This Registered Nurse (RN) position is in the HUD-VASH Program, which is part of the Community Housing and Outreach Services (CHOS) program in the Social Work Service Line. The VA, in collaboration with HUD, assists homeless, formerly homeless, Veterans with supportive case management in permanent supportive housing. Most of the care provided by the RN will occur in Veterans homes and/or community settings. The position is 50% supervisory and 50% clinical.

Duties

This HUD-VASH RN collaborates and supports the HUD-VASH multidisciplinary team, designed to improve the provision of clinical care and permanent supportive housing services for homeless Veterans. The HUD-VASH team provides high-quality care to Veterans in their homes or community settings on a routine basis, who are living with complex mental health and medical needs. This may include working with Veterans with major mental health diagnoses, cognitive impairments, active substance use, and/or physical disabilities limiting independence in self-care and living skills. Must have an unrestricted State Driver's License and be cleared upon hire to drive a government vehicle for transporting Veterans. Duties include but are not limited to: Observing and interpreting patterns of patient behavior and/or problems in operational systems or processes. Completing in-depth assessments of functional status, acuity level, prognosis and assessment of the need for treatment services and resources. Discriminating complex patient/family symptoms and needs and/or systems issues during assessments. Identifying intricate patient/systems problems and accurately focusing on these problem areas. Effectively utilizing the nursing process to guide the development of a care management plan and provide care to comprehensive biopsychosocial care patients. Providing age-specific care for adults of all ages which includes the following elements related to the process and/or effects of chronic illness: promoting independence, encouraging self-care; involving family or designated caregiver with care; providing any necessary safety measures, and assisting patient to cope with and/or compensate for changes affecting functioning in areas of health, finances, employment, education, housing, relationship/readjustment issues, legal issues and VA benefits. Assessing age-specific care requirements, cultural religious, and gender variables and develops appropriate plan of care. Working as part of the team consisting of Social Workers, Substance Abuse Specialist and paraprofessionals using a Housing First Model. Coordinating appropriately with various team members. Sharing expertise with peers related to management of safe, therapeutic care. Anticipating emergencies, coordinating prevention, and evaluating responses through critical analysis of patient situations. Demonstrating knowledge and/or required safety skills in the home which include emergency preparedness plan, hazardous materials, fire plan, equipment failure, emergency plans, and utility outage response procedures for their area. Fostering accountability for responsible decision-making among staff. Providing administrative supervision to the team, including but not limited to: HR Actions, performance evaluations, time and attendance procedures, and workload management for staff. Participating in the hiring of new staff members for the team (writing announcements for posted positions, preparing functional statements, and assuming primary responsibility for selecting final job candidates). Participating in all accreditations and mandatory surveys (CARF, Joint Commission, etc.). Serving as a key point of contact for the VA CHOS program among local housing authorities, Continuums of Care (COC) and community partners. Attending and participating in regular meetings, as assigned. Monitoring compliance of staff members with VA performance measures and effectively shaping provider practice patterns to improve standing on performance measures. Achieving clinical workload expectations as established by Social Work Service and/or VA Homeless Programs Office, and overseeing workload expectations of staff members. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00AM to 4:30PM. Compressed/Flexible: May be available after 90 days for highly qualified candidates. Telework: Ad hoc only (as needed basis, determined by the needs of the service). Virtual: This is not a virtual or remote position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized. Financial Disclosure Report: Not required 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 VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package: VA Nurse Total Rewards

Requirements

Qualifications

Basic Requirements: English Language Proficiency. In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7403(f), 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 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); OR Individuals attending a master's level bridge program in nursing who 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 temporary basis and later converted to a permanent appointment upon successful completion and graduation from the bridge program. (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 to warrant an appointment as a Nurse who has completed an associated degree/entry level Nursing education program. Credit for foreign nursing education higher that associate degree/entry level requires a formal degree equivalency validation from a recognized equivalency evaluation accepted by VA such as International Consultants of Delaware (ICD). 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. Graduate Nurse Technician (GNT) Exception: Candidates who otherwise meet the basic education requirements, but do not possess the required licensure, may be appointed at the entry step of the grade and level applicable to the completed nursing education as a GNT on a 120-day temporary appointment while actively pursuing licensure (may be extended up to two years on a case-by-case-basis.) Current, valid state-issued Driver's License is required for this position. Proof of license and insurance will be required. NOTE: Grandfathering Provision - All persons currently employed in VHA in 0610 series and 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. Grade Determinations: The following Scope, Education and Dimension criteria must be met in determining the grade assignment of candidates, and if appropriate, the level within a grade. The Dimension requirements (Practice, Veteran/Patient Driven Care, Leadership, Professional Development and Evidence-Based Practice/Research) are detailed for each grade and level within the online assessment: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12494515. Grade/Level Scope Education Nurse I, Level I Delivers fundamental, knowledge-based care to assigned clients while developing technical competencies. An Associate Degree (ADN) or Diploma in Nursing, with no additional professional nursing required. Nurse I, Level II Demonstrates integration of biopsychosocial concepts, cognitive skills and technically competent practice in providing care to clients with basic or complex. An ADN or Diploma in Nursing AND 1 year of specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse I, Level 1 ;OR a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) with no additional professional nursing experience required. Nurse I, Level III Demonstrates proficiency in practice based on conscious and deliberate planning. Self-directed in goal setting for managing complex client situations. An ADN or Diploma in Nursing AND 2 years of professional nursing experience in which one year is equivalent to Nurse I, Level 2; OR a BSN and 1 year of professional nursing experience equivalent to the Nurse I, Level 2; OR a Master's degree in nursing (MSN) and no additional professional nursing experience; OR a Master's degree in a *related field with a BSN and no additional professional nursing experience. Nurse II Demonstrates leadership in delivering and improving holistic care through collaborative strategies with others. A BSN with 2 years of professional nursing equivalent to Nurse I, Level 3; OR an MSN with one year of specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse I, Level 3; OR a Master's degree in a *related field with a BSN and one year of specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse I, Level 3; OR a Doctoral degree in Nursing with no professional nursing experience; OR a Doctoral degree in a *related field with a BSN with no additional professional nursing experience. Nurse III Executes position responsibilities that demonstrate leadership, experience and creative approaches to management of complex client care beyond the immediate practice setting. MSN and 2 years of specialized nursing experience, one of which is equivalent to Nurse II and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse III; OR a Master's degree in *related field with BSN and two years of specialized nursing experience, one of which is equivalent to Nurse II and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse III; OR a Doctoral degree in Nursing with and one year of specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse II and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse III; OR a Doctoral degree in a *related field with a BSN and one year of specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse II and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse III. *Note: Foreign education programs/degrees are not creditable as related degrees. 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. Preferred Experience: Working with Acute Mental Health Populations and Substance Use Working with patients experiencing homelessness Working in the community Physical Requirements: Heavy lifting (45 pounds and over); straight pulling (6 hours); pushing (6 hours); reaching above shoulder; use of fingers; both hands required; walking; standing; repeated bending; operation of motor vehicle; near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4; far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other; ability to distinguish basic colors; hearing (aid may be permitted); visual acuity 20/30 corrected. Environmental Factors: Outside and inside; working with hands in water; working closely with others; working alone.

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.

Note: The National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission/NLNAC changed its name to ACEN in May 2013. ACEN's website may be utilized to verify accredited programs using automated inquiry processes; however, for verification of any nursing program's accreditation prior to 1998, an automated inquiry cannot be used and ACEN must be contacted directly via their email contact information on the ACEN website to verify.)

Note: 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.

Contacts

• Address VA Puget Sound Health Care System 1660 South Columbian Way Seattle, WA 98108 US
• Name: Valeria Sheremetova
• Phone: 206-452-8325
• Email: [email protected]