Licensed Practical Nurse

Clinical Responsibilities

• Accurately collects, reports, and records appropriate patient care data to contribute to the nursing assessment.
• Serves as a member of the interdisciplinary team; understands patients' biopsychosocial needs for the purpose of providing care and input to treatment plans.
• Identifies and reports signs and symptoms of deviation from normal health status and changes in patient condition.
• Is able to identify potential suicide risks in patients and reports to RN or provider.
• Prepares and administers prescribed medications in accordance with established policy and procedure and observes, reports, and documents patients' response to medications.
• Establishes effective and therapeutic relations with and proves nursing care to acute and chronically ill patients with both medical and mental health conditions.
• Recognizes expected outcomes of interventions and reports, records, and exchanges information with members of the treatment team.
• Reinforces and reiterates instructions previously presented by a Registered Nurse or physicians.
• Promotes environmental safety, security, and patient confidentiality. Recognizes and reports unsafe equipment or situations and follows policy and procedure to assure personal and patient safety during patient care activities.
• Maintains therapeutic interpersonal relationships with patients and co-workers.
• Demonstrates flexibility and willingness to participate in and adapt to an ever-changing health care environment.
• Performs basic practical nursing procedures, practices, and techniques for the purpose of providing nursing care to stable patients with both medical and mental health conditions.
• Recognizes and reports emergency situations.
• Understands patient's biopsychosocial needs for the purpose of providing care and input to treatment plans.
• Performs Foley catheter insertions and IV management. With valid state certification, LPN will perform IV insertions utilizing aseptic techniques.
• Administers medications and treatments as directed by a licensed physician or registered nurse.
• Assists with patient transfers and ambulation as needed.
• Documents patient care activities accurately and comprehensively in the electronic health record.

Administrative Responsibilities

• Enters specific information into the patient's electronic record using appropriate formats, medical terminology, and templates.
• Establishes and maintains positive working relationships with employees, volunteers, consumers and stakeholders within the VA and outside community agencies.
• Attends all appropriate staff meetings (interdisciplinary treatment team meetings, other committees as appropriate).
• Identifies process and quality improvement opportunities and contributes to changes in processes through data collection.

Qualifications

• Full, active, current and unrestricted licensure as a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) in a State, Territory or Commonwealth of the United States, or District of Columbia.
• Completion of an approved school of practical or vocational nursing.
• 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.
• Completion of at least 1 year of qualifying experience at the GS-4 level or equivalent.
• Completion of at least one year of additional qualifying experience at the GS-5 level or equivalent, fully meeting all performance requirements for the GS-5 LPN/LVN.