This position is located at the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System at the University Drive Campus.

Duties

The Electrophysiology Device Clinic RN is involved in varying aspects of Pacemaker and Internal Cardiac Defibrillator clinic patient management. The responsibilities are but not limited to the following: The VAPHS Cardiology Division serves all veterans with cardiac arrhythmias from evaluating a potential diagnosis to intervention and post procedure management. The primary responsibility of the clinic nurse is to man pacemaker and defibrillator clinics which have run 4 days a week. The duties of the Cardiac Device nurse have evolved. His present responsibilities include: Review daily downloads of loop recorders by different vendors. Currently these are on the Medtronic Carelink site and Abbot Merlin site. As other vendors enter the space the daily monitoring will encompass those as well. These loop recorders are not monitored centrally by the National Center for Device Surveillance however we are responsible for acting within one business day. Per VHA directive 1189- Review of daily National Surveillance Center alerts that pertain to issues with both defibrillators and pacemakers as these are forwarded to our site. Such alerts include recorded arrhythmias resulting in ICD therapies including shocks, atrial fibrillation requiring treatment and/or potential out of range measurements indicating lead or device malfunction. The Pacemaker clinic nurse reviews these notifications for verification and assesses the need for and urgency of subsequent action Manage inpatient and outpatient Cardiac Device Consults requesting interrogation of existing devices for ad hoc clinical indications Manage the disposition of arrhythmia consults for procedure scheduling: This has involved the following: Review consult recommendations and assess nature of procedure Call patient to assess best time and date for the procedure Coordinate with surgical and anesthesia staff Document in CPRS Place pre-procedure order Schedule patient Schedule appropriate vendor support Register all implants with NCDS. Enter patient data into National Surveillance Center Site Center Site Call patient and troubleshoot remote monitoring issues. It is a national goal which our VA is benchmarked against to achieve as close to 100% remote monitoring of all device patients. This proved particularly valuable during the height of the pandemic related shutdown. Manage and evaluate patient coming to Pacemaker and Defibrillator clinics. Often times the clinic nurse becomes a point person that the patients relate to and solicit help from on multiple issues whether or not directly related to the device. Review cardiac device consults requests from radiology for MRI approval. In collaboration with radiology department we recently launched a protocol to allow MRI for cardiac device patients. It has been a constant detriment that we had to refer these patients outside the system. To ensure patient safety we are committed to review these patients from the arrhythmia clinic before the procedure and provide the necessary resource to program devices before and after the test. As part of our evolution newer modalities to evaluate and manage devices are being explored including coordinating CVT clinics with spokes/CBOC and exploring the potential for VVC as a replacement for in person evaluations which are still a requirement according to societal guidelines. VA Handbook: VHA Directive 1189- This Veterans Health Administration (VHA) directive provides policy to ensure that all VA patients with cardiovascular implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) are registered with the VHA National Cardiac Device Surveillance Program (NCDSP) and that when appropriate they are enrolled in a remote monitoring program 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: Monday - Friday 0730-4:00pm Telework: Occasional telework permitted 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: Electrophysiology lab experience Required. Pacemaker and implanted cardioveter defibrillator interrogation. Experience interpreting cardiac arrhythmia and accurately interpreting 12 lead EKG and rhythm strips. Manage/Evaluations patients coming to Pacemaker clinics and Defibrillator clinics experience. BSN 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: This position requires visual acuity, keen hearing, clear distinctive speech, and manual dexterity. This position requires potentially long periods of walking, standing, computer use and or sitting. The incumbent must be a mature, flexible, sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations, able to shift priorities with short notice based on 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 Pittsburgh VA Medical Center 1010 Delafield Road Pittsburgh, PA 15215 US
• Name: Sierra Arnold
• Phone: (412) 822-2431
• Email: [email protected]