The RN located at University Drive is primarily accountable for assessing, planning, implementing, and evaluating direct and indirect nursing care, and identifying outcomes for patients in the gastroenterology setting. Responsible for coordinating patient care to ensure quality care according to established standards of care/practice, and policy/procedure. The RN will provide care to adults with gastrointestinal disorders/diseases, or patients needing further evaluation in the Endoscopy Lab.

Duties

The specific patient population to whom direct care is provided includes adults with gastrointestinal disorders/diseases, or adults needing further evaluation in the Endoscopy Lab. The practice of the nurse is characterized by leadership in improving patient care. The RN is responsible for the storage, proper cleaning techniques, and use of reusable medical equipment (RME). The incumbent must also be able to locate the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP)for all RME in the clinical area. He/She will be responsible for carrying out proper procedures for caring for patients in an isolation environment by following proper infection control procedures as well as additional duties. Responsibilities include but are not limited to: Performs and documents (or reviews) required complete nursing assessment of each patient prior to the procedure to determine patient's baseline level of health and any special consideration specific to that patient undergoing a minimally invasive procedure and/or moderate sedation, anesthesia. Assists in diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopic procedures; performs and documents continuous patient assessment during and after procedure, universal protocol, patient's tolerance of the procedure, course of recovery and status at time of discharge. Maintains patient safety and comfort by keeping physicians informed of patient's status and performing standard nursing interventions. Provides technical assistance as assigned by physicians and within RN scope of practice in both endoscopic and non-endoscopic procedures. Sets up appropriate equipment properly and tests prior to the procedure. Maintain proper functioning of all endoscopic equipment through accurate care, cleaning and disinfection/sterilization per hospital policy. Performs designated non-endoscopic diagnostic procedures with minimal or no supervision to include but not limited to breath test, pH monitoring/mobility and capsule endoscopy. Processes diagnostic specimens obtained during endoscopic and non-endoscopic procedures, accurately complete or verifies necessary documentation and forms and assures delivery to appropriate testing area per hospital policy. Assures adequate preparation, maintenance, and inventory control of both internal and external supplies for daily clinical use. Evaluates and documents effectiveness of patient care in all phases of the perioperative endoscopy experience. Rotates through performing educational pre procedure phone instructions and coordination of patient accommodations as necessary. 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 7:30am-4pm Compressed/Flexible: Not Authorized Telework: Ad-HOC 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. 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. 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: Preferred Experience: 2 years GI Lab procedure 3 years successful practice as an RN 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: Heavy lifting up to (35 pounds); heavy carrying up to (35 pounds); straight pulling (2-4 hours); pushing (2-4 hours); reaching above shoulders (1-2 hours); use of fingers; both hands required; walking (4-6 hours); standing (4-6 hours); repeated bending (2-4 hours); both legs required; ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously; near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4; far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and 20/40 in the other; both eyes required; ability to distinguish basic colors and shades of color; hear (aid permitted); mental and emotional stability.

Education

• 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.

Contacts

• Address Pittsburgh VA Medical Center 1010 Delafield Road Pittsburgh, PA 15215 US
• Name: Eun-hae 'Grace' Foglietta
• Phone: (610) 384-7711 X4456
• Email: [email protected]