The registered nurse in outpatient surgical clinics is responsible for covering the surgical specialty clinics of ENT and Wound Clinic during operating hours also being responsible for some inpatient work. The tour of duty is 8 or 10 hour shifts Monday through Saturday with rotating weekend coverage. The nurse must assess the patient, recognize, report and respond to physical or emotional changes.

Duties

The nurse is accountable for promoting patient safety, participating in committee work appropriate to the service. The nurse collaborates with physicians and ancillary services to provide this care. The wound/ostomy/continence RN provides specialized care to the ostomy patient as well as assisting with wound care and skin care issues within the inpatient and outpatient settings. The RN is able to manage their inpatient population as needed. The RN is accountable for promoting patient safety, continuity/quality of care and general well-being of the patient. The RN collaborates with physicians, advanced practice providers, and ancillary services to provide this care. Major Duties include but are not limited to the following: 1. The RN will maintain a primary focus on the management of the Ostomy patient within the inpatient and outpatient setting. 2. The RN will independently run Ostomy outpatient clinics and evaluate walk in patients as needed. 3. The RN will order ostomy supplies for patients and follow up with patients related to the effectiveness of the product. 4. The RN will round daily on inpatients with a new ostomy and provide emotional support to the patient and family as needed. 5. The RN is responsible for ostomy site marking prior to surgery. 6. The RN will assist with the triage of ostomy/wound consults. 7. The RN will remain up to date on ostomy appliances and maintain an understanding of the process required to trial new products. 8. The RN acts as a resource to nursing and provider staff related to the ostomy patient. 9. The RN reviews view alerts, responds to patient calls and concerns in a timely manner. 10. The RN collaborates with the surgical team regarding the care of the ostomy patient. The RN communicates with Pharmacy, Distribution and Contracting as needed to ensure the patient has the appropriate supplies and equipment needed to maintain optimal patient care. 11. Maintains awareness and promotes quality initiatives within the surgical population. 12. The RN is skilled in providing education to the patient, his/her family and others as needed regarding self-care and emotional support during the peri-operative period. 13. The RN is involved in interdisciplinary health care groups to assess, plan, implement and evaluate the ostomy/wound care needs of inpatients transitioning to home post-operatively. 14. The RN will provide timely and appropriate prevention and management interventions for patients with existing or are at high risk for development of pressure injuries to include but not limited to implementation, monitoring, revision, and documentation. 15. The RN will provide nursing staff education related to ordered interventions. 16. RN will provide discharge planning for the high risk for pressure ulcer patient including equipment, and supplies necessary to continue prevention interventions after discharge to home, hospice, or extended care. 17. RN will facilitate ongoing performance improvement activities, monitoring of clinical outcomes are conducted. Pressure injury related data and information are analyzed by the interprofessional Wound Collaborative team and reported to VA medical facility executive leaders at least quarterly for review. 18. RN will provide education to patients related to their pressure injury and are provided with written discharge instructions regarding prevention, treatment and follow up. 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: 6:30a-3p/8:30a-5p or 6:30a-5p. Days of the week: Monday-Friday, 1 Saturday every 7 weeks. Compressed/Flexible: Authorized under supervisor approval Telework: Not Authorized 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. Education: Graduate of a school of professional nursing. Nursing education must be from a school of professional nursing accredited by one of the following accrediting organizations 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). Nursing Bridge Programs: Nursing bridge programs are accelerated nurse education programs which rely upon existing nursing knowledge and education. Graduates from nursing bridge programs that meet accreditation requirements specific grade level requirements in this standard must also be met in addition to the following: (a) Master's Level Bridge Program Education Appointments Prior to Graduation. Individuals attending a master's level bridge program in nursing who achieve the level in their education in which they have completed coursework equivalent to a bachelor's level degree in Nursing may have opportunity to become registered as a nurse with a state licensing board prior to completion of the bridge program. Upon achievement of a State license, the individual may be appointed on a temporary basis for any period up to three years contingent upon full completion of the professional nursing education program, if education verification provided by the school supports the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) equivalency. Upon successful completion and graduation from the bridge program, the Nurse may be converted to a permanent appointment under the provisions of section 7401(a)(1) of title 38. Failure to complete the bridge program on which the temporary appointment was based will result in termination of the appointment. Foreign Education: Graduates of foreign schools of professional nursing who possess a current, full, active and unrestricted registration (see paragraph 3c) will meet the requirement of graduation from an approved school of professional nursing to warrant appointment as a Nurse who has completed an associate degree level Nursing education program. In order to grant credit towards an appointment based on foreign nursing education higher than the associate degree level, formal degree equivalency validation from a recognized degree equivalency evaluation agency accepted by VA such as the International Consultants of Delaware (ICD) must be obtained. Degree in a Related Field. A graduate level or doctorate degree in health care/management related fields from an institution accredited by the State and approved by the Department of Education at the time the candidate completed the program may be credited as specifically indicated in grade requirements. The graduate level or doctorate degree and coursework must provide evidence in support of the nursing role and duties associated with the assignment and grade level. Foreign education programs/degrees are not creditable as related degrees. Licensure and Certification: The following licensure and certification requirements are considered conditions of employment. All Nurses must possess and maintain an active, current, full and unrestricted license as a Nurse to practice in a State, Territory or Commonwealth of the United States, or in the District of Columbia. Grade Determination. In addition to the basic qualification requirements, the grade level of Nurse (any assignment) is based on a combination of education and experience. Beyond the minimum education requirements, grade determination for appointment, advancement and promotion will be based on the following specific requirement for Nurses: Nurse 1, Level 1. Education and Experience Requirement. Diploma or associate degree in nursing with no professional nursing experience. Nurse I, Level 2. Education and Experience Requirement. Diploma or associate degree in nursing and one year of specialized nursing experience equivalent to a Nurse I, Level 1 OR Bachelor's degree in nursing and no professional nursing experience. Nurse 1, Level 3 Education and Experience Requirement. Diploma or associate degree in nursing and two years of professional nursing experience, one of which is a year of specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse I, Level 2. OR Bachelor's degree in nursing and one year of professional nursing experience equivalent to Nurse I, Level 2. OR Master's degree in nursing and no professional nursing experience. OR Master's degree in a related field with a bachelor's degree in nursing with no professional nursing experience. Nurse II Education and Experience Requirement. Bachelor's degree in nursing and two years of professional nursing experience, one of which is a year of specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse I, Level 3. OR Master's degree in nursing with one year of specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse I, Level OR Master's degree in a related field with a bachelor's degree in nursing with one year of specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse I, Level 3. OR Doctorate degree in nursing with no professional nursing experience. OR Doctorate degree in a related field with a master's or bachelor's degree in nursing with no professional nursing experience. Nurse III: Education and Experience Requirement. Master's degree in nursing with two years of specialized nursing experience, one of which is equivalent to Nurse II and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse III. OR Master's degree in a related field with a bachelor's degree in nursing with two years of specialized nursing experience, one of which is equivalent to Nurse II and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse III. OR Doctorate degree in nursing with one year of specialized nursing experience which is equivalent to Nurse II and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse III. OR Doctorate degree in a related field with a master's or bachelor's degree in nursing with one year of specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse II and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse III. Dimension Requirement. Nurses at Nurse III must meet ALL the following dimension requirements to qualify for Nurse III. i Practice. Demonstrates expertise in professional practice using the nursing process (assessment, diagnosis, outcome identification, planning, implementation and evaluation) with improved evidence-based and/or data-driven outcomes beyond the immediate practice setting. ii Veteran/Patient Driven Care. Leads initiatives to improve Veteran/patient experience. Satisfaction and/or safety beyond the immediate practice setting. iii Leadership. Communicates and collaborates as an effective leader of the interprofessional team, at the expert level, with improved evidence-based and/or data-driven outcomes beyond the immediate practice setting. iv Professional Development. Enhances knowledge base and practice evaluation, at the expert level, with improved outcomes beyond the immediate practice setting. v Evidence Based Practice/Research. Leads the identification and integration of evidence-based practice/research with clinical expertise to improve quality of care and resource utilization at the expert level with improved outcomes beyond the immediate practice setting 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.

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: Nicole Bender
• Phone: 484-703-9360
• Email: [email protected]