The Cardiac Device Nurse coordinates the follow-up care for veterans with implanted pacemakers, internal cardiac defibrillators (ICD) and implanted loop recorders (ILR). Focuses on the care of arrhythmia patients, specifically those with implanted devices and management strategy. Provide device interrogations, interpretation of data, testing of device integrity, as well as programming parameters to optimize device function for each patient.

Duties

1. Schedules all follow-up care for pacemaker/ICD/ILR appointments per policy guidelines. 2. Review and schedules all device clinic consults in collaboration with HAS staff. 3. Coordinates pacemaker/ICD/ILR clinic follow-ups via telehealth clinic modality 4. Identifies, analyzes, and reports cardiac device findings per established VA policy to clinic attendings. 5. Assures veterans with new pacemaker/ICDs/ILR receive wound checks and providing education on clinic process. 6. Collaborates with the National Device Surveillance Program (NCDSP) regarding home monitoring programs for patients with pacemakers/ICDs/ILRs. Ensures that all patients hare registered with the National Device Surveillance Program. The Cardiac Device Nurse collaborates with the NCDSP to support Cardiac Device patient interventions based on transmission findings identified through the remote monitoring program. 7. Reviews and analyzes all pacemaker/ICD/ILR transmissions sent by remote home monitor for abnormalities, elevates abnormal transmission findings and assures compliance with program. 8. Collaborates with tele-health staff and outside vendors to ensure all equipment/programmers undergo appropriate maintenance & updates and function appropriately to ensure veteran safety during testing. 9. Completes annual education opportunities in area of expertise to ensure updated training on devices and therapies. 10. Participates in the hospital's quality improvement program; collaborates in setting unit standards of care and monitors indicators of quality projects. 11. Serves as a consultant to patients, families, and staff. 12. Maintains and teaches others the specialized knowledge and skill necessary to perform techniques and routines in the specialty service area. 13. Assists the more experienced Cardiac Device Nurse in consultative services within nursing services and to other disciplines to provide or participates in planning, development, execution, and evaluation of clinical research. 14. Assures timely completion of documentation and other programmatic requirements. 15. Provides direct patient care using consistency in assessing current patient care situations, priorities, and needs. 16. Provides safety, comfort care, and treatment of patients according to established legal, ethical, and institutional standards. 17. Employees may also perform other duties as assigned. 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: 8:00a.m.-4:30p.m. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Payscale: NG42

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. 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. 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. Preferred Experience: 1. BSN 2. ACLS Provider (or successful completion within 3 months required). 3. Three-years of previous Cardiac Catheterization Lab, Holding, and Recovery experience within the last five years. 4. Previous electrophysiology and device interrogation experience within the last five years. 5. Demonstrates leadership ability. 6. Demonstrates competent interpersonal skills, both verbal and written. 7. Dependability (attendance records will be reviewed and considered). 8. Must be flexible in working in any area where conscious sedation is administered. 9. Computer literate. 10. Demonstrated ability to care for medical, surgical and cardiac patients. 11. Demonstrated ability to provide education to patients, family and/or significant others. 12. Demonstrates ability to work effectively as a team member Physical Requirements: The population of male and female veterans served ranges from the adult, age 18, to the elderly adult, age 65 and over. James H. Quillen Veterans Affairs Medical Center (JHQVAMC) is a major interdisciplinary teaching facility, serving medical, surgical, and neurological inpatients and outpatients. There is a large outpatient psychiatric population, with admissions for medical co-morbidities. This position requires visual acuity, keen hearing, clear distinctive speech, and manual dexterity. This position requires potentially long periods of continued walking, standing, stooping, sitting, bending, pulling, lifting 10 pounds or more, and pushing. Transferring patients and objects may be required. The RN may be exposed to infected patients and contaminated materials and may be required to don protective clothing in isolation situations or operative/invasive procedures. The RN may occasionally be exposed to patients who are combative secondary to delirium, dementia, or psychiatric disorders. The RN must be a mature, flexible, sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations, able to shift priorities based on patient 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 James H Quillen VA Medical Center Corner of Lamont Street and Veterans Way Mountain Home, TN 37684 US
• Name: Sheila Anderson-Welcome
• Phone: 726-610-5259
• Email: [email protected]