment plans in the home setting, collaborating with contract home care agencies, patient caregivers, etc. in order to ensure safe, effective care in the home setting, improving outcomes and maximizing patient independence. Maintains an awareness of surroundings and engages in activities that promote personal safety and security. Maintains compliance with all rules and regulations related to the issuance and operation of VA vehicles. In the performance of most activities, exercises independent professional judgment working in the context of a multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary team. This ability is required to make independent decisions when working with the clinical team while remaining an advocate for the patient/family. (Supervision is of a consultative nature and is usually arranged at the SCI/D Home Care Nurse's request to seek assistance with unusually complicated direct clinical service work or for clarification of administrative issues.) Serves on committees, workgroups, and/or subcommittees at the facility, VISN and/or National level, as deemed necessary by the SCI/D Nurse Manager and/or Chief of SCI/D. Utilizes telehealth technologies, as needed, to apply clinical process skills and comprehensive assessments and care planning processes. 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: Full-time, M-F, 7:30 am - 4:00 pm 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: Spinal Cord Injury/Disorder experience; Home Health Nursing experience 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; Operate a motor vehicle; 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: John Starks
• Phone: (505) 256-2760
• Email: [email protected]