The VA Saint Louis Health Care System is recruiting for a Chief Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist for Surgery Service at the John Cochran Division. The Chief Nurse Anesthetist, as first level supervisor, assumes collaborative responsibility with the Chief Anesthesiologist and major administrative responsibility for Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) and Anesthesia Health Technicians at the St. Louis Veterans Administration Medical Center. .

Duties

Duties include, but are not limited to: Functions as a departmental and administrative resource while promoting team functioning and professionally representing the organization in a positive manner. Effectively and consistently communicates institutional directives to personnel and encourages interactive departmental meetings and discussions. Perform management activities including interviewing, hiring, clinical oversight and discipline. Interpret and enforce Human Resource Management policies in a consistent manner. Resolve personnel concerns at the departmental level, utilizing the counseling and grievance processes as necessary. Recognize and evaluate the strengths and weakness of self and staff while regularly coaching staff on their contribution to the mission of the agency and with their performance development. Help staff to understand the context of their work and how it relates to the work of others and the agency. Schedule and adjust staffing, as appropriate, for fluctuations in workload. Appropriately delegate tasks and subordinates' duties to efficiently sustain departmental operations. Incorporate process improvements by establishing collaborative team building and supportive relationships with recovery, emergency, and critical care, environmental services, pharmacy areas. Monitor the quality of anesthesia care. Ensure retrospective, ongoing and continuing evaluation of the quality of nurse anesthesia care rendered by nurse anesthetists anywhere in the facility through the use of performance evaluations. Ensure retrospective, ongoing and continuing evaluation of the quality of performance by anesthesia technicians through use of performance evaluations. Provide education to CRNA staff on performance improvement. Attend departmental, organizational, administrative and medical staff committee meetings (Critical Care, SICU, Surgery Executive, Quality Assurance, etc.) as well as other interrelated advisory programs. Directly participate with Chiefs of Anesthesia and Surgery to assess, plan, implement, develop and analyze anesthesia policies and procedures in conjunction with the medical and /or surgical staff. Ensure anesthesia departmental documentation meets current standards and policies. Demonstrate collaboration in managing a budget, recommending needed anesthesia equipment, textiles, staffing or operational space to administration. Comply with all organizational policies regarding ethical business practices. Implement and/or assist with program development to enhance patients' access to anesthesia and surgical care. Foster professional innovation and evidence-based practice within the anesthesia department. Collaborate with the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists for CEU approved in-service programs or in-house training for the Department of Anesthesia. Plan and organize orientation and in-services germane to technical, educational, policy, behavioral, etc. programs throughout the medical center. Assure clinical co-ordination and oversight of Webster University graduate nurse anesthesia students. Retain faculty affiliate relationships for VAMC CRNAs who provide clinical training. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, Weekends, Holidays, On-Call Telework: Not Eligible Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: NotAuthorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

• U.S. Citizenship; non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• Designated and/or random drug testing required
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English
• You may be required to serve a probationary period
• Subject to a background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/06/2023. Basic Requirements: Citizenship. Citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit for qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g, of this part.) Education. A degree in nursing from a school of professional nursing approved by the appropriate state accrediting agency and accredited by one of the following accrediting bodies at the time the program was completed by the applicant: The National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC), an accrediting arm of the National League for Nursing located at 61 Broadway, 33rd Floor, New York, New York 10006. Additional information may be obtained from the NLNAC Web site; or The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), an accrediting arm of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). The CCNE accredits bachelor's and master's degree programs and is located at One Dupont Circle, N.W., Suite 530, Washington, DC 20036. Additional information may be obtained from the CCNE Web site. In cases of graduates of foreign schools of professional nursing, possession of a current, full, and unrestricted registration and the possession of a Certificate from the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) will meet the requirement of graduation from an approved school of professional nursing. Graduate of an accredited nurse anesthesia educational program approved by the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) at the time the program was completed by the applicant. The AANA has compiled current listings of approved training institutions, which are published annually in the December issue of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists Journal. The American Hospital Association in their "Guide to the Health Care Field" also publishes listings of approved training institutions annually in August. Registration. 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. The nurse anesthetist must maintain a current, full, active and unrestricted registration to continue employment with VA. Certification. On and after May 4, 1993, certification by the Council on Certification of Nurse Anesthetists is a requirement for employment. This requirement does not apply to non-certified nurse anesthetists employed by VA as a nurse anesthetist prior to May 4, 1993 and continuously thereafter. Any nurse anesthetist who leaves VA employment or vacates the nurse anesthetist occupation for another VA position, must meet the current requirement of certification for re-appointment as a nurse anesthetist. The CCNA and the Council on Recertification of Nurse Anesthetists have designated the AANA's web site as a display agent for their information. Nurse Anesthetists will maintain recertification by meeting the Council on Recertification of Nurse Anesthetist's requirements as a condition of employment. Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019. English Language Proficiency. Nurse Anesthetists must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with chapter 2, section D, paragraph 5a, this part. Grade Determinations: Chief/Educator Level: (Nurse IV): Chief Nurse Anesthetist/Administrative Nurse Anesthetist Experience or Education. At this level, emphasis is placed on strategic planning and administrative/managerial responsibilities. The Chief Nurse Anesthetist /Administrative Nurse Anesthetist makes recommendations that may significantly affect the content, interpretation, or development of VA policies or programs concerning critical matters or major issues within the anesthesia arena. They are assigned positions/studies where limited guidance exists as to the method of evaluation for the potential experience identified or, where possible, new experiences need to be identified. Regularly provides anesthesia care in unusually extensive and complex surgical procedures that are of prolonged duration and involve high-risk patients, including development of individualized programs of post-op anesthesia care. A specific assigned Chief Nurse Anesthetist/Administrative Nurse Anesthetist may be a first line supervisor and/or have administrative responsibility for anesthesia staff. Individuals assigned to this level generally require approximately 5 years of progressively responsible leadership assignments in clinical, administrative, educational and/or research related to nurse anesthesia practice. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities. Nurse Anesthetists at this level must have the ability to perform long and short-term planning goals for their anesthesia department. Chief Nurse Anesthetist /Administrative Nurse Anesthetist functions may include, but are not limited to, the following: Ability to perform scheduling and supervise staff, students, or ancillary personnel to include conducting performance evaluations in order to effectively execute responsibilities. Knowledge to accept substantial and continuing responsibility and accountability for planning, organizing, directing, and controlling an integrated program. Ability to serve on committee meetings, departmental reviews, problem-focused studies, problem solving, interventions, and process oversight in order to justify program goals and motivate assigned personnel. Skill in design and management of budget and cost benefit analysis in order to ensure optimal stewardship of resources. Ability to exercise independent judgment, perform tasks of unusual difficulty along special technical, supervisory, or administrative lines. These practitioners may develop protocols of anesthesia practice. Ability to provide analytical techniques and problem solving related to drug interaction and pathological changes during the anesthesia course. Ability to provide leadership in the application of the nursing process to patient care, organization processes and/or systems, improving outcomes at the program or service level. Knowledge to participate in the audit of anesthesia care, recommending changes where indicated. References: VA Handbook 5005, Chapter II, Appendix G7 - Nurse Anesthetist Qualification Standards. Physical Requirements: Heavy lifting, 30 pounds and over, prolong standing and/or sitting for greater than 4 hours, repetitive stooping, bending, squatting, and carrying items from one area to another.

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 VA St Louis Health Care System 1 Jefferson Barracks Drive St. Louis, MO 63125 US
• Name: Terra Morris
• Phone: 3146524100 X54929
• Email: [email protected]