This is a Practical Nurse position located at the Central Alabama Veterans Healthcare System (CAVHCS) in the Gynecology Section who works under the general supervision of the Chief, Gynecology Section. There is one vacancy per location: Montgomery, Alabama Tuskegee, Alabama Columbus, Georgia

Duties

Major duties include, but are not limited to: Observes and provides for a safe environment for patients and others through monitoring, reporting, and taking protective precautions with any hazards once they are observed. Provides for safety through use of asepsis (Universal Precautions) and isolation of patients when needed. Initiates and/or assists with emergency measures including maintenance of airway, CPR, and care for seizures. Retrieves consolidated health records, x-rays, reports, and other data at the physician's request. Promotes optimal patient and family functioning through assisting the registered nurse with education, offering, and recording health information (i.e., Advance Directives, Immunizations) and observing patients' understanding. Communicates effectively with others in all aspects of their duties, working cooperatively as a team member. Takes and reports vital signs and weights; evaluates for orthostatic changes and circulatory checks. Performs dressing changes and observes and reports changes, sets up for and assists with procedures in the clinic, records observations, provides respiratory treatments as ordered and other treatments as trained. Evaluates condition changes and reports observations. Ensure restocking occurs of supplies used in procedures. Stocks rooms on PRN basis. Collects data and implements quality improvement plans in the acute care setting. Identifies areas of concern for the quality improvement process. Attends to the flow of patient processing in the clinic, including preparing patients for admission and escorting patients to other areas as needed. Manages workload according to shifting priorities. Sets priorities between clinical and administrative functions appropriately, looking to keep patient timeliness within standards. Manages the data capture functions, enters information in VISTA/CPRS including CPT and ICD 10 codes accurately, makes appointments, schedules tests, processes data request, places orders in charts for gynecologists' signature, including x-rays, and follows up on in-progress work in a timely manner. Track and monitor in-house and community care gynecologic services. Performs audit of Non OR gynecology procedures. Obtains/expedites consolidated health record or x-ray to clinic, if necessary. Performs routine clerical functions as needed, to include stocking practitioner rooms with forms, ensures chart completion with forms needed for visit, tracks outgoing consults and logs results of test/procedures, print health summaries and action profiles, answers phones, transcribes orders and maintains files. Alerts practitioners to abnormal results/reports. Sorts and distributes mail and other tests results to practitioners. Facilitates admission and transfer of care paperwork. Meets timeliness standards for processing patients for clinic visits. Coordinates communication for patients through to practitioners, other services/sections or the triage nurse as needed. Ensures patient is properly identifies with practitioner and group practice after the patient has been enrolled by the practitioner, including computer data entry. Performs other duties as assigned by the Clinic Director or by the decision of the team. Work Schedule: 8 AM-4:30 PM Monday-Friday Telework: Ad hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: 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. Must be a graduate of practical or vocational nursing approved by the appropriate State accrediting agency and/or the National League for Nursing at the time the program was completed by the applicant. Must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d) and 7407(d). Must have a full, current, active and unrestricted license as a graduate licensed practical or vocational nurse in a State, Territory, or Commonwealth (i.e., Puerto Rico) of the United States or District of Columbia. Must pass a pre-employment examination if selected. May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria). Grade Determinations GS-7 Completion of at least one (1) year of additional qualifying experience at the GS-6 level or equivalent, fully meeting all of the performance requirements for the GS-6 LPN/LVN. AND Demonstrates the following Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA): 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. Ability to assist RN and/or MD/DO 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 MD/DO of changes in patient's condition requiring higher-level intervention. At this grade level, the LPN/LVN 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. Ability to proactively assist the RN or MD/DO 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 MD/DO 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. Knowledge and skill to promptly recognize potential urgent or emergent patient care situations, seek assistance of the RN and/or MD/DO for appropriate team intervention and effectively intervene, as directed, to assure the continuation of optimal, safe and therapeutic patient care delivery. At this grade level, the LPN/LVN must have a broader knowledge of the patient treatment process and exercise judgment that demonstrates the ability to effectively intervene when appropriate. 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. 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. 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. Supports the RN or MD/DO in monitoring the practice of unlicensed nursing or non-medical staff in patient care delivery. Promptly reports any deviations from normal practice patterns to the RN or MD/DO. In addition to responsibilities at the lower grade level, the LPN/LVN is responsible for monitoring the practice of non-licensed nursing and medical staff. Work 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. Actively seeks out educational opportunities to enhance nursing knowledge and skills, and providing leadership in assisting other staff improve and advance their nursing practice. Preferred Experience: Women's Health Experience References: VA Handbook 5005, Appendix G-13 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-7. Physical Requirements: 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.

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

Contacts

• Address Central Alabama VA Medical Center-Montgomery 215 Perry Hill Road Montgomery, AL 36109 US
• Name: Morgan Hogeland
• Phone: 205-933-8101 X412220
• Email: [email protected]