Located in historic downtown Charleston, SC, the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center is a tertiary care teaching hospital providing the highest level quality for more than 75,000 Veterans along the South Carolina and Georgia coast. The Ralph H. Johnson VA is rated is the second fastest growing VA in the U.S. for percentage patient growth. The For more information, visit www.charleston.va.gov. About Us | VA Charleston Health Care | Veterans Affairs

Duties

The Operating Room Nurse practices as a registered nurse (RN) in the Operating Room (OR) with cross training to the holding room at the Charleston V AMC. He/she will provide perioperative care for the adult and geriatric veteran. The OR provides the following services: General, Vascular, Cardiac, Thoracic, Orthopedic, Neurologic, Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT), Ophthalmic (EYE), Urologic, (GU), Oral, Plastic and Podiatric. The RN has technical and operational knowledge and clinical skills to function as circulating and scrub nurse in all services with the exception of scrubbing cardiac service which is a separate specialty. The OR nurse will be accountable for promoting patient safety, continuity/quality of care and general well-being of the veteran patient. Collaborate with physicians and ancillary services to provide care. The OR nurse will be able to analyze and upgrade patient care through quality improvement activities, striving to maintain clinical competencies through continuous study, in-services, and participation in obtaining continuing education units. The RN will be assigned responsibilities as preceptor or charge nurse. This position potentially requires flexibility in schedule and assignments. The nurse will be responsible for assigned on call coverage for weeknights, weekends and holidays. The incumbent must be poised and articulate in communicating with people of varied educational levels and varied ethnic backgrounds and willing to work cooperatively as a member of a team in all assignments. Interviews patient/family appropriately reporting concerns and needs and/or systems issues during preoperative assessment. Collaborates with physicians and ancillary services to dete1mine desired postoperative outcomes; issues, and institutes a plan of care to achieve outcomes. Shares expertise with peers related to management of safe, therapeutic care. Anticipates emergencies, coordinates prevention and evaluates responses through critical analysis of patient situations. Demonstrates knowledge and/or required safety skills in the OR, and in the following: hazardous materials handling, equipment failure responsibilities, fire and emergency plan and utility response procedures. Assumes responsibility and accountability for maintaining a productive working environment and manages stressful situations professionally. Provides and willingly accepts constructive criticism. Demonstrates clinical competence in completion of core and practice specific procedures/competencies according to the competency checklist. Demonstrates practices that include adherence to infection control standards and the safe use and operation of equipment. Communicates a thorough and detailed report of the patient including verifying correctness of all counts, medications on the sterile field, equipment and implants in use/projected for use, to relief personnel. Assumes responsibility as service coordinator (or co-coordinator) for one of 12 specialty surgical services; to include maintaining instrument tray count sheets and physician preference cards, maintaining existing and ordering new instruments, equipment and supplies and acting as a resource/precepting and in servicing staff to existing and new procedures and equipment. Assumes responsibilities as charge nurse (as assigned) with duties to include collecting and sharing information from daily needs list with SPS staff, assisting OR scheduler with preparation of next days schedule, room and break assignments, managing staff leave requests and acting as holding room nurse ( as assigned) with duties to include but not limited to calling for and identifying patients, checking for site mark, consent and H&P and communicating patient and family concerns to physicians. Work Schedule: 7:00am am - 5:30 pm. Monday - Friday, with alternating day off. After hours call may be required. Overtime, including evenings, weekends and Federal Holidays, may be required. Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Highly qualified candidates may be authorized up to 15% base salary for a recruitment or relocation incentive. EDRP Authorized: Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package: VA Nurse Total Rewards

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 the appropriate State-accrediting agency and accredited 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). 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: Requirement: BSN or ADN with bachelors degree in related healthcare field, 2-5 years of recent RHJ VAMC OR Experience, Recent Scrub Experience, 5+ years of Nursing Experience. 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: 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, and pushing. Transferring patients and objects will be required. The RN is expected to push patients on stretchers as part of the daily routine. The incumbent may be exposed to infected patients, bio-hazardous material and contaminated materials and may be required to don protective clothing. The incumbent must be a mature, flexible, sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations, able to shift priorities based on patient.

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 Ralph H Johnson Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center 109 Bee Street Charleston, SC 29401 US
• Name: Ryan Leonguerrero
• Email: [email protected]