The Registered Nurse Geriatrics and Extended Care (GEC) is located at the Lebanon, PA Medical Center.

Duties

The Geriatrics and Extended Care (GEC) Registered Nurse (RN) is a professional nurse/Case Manager who works as part of The GEC Home Based Purchased Care Services (HBPCS) department within the Office of Care Coordination (OCC). This RN works with eligible Veterans, and their PACT teams, to determine appropriate level of care needs and collaborates with various types of community home care agencies (such as purchased skilled care, non-skilled care, contracted adult day health care, local Aging and Disability Network Agencies (ADNA)), and community Contracted Nursing Homes, to authorize services. The GEC/CNH/VDC nurse is responsible for the case management of those enrolled, the implementation of services, and evaluation of these programs. Nursing case management addresses the medical, nursing, and/or personal care needs of Veterans to enable their return to an optimal level of functioning. Identification of cost-effective resources while providing quality care is necessary to reach the desired outcome and is an essential component of case management services. RNs conduct a comprehensive assessment of the Veteran and the Veteran's family/caregiver. RNs also support systems that identify actual or potential problems, set health care goals, reassess the Veteran's progress towards those goals, and adjust the Veteran's health care plan as needed in collaboration with the Veteran's multidisciplinary health care team. The RN conducts work independently using his/her educational training, clinical experiences, VA policies, and JCAHO and other accreditation organization standards in administering direct services. The Geriatrics and Extended Care RN will be responsible for the following: - Routinely communicates and coordinates Veteran care needs with the PACT RN Care Manager, Social Work, and other specialty care team members. - Assists with oversight and monitoring for VA-purchased home health care programs and services. - Has delegation of authority to review for Veteran clinical and administrative eligibilities for all GEC programs. - Completes clinical assessments through chart review and Veteran/caregiver interviews to determine appropriateness for services. - Assists with processing authorizations for the following programs: contract nursing home, adult day health care, home health aide, home skilled care, home hospice, respite care, bowel and bladder, and Veteran Directed care. - Helps to individualize Veteran treatment plans and interventions, monitors outcomes of treatment, and monitors the effectiveness of all GEC programs. - Evaluates for, and assists in, obtaining authorizations for appropriate durable medical equipment, medications, disposable supplies, skilled and non-skilled services, and community resources (i.e., structured placement) necessary to meet the unique health and psychosocial needs of the Veteran, family, and caregiver. - Attends meetings as requested and seeks guidance from VACO program office as needed. - Assists in development and implementation of information systems to track service activities including visits, referrals, patient demographics, and patient satisfaction. - Completes clinical reviews and works with the veteran's interdisciplinary team (and ADNA in cases related to VDC program) to ensure appropriate level of care is provided. - Completes review of cases and create entries for Extended Care Committee as necessary. - Completes necessary independent visits to home/ADHCs as required. - Collaborates with Social Work Services and other Lebanon VAMC staff for best outcomes, and veteran-centric plans of care. - Facilitates advocacy and VA representation to local community partners and entities. - Determining the budget (VDC)/authorization amount using the Purchased HCBS Case Mix and Budget Tool. - Assists non-VA community providers and collaborates to ensure Veterans care needs are met. - Assists in developing an agreement with the local Aging and Disability Network Agencies (ADNA) to designate them a provider of VDC services. - Reviewing monthly spending reports to assure appropriate expenditure of funds (In cases of VDC). - Additional Duties as assigned. 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: 7:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Monday - Friday. Telework: Available pending supervisor approval. 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: 2 - 3 years nursing experience 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 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: The population of male and female veterans served ranges from the adult, age 18, to the elderly adult, age 65 and over. 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, and pushing. 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.

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 Lebanon VA Medical Center 1700 South Lincoln Avenue Lebanon, PA 17042 US
• Name: Tessy Wigfield
• Phone: 570-550-2889
• Email: [email protected]