The LPN is aligned under Surgery Services Area and will be assigned to the Pain Procedure clinic. The LPN can assists the RN to appropriately prioritize overall veteran care needs and adjust plans for care delivery. He/she makes astute observations of subtle, less obvious changes, both physical and emotional in patient's condition, and accurately and thoroughly documents care delivered and patients response to care that could require immediate modifications of the patient's care plan.

Duties

The GS-7 incumbent is dependent upon the validation of competence to perform pain procedures as required by the position and certification of such competencies either via education programs or on the job training. To support overall healthcare delivery efforts of the Columbus Ohio VAACC, the LPN may be assigned to one or more clinical areas within the Surgery Services Area, and/or offsite ancillary clinic to perform more complex clinical role. Some of the clinics the incumbent would be assigned to are areas of specialization, including General Surgery, Wound, or Orthopedics. The Pain Procedure LPN-0620-07 must demonstrate an exceptional degree of practical nursing knowledge and skills necessary for concentrated effort and self-direction in carrying out the most complex practical nursing care assignments within the Surgical Specialty procedures for a Veteran population with a variety of health care needs. Trained in the set-up and safe use of the of the equipment specific to Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA).Teaching/troubleshooting use of medical equipment in the Pain Procedure room. Provides patient and family education regarding the patient's condition, procedures, and preventive health care; reinforces health teaching and takes an active role in promoting healthy lifestyles. Performs, reports, and records assigned nursing care, including but not limited to clinical reminders as indicated, checking expiration dates of medications and supplies, obtaining equipment, and assisting with minor procedures and recognizing urgent or emergent patient care situations, and adhering to principles of infection control, safety, and universal precautions. Trained in the set-up and safe use of the of the equipment specific to pain procedure room which includes but is not limited to: Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA) Cervical/Lumbar Epidural Steroid Injections (ESI) Trigger Point Injections (TPI) Attends all meetings, trainings/in-services/education required to maintain proficiency in Surgery Service clinical areas. Requires a general review of their work by the Surgery Clinic Nurse Manager for appropriateness and conformity with license, policies, and procedures. Work Schedule: Monday thru Friday; 7:30 am to 4:00 pm Compressed/Flexible:Not Available Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position Functional Statement #: 91377-A 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: Citizenship: Citizen of the United States. 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), previously known as the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC) at the time the program was completed by the applicant. Verification can be obtained from the State approving agency or the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN), previously known as the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC), 61 Broadway, 33rd Floor, New York, NY 10006. Additional information may also be obtained from the ACEN Website. Exceptions include: Health care education in the military service or training in the military service which is accepted by the licensing body in the jurisdiction in which the individual is licensed as qualifying for full LPN/LVN licensure will be accepted as meeting the education requirements for VHA employment. VHA employees who were converted to appointments under 38 U.S.C. 7401(3) in implementation of Public Law 98-160, enacted November 21, 1983, and for VHA employees converted to appointments under 38 U.S.C. 7405 in implementation of Public Law 99-576, enacted October 28, 1986; and for their future personnel actions under this authority. The waiver will not apply to persons appointed under 38 U.S.C. 7401(3) or 7405 after these conversions. Individuals granted a license by a jurisdiction that does not require graduation from an approved school. Licensure. Full, active, current and unrestricted licensure as a licensed practical or vocational nurse in a State, Territory or Commonwealth (i.e., Puerto Rico) of the United States, or District of Columbia. English Language Proficiency. Licensed practical or vocational nurses appointed to direct patient care positions must be proficient in both spoken and written English. Grade Determinations: For the grade of GS-7; 1) 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 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. 2) Ability to assist RN and/or providers 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 providers of changes in patient's condition requiring higher level intervention. At this grade level, the LPN 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. 3) Ability to proactively assist the RN or providers 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 provider 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. 4) 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. 5) 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. 6) 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. Serves as a role model and mentor to other nursing staff in the application of more complex technology, effectively guiding and directing their continuing practice in these areas. 7) The LPN GS-7 works of considerable difficulty and responsibility is performed under general supervision. Individuals in these positions are, to a considerable extent, expected to exercise independent technical judgments and to possess and apply a comprehensive working knowledge of the principles, art, and science of practical nursing. The staff mix is such that employees at this grade level are expected to perform practical nursing duties of considerable difficulty and responsibility under very general supervision. 8) Actively seeks out educational opportunities to enhance nursing knowledge and skills and providing leadership in assisting other staff improve and advance their nursing practice. Minimum Experience: Of at least one (1) year of additional qualifying experience at the GS-6 level or equivalent, fully meeting all the performance requirements for the GS-6 LPN/LVN (3.5 years of LPN experience). References: VA Qualification Standards in VA Handbook 5005/3, Part II, Appendix G13The full performance level of this vacancy is 07.The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-07. Physical Requirements: This position requires potentially long periods of continued walking, standing, and sitting. The incumbent may be exposed to infected patients and contaminated materials and may be required to don protective clothing. S/he may occasionally be exposed to patients who are combative secondary to delirium, dementia, or psychiatric disorders. S/he must be a mature, flexible, sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations, and able to shift priorities based on patient needs. Applicants must possess the mental and physical ability to satisfactorily perform the duties of the proposed assignment. Physical requirements may involve lifting, carrying, pulling, pushing, reaching above shoulder, walking, standing, sitting, kneeling, and repeated bending. S/he must complete annual Employee Health requirements as a condition of employment.

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 Chalmers P Wylie Veterans Outpatient Clinic 420 North James Road Columbus, OH 43219 US
• Name: Michael D. Robinson
• Email: [email protected]