This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application.

Duties

This Certified Nurse Anesthetist (APN) is located in the Surgical service line within in the Providence VA Medical Center in Rhode Island. This is a full time position; 40 hours a week. Certified Nurse Anesthetist (APN) provides perioperative anesthetic care to patients presenting for Surgery. The CRNA works in collaboration with other members of the health care team to improve the quality of care delivered to the Veteran, and provides appropriate care for veterans ranging in age from 18 through geriatric years, taking into consideration diagnosis and physical, psychosocial, spiritual and cultural needs. Duties include but not limited to: Responsible for perioperative assessment, evaluation, planning and conduct f an appropriate anesthetic tailored to meet the needs of the surgical patient. Responsible for assuring safe recovery from anesthesia and provide pain treatment in the immediate postoperative period. Accountable for adhering to established policies, standards of care and standards of practice while providing care to surgical patients. Responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of information obtained to carry out required duties. Routinely communicates with Physicians, Managers and other Allied Health Professional staff using sound interpersonal skills. 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: Full time; schedule to be discussed during interview process. Compressed/Flexible: Authorized. Telework: Not Authorized. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized. Financial Disclosure Report: Not required. Notifications: This position is in the Excepted Service. THIS OPEN & CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT (OCA) ESTABLISHES A STANDING REGISTER OF ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS, which closes on September 23, 2024. The initial cut-off date for referral of eligible applications will be June 20, 2024 with subsequent reviews every other week as additional vacancies occur, or on an as-needed basis, until positions are filled. Please see the "What To Expect Next" area of the announcement which provides additional information on the referral process for this type of announcement. This position is eligible for coverage by a Bargaining Unit, but is not currently represented. This position is covered by a special rate. Narrative responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) may be required from the selectee in order to proceed with the appointment. This position will be posted via two announcements for two different occupational series which can be considered to fill this vacancy. Qualified applicants from both announcements will be referred to the service for consideration but only one of the announcements will result in an applicant filling the position. The other job announcement for this vacancy is:

Requirements

Qualifications

Advanced Practice Nurse (Certified Nurse Anesthetist) Basic Requirements English Language Proficiency. In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(f), no person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English. Education. A masters or doctoral degree in nurse anesthesia. (Applicants pending the completion of educational requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until the education requirements are met.) Nursing education must be from a school of professional nursing anesthesia accredited by Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Education Programs (COA) at the time the program was completed by the applicant. Licensure and Certification. The following licensure and certification requirements are considered conditions of employment. License. All APN (CNAs) must maintain an active, current, full and unrestricted license to practice as a CNA or equivalent, in a State, Territory or Commonwealth of the United States or in the District of Columbia. Basic Certification. All APN (CNAs) must maintain full and current certification by the National Board of Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists (NBCRNA) or an equivalent Nurse Anesthetist certification recognized by the COA. NOTE: Grandfathering Provision - All persons currently employed in VHA in 0610 series and an APN (CNA) assignment that are also performing the duties as described in the qualification standard on the effective date of the standard (1/29/2024) are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade held including positive education and licensure/certification. The following Education, Experience, and Knowledge, Skills and Abilities must be met for Advanced Practice Nurse (Certified Nurse Anesthetist) II: Exception to Licensure for Graduate Nurse Technicians. Candidates who otherwise meet the basic requirements, but do not possess the required APN (CNA) licensure and/or certification, may be appointed at the entry step of the Nurse II, as a Nurse Anesthetist on a temporary appointment up to any period not-to-exceed one year and a day under the authority of 38 U.S.C. § 7405(c)(2)(B). Education and Experience Requirement. Meets basic education requirement for an APN (CNA). Nurse II is considered the entry grade level for APN (CNAs); no experience is required. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. The following list of knowledge, skills and abilities present the minimum skill set expected of an Entry Level CNA. Entry level into practice may include but are not limited to the following: Ability to translate into anesthesia care the principles of professional nursing practice including the patients' rights to autonomy, dignity, privacy, and safety. Knowledge of current research and practice guidelines to frame anesthesia practice including up to date techniques, pharmacology, and equipment. Ability to obtain, document and verify informed anesthesia consent and perform a pre-anesthetic patient history and physical, which includes managing pre-operative consults and interpreting data. Ability to formulate a patient-specific anesthetic plan and describe salient anesthetic risks, benefits, and options to the patient. Ability to administer inhalational, regional, intravenous, local, and topical anesthetics. Skill in detecting and treating anesthesia or surgically related physiologic changes and ability to treat accordingly in order to maintain homeostasis. Skill in assessing patient status for appropriateness of transfer of care to another healthcare provider and communicating essential patient information to other providers effectively. Ability to participate in collaborative responsibility for proper patient positioning, physiologic monitoring, infection control and anesthesia documentation. Skill in responding to emergency situations by providing airway management, fluid and medication administration, invasive line insertion and management and the use of advanced cardiac life support techniques. Ability to provide patient care that is abreast of changing concepts and advancements in the profession, (e.g., ultrasound techniques.) Ability to practice anesthesia in an interdisciplinary environment utilizing a collaborative concept of anesthesia care. Knowledge of quality improvement processes to maintain ongoing review and evaluation of anesthesia care to improve outcomes. Ability to demonstrate a practice emphasis on safety, current established guidelines and protocols while recognizing the duty to report unsafe conditions or errors. The following Education, Experience, and Knowledge, Skills and Abilities must be met for Advanced Practice Nurse (Certified Nurse Anesthetist) III: Education and Experience Requirement: Meets basic education requirement for an APN (CNA) AND One year of specialized APN (CNA) experience equivalent to the APN (CNA) II grade level. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: Progressively responsible experience in the administration of anesthetics as indicated in the knowledge, skills and abilities listed below. Ability to plan, administer and manage anesthesia for a broad range of complex surgical procedures skillfully employing continuous assessment and anesthetic adaptation based on patient response and comorbidities. Work assignments will vary by facility. Ability to participate in assignments that are technically challenging, encompass a variety of anesthetizing locations and utilize advanced equipment and procedures while adapting techniques to solve various complex anesthesia problems including the development of individualized programs of post-op anesthesia care. Skill in responsibility and accountability to perform to the extent of the CNA standards of practice as a licensed healthcare professional in any model of anesthesia practice. Ability to contribute to the educational mission as a mentor or preceptor providing didactic and clinical instruction in anesthesia to student nurse anesthetists, medical and dental residents, and other health care trainees. Knowledge to participate in the development, implementation and maintenance of auditing processes that ensure and improve the quality and consistency of anesthesia and associated documentation. Ability to contribute to departmental administrative processes through quality assurance, shared governance, or committee representation as applicable. Ability to serve as a representative on interdisciplinary teams to establish and maintain guidelines and communication. Skill demonstrated in the ability to embrace the safety culture emphasis by continuously assessing for safety risks, actively reporting safety concerns, and maintaining a just culture by identifying faults in systems rather than individuals. 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: Applicants must meet physical standards for the position. A physical examination prior to placement is required. This is a designated drug testing position. After appointment, you will be subject to random testing for illegal drug use. Requires lifting 15-44 pounds; pushing (approx. 2 hours); reaching above shoulder; use of fingers and both hands; walking and standing from 3-5 hours and kneeling. Ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously. Must have depth perception and ability to distinguish basic colors and shades of colors. Hearing aid is permitted.

Education

• Education. A masters or doctoral degree in nurse anesthesia. Education Accreditation Requirement. Nursing education must be from a school of professional nursing anesthesia accredited by the following accrediting organization at the time the program was completed by the applicant:
  • The Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Education Programs (COA). Additional information may be obtained from the COA website at Council on Accreditation (coacrna.org).

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 VA Providence Healthcare System 830 Chalkstone Avenue Providence, RI 02908 US
• Name: Courtney Kreshak
• Phone: 4012737100
• Email: [email protected]