This is a full time (40 hours/pay period) job opportunity in the Surgical service line's Short Stay Unit (9W) at the Pittsburgh VA Medical Center (University Drive campus). The Short Stay Unit (9W) is open Mondays at 0600 to Saturdays till 1930, and are closed on Sundays. The unit is open on some holidays.

Duties

The Surgical/Short Stay Unit (9W) nurse is responsible for covering all available tours of duty during the unit's operating hours. The incumbent must demonstrate clinical competency in completion of core and practice specific procedures/competencies according to the competency checklist for 9W and must maintain certification in both BLS and ACLS as well as the annual telemetry monitoring competency through the VA Medical Center. The incumbent will provide specialized care to patients admitted in Observation and Clinic status in an outpatient setting with a medical or surgical condition and will be accountable for promoting patient safety, continuity/quality of care and general well-being of the patient. She/he will collaborate with physicians and ancillary services to provide this care and will be responsible for the following: Applying the nursing process in providing care for clients with complex nursing needs; guiding and directing others who provide care; effectively prioritize actual and potential problems/needs; providing nursing care and continuous assessment based on written nursing standards of care, policies, and orders by the provider; documenting per VA policies and procedures and 9W SOPs. Responsible for assessment, pre-procedure admission documentation, insertion of peripheral intravenous access, obtaining EKG and bloodwork, obtaining baseline vital signs, and carrying out all pre-procedure orders. Responsible for providing pre- and post-procedural care and education to the medical and surgical patients who are processed through 9W for their procedure and treatment. Administering point of care infusions/injections following the 9W Infusion/Injection Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). Post-procedurally, responsible for patient assessment, pain, management, obtaining vital signs as ordered, discharge instructions, and post procedure patient education. Monitoring the surgical/procedure site; administering oral and intravenous medications as ordered by the provider; providing care for cardiac monitored patients per the 9W Short Stay Unit and the 9W Cardiac Monitoring SOPs. Promoting and maintaining effective pain relief, comfort management, and emotional comfort for the patient; conducting initial and ongoing assessment and documenting per the 9West Short Stay Unit SOPs; ensuring post-procedure follow-up call is made by the 9W nursing staff per the 9W Follow-Up Phone Call SOP. Providing comprehensive care for patients admitted in Observation and Clinic status in an outpatient setting with a medical or surgical condition showing a degree of instability or disability which needs to be monitored, evaluated, and assessed for admission to inpatient status or assignment to care in another setting. Discharge planning is initiated at the time of the nursing assessment, and reassessed and revised throughout the patient's stay. All patients must receive written discharge instructions upon discharge. Other duties include, but are not limited to, answering the unit phone line, obtaining specimens, paging Physicians and ancillary departments for services, reviewing Physician orders, facilitating carrying orders out, printing lab labels and patient wristbands, taking verbal orders in an emergency, assisting with transportation, coordinating patient bed flow with the Bed Management Center (BMC), completing encounters, checking for expired supplies, and cleaning non-critical reusable medical equipment. All other duties and responsibilities as assigned by the Nurse Manager. 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: 0600-1830, 0700-1930, 0600-1430, 0700-1530, 1500-2330, 1900-0730 and 2300-0730 Compressed/Flexible: Available. 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: BSN, telemetry experience, 2 years med-surg 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 (35 pounds); heavy carrying (35 pounds); straight pulling (2-4 hours); pushing (2-4 hours); reaching above shoulders (1-2 hours); use of fingers; both hands required; walking (4-6 hours); standing (4-6 hours); repeated bending (2-4 hours); both legs required; ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously; near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4; far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and 20/40 in the other; both eyes required; ability to distinguish basic colors and shades of color; hear (aid permitted); mental and emotional stability.

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 Pittsburgh VA Medical Center 1010 Delafield Road Pittsburgh, PA 15215 US
• Name: Nicole Bender
• Phone: 484-703-9360
• Email: [email protected]