The Registered Nurse - Quality Consultant (QC) is assigned to the Quality Management Service which is aligned under the Director's Office. The QC demonstrates leadership, experience, and creative approaches to assist members of the healthcare team in the identification and management of quality of care concerns and participates in planning for improved processes within the VA San Diego Healthcare System (VASDHS).

Duties

Demonstrates knowledge of current concepts, principles and tools of quality management and performance improvement, internal and external accreditation/regulatory standards, and customer satisfaction. Serves as a technical advisor/facilitator to all levels of staff regarding performance improvement, regulatory requirements such as The Joint Commission (TJC) and Office of the Inspector General (OIG), CARF, Ascellon Long Term Care, continuous readiness and supports the organization's Performance Improvement and Patient Safety Programs. Demonstrates advanced leadership skill in developing, implementing, and evaluating programs/processes that facilitate the delivery of safe patient care and facility-wide process improvement. Ensures compliance with TJC annual review, evaluation, and submission of the Focused Standards Assessment (FSA), and coordinates facility compliance efforts relating to their assigned TJC programs/chapters (Hospital, Home Care, and Behavioral Health). Demonstrates leadership, experience, and creative approaches to assist members of the healthcare team in the identification and management of quality of care concerns; participates in the identification, analysis, and resolution of healthcare delivery problems; initiates and leads multidisciplinary performance improvement (PI) projects/teams; and participates in planning for improved processes within the VASDHS. Serves as a technical advisor to members of the interdisciplinary healthcare team, in the development and implementation of PI tools and processes designed to monitor compliance with standards and to improve healthcare processes/systems. Demonstrates outstanding communication skills, acting as an advocate for improving quality patient care, healthcare outcomes, customer satisfaction, and healthcare delivery systems in support of VHA goals and initiatives at the local, VISN and national levels. Serves as one of the External Peer Review Program (EPRP) Coordinators and collaborates with services/programs to ensure compliance with clinical performance and quality measures, utilizing proactive approaches to improving performance measure outcomes. Reviews, analyzes, and applies existing internal and external regulatory standards and professional organization guidelines. Reviews, analyzes and applies pertinent information from current research, scientific literature and publications to facilitate the development of evidence-based performance improvement activities. Facilitates RCA, HFMEAs and Aggregate Review teams that are thorough, credible, timely and responsive to the realistic resolution of process/system issues in a manner that enhances a culture of patient safety at the Medical Center. Performs clinical reviews of selected patient cohorts, clinical circumstances, or care delivery systems by reviewing a variety of healthcare performance measure databases and Network/facility reports to assess and evaluate quality issues. Prepares and presents clear, concise and clinically accurate summaries of findings, including their significance, statistical deviations or variance and trends which affect the facility's quality measures. Evaluates facility and service programs/activities based on current knowledge and application of facility policies, performance measures, VISN and VHA mandates/directives, and professional standards related to the area of practice and proposes changes to meet the standards, policies, performance measures, directive and/or mandates 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: Monday - Friday, 0730-1600. Occasional Overtime, Weekends, and Holidays may be required to meet needs of the organization. Specific working hours will be discussed during the interview. Telework: Not Available Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

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: Minimum of one-year current experience in Performance Improvement/Quality Management; Current experience with Continuous Readiness initiatives including conducting mock tracers, mock accreditation surveys, and The Joint Commission (or other Accreditation) survey coordination activities; Expert knowledge of and experience with The Joint Commission standards and the survey process; Demonstrated ability to interact collaboratively with patients and healthcare providers, utilizing excellent written and verbal communication skills appropriately targeted at a wide variety of audiences; Highly skilled in data extraction, display (use of statistical tools), analysis, and detailed report preparation, with meticulous attention to detail; Exceptional leadership and organizational skills, proven ability to successfully facilitate interdisciplinary teams and generate sustainable results. Aptitude to influence and embed knowledge in others, while being open minded and flexible to promote the development of positive outcomes; A team player with the demonstrated ability to make sound decisions, and the initiative to work with minimal supervision, to identify problems and make proposals for effective solutions. Demonstrated ability to successfully adhere to deadlines, often in the setting of fluctuating priorities and competing demands. Highly driven and self-motivated to exceed expectations of internal and external customers at every opportunity; Other preferred qualifications: CPHQ, CJCP, etc. 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: Light Lifting and Light Carrying (under 15 lbs); Walking, Standing, ; Reaching above shoulder; Use of fingers; Operation of motor vehicle; Depth perception; Ability to distinguish basic colors; Hearing (aid permitted); Emotional/Mental stability; Sitting (6-8 hours); Use Computer (6-8 hours); Typing/Keyboarding (6-8 hours).

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 San Diego VA Medical Center 3350 La Jolla Village Drive San Diego, CA 92161 US
• Name: Ruben Cabral
• Phone: (858) 642-3553
• Email: [email protected]