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

Duties

The LPN will be assigned to Nursing Service, GEC 1B at the Alvin C. York VA campus in Murfreesboro, Tennessee and work under the general supervision of the Nurse Manager of the unit, and functions under the leadership of a registered nurse. Functions of Assigned Duties: Patient Care Activities, as appropriate to assignment, includes but is not limited to: Observes, reports, and documents signs and symptoms of patient's general condition. Attends patient care conferences. Provides input into the Nursing Care Plan and/or the Interdisciplinary Plan of Care. Provides direct nursing care to adult and geriatric patients according to nursing standards and Medical Center policy and procedure. This includes, but is not limited to: Bathing, showering, oral care, shaving, nail care, feeding, turning, positioning, and ambulating as directed. Collecting and labeling specimens, e.g. sputum, emesis, urine, and stools. Performing enterostomal care, perineal care, administering enemas, and colostomy irrigations. Providing bowel/bladder training, applying external urinary devices, and performing bladder catheterization. Providing oral, nasopharyngeal, and tracheal care. Administering oxygen as directed. Administering enteral feedings. Providing wound care as ordered and reporting any changes and/or progress to the RN. Providing for lifting, moving, transferring, and/or transporting patients. Using patient lifting devices, pressure relief mattresses, hyper/hypothermia blankets, electronic scales, and feeding pumps. Reports and documents progress or changes in patient's behavior and/or physical condition to the RN and in the medical record. Recognizes and initiates emergency measures consistent with training. Provides care for pre-operative and post-operative patients, including those having special procedures and treatments. Administers oral, subcutaneous, and intramuscular medications. Performs narcotic count as per policy/procedure. Performs other duties as assigned. VA Careers - Licensed Practical Nurse: https://youtube.com/embed/Ae85IP1Oiz4 Total-Rewards-of-an-Allied-Health-VA-Career-Brochure.pdfLicensed Practical Nurse - vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Total-Rewards-of-a-LPN-Career-Flyer.pdf Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of existing pay, higher or unique qualifications, or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade). Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year)Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience. Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child. Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66. 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) Pay Schedule: VA25 Work Schedule: Based on the needs of the service Functional Statement #: 70359-F EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive.Contact , the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized

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 practical or vocational nursing approved by the appropriate State agency and/or accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC) at the time the program was completed by the applicant. Exceptions include health care education in the military service or training in the military service which is accepted by the licensing body in the jurisdiction in which the individual is licensed as qualifying for full LPN/LVN licensure will be accepted as meeting the education requirements for VHA employment OR granted a license by a jurisdiction that does not require graduation from an approved school AND have at least one year of successful practice as an LPN/ LVN. Licensure - Active, full, current and unrestricted licensure as a Graduate Licensed Practical or Vocational Nurse in a State, Territory, or Commonwealth (i.e., Puerto Rico), of the United States or the District of Columbia. Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements stated above, the following qualification criteria must be met for each grade. The candidate's qualifications must clearly demonstrate the level of competence required for the grade. GS-03 None beyond the basic requirements. LPNs at this grade level are expected to perform all duties within the scope of their license (e.g., medication administration); however, completed work may require routine or detailed higher level review depending upon the complexity of the duties involved. GS-04 (a) Six months of qualifying experience as an LPN or LVN; or(b) Graduation from an approved school (which may be waived as provided in paragraph 4 of Section C) and one year of experience that involved nursing care work in a hospital, outpatient clinic, nursing home, or other supervised medical, nursing, or patient care facility that provided a practical knowledge of human body structure and sterile techniques and procedures; or (c) Graduation from an approved school of at least 24 months duration. GS-05 Knowledge and ability to provide a full range of practical nursing care to patients with a variety of physical and/or behavioral problems. Ability to serve as a responsible member of a nursing team and interact in an appropriate manner with patients, family members, professional and/or other support personnel involved in the delivery of patient care. Knowledge and skill sufficient to prepare, administer, and appropriately document actions taken specific to commonly prescribed oral, topical, subcutaneous, intramuscular and/or intravenous medications. This includes observing and documenting patient responses to medication and reporting noted changes in the patient's condition. Knowledge and ability to recognize the need for and to institute emergency measures and assist in resuscitation procedures in cardia and/or pulmonary arrest. Recognize and appropriately respond to breakage/malfunction or loss of equipment, safety hazards, and supply deficiencies. GS-06 Proficiency in initiating, performing, and completing assigned duties in providing care to variable patient populations. Knowledge and ability to appropriately carry out assigned patient care based on the patients' conditions, using judgment in selecting the appropriate order and sequence of procedures and treatments, and accurately recognizing, reporting, and recording relevant patient information. Ability to observe, identify, and response to a patient's needs for care including medication, equipment-assisted care, and patient/family education. Prepares and administers prescribed medications (oral, topical, subcutaneous, intramuscular and/or intravenous) and performs treatments according to established policies/procedures. Observes for, documents, and reports physical and/or emotional changes in the patient's condition from prescribed medications/treatments. Knowledge and ability to recognize urgent or emergent patient care situations and initiating appropriate emergency interventions as directed. Knowledge and understanding of human behavior, patient motivations and reactions to situations and the ability to appropriately utilize this knowledge in working effectively with patients, family members and other staff. Knowledge and skill in performing support duties for complex diagnostic tests and/or specialized practices or procedures, which includes preparing the patient and assisting in the diagnostic examination, preparing, and handling specialized instruments or other specialized equipment, and monitoring the patient's condition before, during, and following the procedure. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is 06. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS 03 to 06. Physical Requirements: The LPN must be able to perform work that requires regular and recurrent walking, bending, lifting 45 pounds or more, stooping, reaching, stretching, and similar activities supporting various weights. This position requires visual acuity, keen hearing, clear distinctive speech, and manual dexterity. This also includes frequently pushing medication carts, wheelchairs, lifts, and beds. The LPN must be able to care for Veterans with various medical and psychiatric issues. At times, these veterans exhibit unpredictable behavior. The LPN must be able to work closely with others, have sufficient hearing to respond to various alarms, and must be able to communicate verbal and in writing. He/she will make caring for the veteran his/her priority while in the work setting and demonstrate customer service principles in all aspects of work. The LPN is subject to exposure to communicable diseases. The use of personal protective equipment such as, but not limited to, gloves and protective clothing is required. The LPN will have exposure to biohazard materials and sharps.

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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

NOTE: Current GS-0620 LPN/LVN employee of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) who were converted to an appointment under 38 U.S.C. 7401(3) in implementation of Public Law 98-160, enacted November 21, 1983, or who was converted to an appointment under 38 U.S.C. 7405 in implementation of Public Law 99-576, enacted October 28, 1986 are considered to have met the Education requirement. The waiver does not apply to persons appointed under 38 U.S.C. 7401(3) or 7405 after these conversions.

Contacts

• Address Tennessee Valley HCS - Nashville 1310 24th Avenue South Nashville, TN 37212 US
• Name: Holly Smith
• Phone: 715-544-8950
• Email: [email protected]