Stand ready with VA to help in an emergency A disaster can strike at any time - an earthquake, tornado, hurricane, or global pandemic can leave our Veterans, families, and communities in desperate need of help. That's why the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is creating Clinical Deployment Teams (CDTs) to stand ready to assist. We're looking for clinical personnel to serve on these teams and help transform how we provide health care services in times of great need.

Duties

This Registered Nurse position is part of a VHA Clinical Deployment Team (CDT) which requires readiness for deployment of clinical staff dedicated to the continuity of Veteran healthcare and support to communities in times of crisis. Incumbent must agree to the following requirements/conditions: Be able to deploy, within the team's scheduled deployment windows, to any event within 72 hours of notification with the ability to work seamlessly with receiving facility or agencies. Maintain readiness for an identified minimum of 2 rotational windows of expected deployable status per calendar year, for up to a month at a time. Continuously notify Supervisor of any constraints that may impact deployment to any event within 72 hours, including but not limited to any protected leave entitlements and/or reported injury or illness, by following Supervisor notification processes and VHA Human Resources practices. Understand that the tour of duty during a deployment may differ from the normal shift a CDT staff operates when at the assigned facility. Work under a high stress healthcare environment, possibly in austere conditions, or in an emergency setting, while maintaining awareness of the critical elements of an emergency deployment by processing information from various sources. Understand that CDT may deploy into austere conditions which are defined as: various housing and living conditions to include non-climate controlled, limited privacy sleeping facilities (for example, cots, tents, "hot-bunking", gymnasiums, or similar), limited shower and laundry facilities, and limited feeding options (such as shelf-stable meals, meals-ready-to-eat, and field kitchens). Work may be performed in an office setting, indoor and outdoor field site, sometimes in adverse weather. Agree to be deployed within their VISN outside of scheduled National CDT deployment windows. VISN deployments may occur at the discretion of the VISN director with the network director keeping in mind the CDT staff's needs for rest, recuperation, and training. CDT staff will not be deployed more than 120 days per year. Must be able to provide direct patient care when deployed to an emergency, within the CDT staff's scope of practice/privileges/licensure/functional statement, with the resources available Ensure qualifications, required certifications, licensure, and registration particular to the clinical position are maintained and immediately report any issues/changes impacting qualifications, required certifications, licensure, and registration. Ensure that CDT responsibilities are met by maintaining awareness of one's own behavior and is conscious of actions taken to support and or prevent compromising the mission at hand. Complete mandatory CDT training courses prior to being deployed. Demonstrate readiness to apply professional skills to a range of emergency situations during regular training and simulations. Participate in CDT specific training activities (e.g., conferences, exercises, simulations, specific competencies, certifications). Maintain clinical competencies particular to the CDT role by participation in emergency response exercises and code teams. Report to Occupational Health for physical fitness assessments for pre-employment and CDT-required pre-deployment reviews. Meet the physical demands of the position which may require strenuous physical activity to include carrying persons and equipment, walking long distances over difficult terrain, running, climbing, working long hours in primitive or arduous conditions, long periods of standing, and bending and stooping. Maintain VHA physical fitness requirements, vaccinations, and safety precautions related to infection control, and occupational safety requirements and preventative measures, such as personal protective equipment (PPE) requirements. Review, during deployments, timecard for accuracy before submitting to facility supervisor for final approval to reduce timekeeping errors. The deployment orders will contain details regarding the designated timekeeper. Obtain a travel card from the facility and complete all training and reporting requirements associated with the card. Also see below in Additional Information section about duties related to the Emergency/Urgent Care Unit expectations RN responsibilities include: Emergency/ Urgent Care Department - This position provides care to Veterans for acute and urgent medical problems and referrals to primary care for Veterans requesting primary care. Psychiatric emergencies are triaged and referred to psychiatric specialty as PES (Psychiatric Emergency Services). The Registered Nurse - Emergency Department CDT is accountable for all elements of the nursing process when providing and/or supervising direct patient care. VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package: VA Nurse Total Rewards

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 and Certifications - Emergency/Urgent Care Department -2-3 years of Registered Nurse emergency room, medical crisis unit or critical care experience, Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) 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: Eligible applicants must be physically and mentally able to perform efficiently the essential functions of the position, with or without reasonable accommodation, without hazard to themselves or others. Depending on the essential duties of a specific position, usable vision, color vision, hearing or speech may be required. However, in most cases, a specific physical condition or impairment of a specific function may be compensated for by the satisfactory use of a prosthesis or mechanical aid.

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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Contacts

• Address Pittsburgh VA Medical Center 1010 Delafield Road Pittsburgh, PA 15215 US
• Name: Esperanza Obinyan
• Email: [email protected]