Nurse (Quality/Safety)

This position is located in the Indian Health Service, Office of Quality, Division of Quality Assurance and Patient Safety, Rockville, MD. A REAL ID will be required beginning May 7, 2025, in accordance with 6 C.F.R. 37.5 (2021).

Responsibilities

• Develops and recommends options for various requirements, activities, and programs regarding patient safety for hospitals, critical access hospitals, ambulatory health centers, and behavioral health facilities within the Indian Health Service.
• Develops, implements, coordinates, and maintains updated patient safety continuing education and patient safety training to meet the agency's identified needs.
• Develops, implements, and evaluates the IHS Sterile Processing/High-Level Disinfection (HLD) program.
• Directs and oversees investigations of unusual hospital infection outbreaks by Area Offices and Service Units, consulting with Indian Health Service Headquarter staff, county/state public health departments, and when necessary, in consultation with the Center for Disease Control (CDC).
• Evaluates the effectiveness of surveillance plans and recommends modifications as necessary.
• Assesses, evaluates, and makes decisions using evidence-based practice for the implementation of data, planning and refining methods.
• Uses Indian Health Service Total System Safety Strategy to develop, implement, and evaluate a national patient safety program that supports compliance with accreditation and national program standards.
• Serves as an advisor on policy and procedure development and maintenance.
• Advocates for resources to implement the Sterile Processing and HLD Program/services at the Headquarter, Area and Service Unit levels.
• Oversees, develops and manages a curriculum for Sterile Processing/HLD education to all Indian Health Service staff tailored to appropriate responsibilities and levels of understanding.
• Stays abreast of Infection Control and Prevention guidelines, regulations and standards, as well as the Indian Health Service Infection Control program to maintain availability to act as back-up for program manager when needed.
• Collaborates with Headquarters Infection Control Program Manager, Area Infection Control Consultants and Service Unit Infection Control Prevention and Control departments/staff, Nursing, and Dental Infection Control subject matter expert to support maintaining standards of Sterile Processing/HLD on the application, interpretation and implementation of policies and procedures related to each area.
• Serves as a member of the Infection Control and Prevention sub-committee to develop sterile processing and HLD improvement efforts at the agency and facility levels.
• Serves as a Nurse Consultant, on the Total System Safety sub-committee to develop patient safety measures for program evaluation at the agency and facility levels.
• Serves as a review lead for contracts related to Office of Quality based software and serves as the Contract Officers Representative.

Requirements

• U.S. Citizenship is required.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• This is a designated position covered by Public Law 101-630, requiring contact or control over Indian children. Due to this requirement, the agency must ensure that persons hired for these positions have not been found guilty of or pleaded nolo contendere or guilty to certain crimes.
• Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check.
• You will need to set up direct deposit for payment.
• This position requires the successful completion of a federal background investigation as a condition of employment.
• This position requires a review of the applicant's financial history as part of the personnel security and suitability determination.
• Prior to the appointment, candidates must present two valid forms of identification. If one of the documents is a state-issued ID or driver's license, it must be REAL ID-compliant.
• The incumbent must obtain Level I Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) certification within one year of appointment and maintain the certification.
• The incumbent must obtain Certification as a Certified Professional In-Patient Safety (CPPS) by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) or become a CPPS within one year of hire.
• This position requires the incumbent to become Certified in Infection Control (CIC) within one year of hire.
• This position requires certification directly related to Sterile Processing/High-level Disinfection.

Qualifications

This is a competitive vacancy announcement advertised under Direct Hire Authority. Selections made under this vacancy announcement will be processed as new appointments to the civil service.

Basic Requirement(s):

• Education: A graduate or higher-level degree, bachelor's degree, associate degree, or diploma from an accredited professional nursing educational program is required. This education must have been accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs, Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education, or an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained.
• Foreign Nursing School: Official certification from the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools is required for individuals who graduated from foreign nursing schools.
• Licensure: The work experience must have equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. At the GS-9 and above grade level, many positions may require experience in a specialty area of nursing.

For the GS-13 (or equivalent) Grade Level:

In addition to the mandatory license and education described above under Basic Requirements, applicants must have at least one or more full years of professional nursing experience that is equivalent to the next lower grade level. Your resume must demonstrate at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level in the Federal service obtained in either the private or public sector performing the following type of work and/or tasks:

• Experience in infection prevention and control principles with emphasis on high-level disinfection (HLD), sterilization, and reusable medical device reprocessing within a healthcare organization.
• Experience developing, implementing, evaluating, and monitoring infection prevention, quality assurance, and patient safety programs related to sterilization and high-level disinfection; conducting surveillance, audits, and risk assessments to identify trends and ensure compliance with evidence-based practices.
• Analyzing quality and infection prevention data to develop corrective action plans.
• Ensuring compliance with accreditation and regulatory requirements, including The Joint Commission (TJC), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI), manufacturers' Instructions for Use (IFUs), and other applicable standards governing reusable medical device reprocessing.
• Experience providing expert consultation and technical guidance to Sterile Processing, Endoscopy, Operating Room, and clinical staff; developing and delivering education and competency-based training.
• Collaborating with interdisciplinary teams to improve patient safety, reduce healthcare-associated infection risk, and support continuous quality improvement initiatives related to high-level disinfection and sterilization processes.

Education

This position has an education requirement. You are strongly encouraged to submit a copy of your transcripts or a list of your courses including titles, credit hours completed, and grades. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted in the application package. Official transcripts will be required from all selectees prior to receiving an official offer. Only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education may be credited. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following website: https://www.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/.