Practical Nurse

About the role

The Syracuse VA Medical Center is searching for 1 Licensed Practical Nurse for their Spinal Cord Injury clinic. This Licensed Practical Nurse delivers fundamental knowledge-based care to assigned patients while developing technical competencies.

Responsibilities

• Delivers fundamental knowledge-based care to assigned patients while developing technical competencies.
• Demonstrates unit/department specific competencies and competency in caring for adult and geriatric residents.
• Technically proficient in initiating, performing, and completing assigned duties in providing care to variable patient populations.
• Carries out assigned patient care based on the patient's condition, using judgment in selecting the appropriate order and sequence of procedures and treatments, and accurately recognizing, reporting, and recording relevant patient information.
• Observes and documents patient responses to medication and reports noted changes in the patient's condition.
• Recognizes and appropriately responds to breakage/malfunction or loss of equipment, safety hazards, and supply deficiencies.
• Initiates, performs, and completes assigned duties in providing care to variable patient populations.
• Carries out assigned patient care based on the patient's condition, using judgment in selecting the appropriate order and sequence of procedures and treatments, and accurately recognizing, reporting, and recording relevant patient information.
• Observes for physical and/or emotional changes in the patient's condition from prescribed medication/treatments, promptly and accurately documenting noted changes, and reporting any deviations from normal to RN or MD/DO.
• Recognizes and appropriately responds to urgent and emergent patient care situations and initiates appropriate emergency interventions as directed.
• Recognizes and understands human behavior, patient motivations, and reactions to situations and utilizes this knowledge in working effectively with patients, family members, and other staff.
• Fosters an environment of respect for individual patient and family rights to privacy and dignity in all aspects of care delivery.
• Incorporates knowledge and understanding of customer service standards in all interactions with patients, family members, and/or other internal/external customers.
• Performs support duties for complex diagnostic tests and/or specialized practices or procedures, which include preparing the patient, 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.
• Serves as a preceptor in orienting, educating, and training less experienced LPNs/LVNs or NAs/HTs related to support duties for these more complex, specialized tests/procedures.
• Actively seeks out educational opportunities to enhance nursing knowledge and skills, sharing new knowledge gained with other staff to improve and advance nursing practice.

Requirements

• Graduate of an approved school of practical or vocational nursing.
• One year of successful practice as an LPN/LVN.
• Active, full, and unrestricted licensure as a Graduate Licensed Practical or Vocational Nurse in a State, Territory, or Commonwealth of the United States or the District of Columbia.

Qualifications

• 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.
• Knowledge and ability to recognize the need for and to institute emergency measures and assist in resuscitation procedures in cardiac and/or pulmonary arrest.
• Recognition and appropriate response to breakage/malfunction or loss of equipment, safety hazards, and supply deficiencies.
• 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.
• Establishes constructive relationships with individual patients and their families to elicit feelings and attitudes, to promote positive relationships, communication, and socialization skills.
• Effectively incorporates knowledge and understanding of customer service standards in all interactions with patients, family members, and/or other internal/external customers.
• Knowledge and skill in performing support duties for complex diagnostic tests and/or specialized practices or procedures, which includes preparing the patient, 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.
• Serves as a preceptor in orienting, educating, and training less experienced LPNs/LVNs or NAs/HTs related to support duties for these more complex, specialized tests/procedures.
• Actively seeks out educational opportunities to enhance nursing knowledge and skills, sharing new knowledge gained with other staff to improve and advance nursing practice.

Skills

• Basic technical competence and skill.
• Ability to observe, identify, and respond to the patient's needs for care including medication, equipment-assisted care, and patient/family education.
• Ability to organize and deliver care, recognizing and considering emotional, socio-economic, and age-related factors.
• Ability to prepare and administer prescribed medications (oral, topical, subcutaneous, intramuscular, and/or intravenous) and perform treatments according to established policies/procedures.
• Ability to recognize and respond to physical and/or emotional changes in the patient's condition from prescribed medication/treatments.
• Ability to recognize urgent and emergent patient care situations and initiate appropriate emergency interventions as directed.
• Ability to recognize and understand human behavior, patient motivations, and reactions to situations and utilize this knowledge in working effectively with patients, family members, and other staff.
• Ability to foster an environment of respect for individual patient and family rights to privacy and dignity in all aspects of care delivery.
• Ability to incorporate knowledge and understanding of customer service standards in all interactions with patients, family members, and/or other internal/external customers.
• Ability to perform support duties for complex diagnostic tests and/or specialized practices or procedures, which includes preparing the patient, 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.
• Ability to serve as a preceptor in orienting, educating, and training less experienced LPNs/LVNs or NAs/HTs related to support duties for these more complex, specialized tests/procedures.
• Ability to actively seek out educational opportunities to enhance nursing knowledge and skills, sharing new knowledge gained with other staff to improve and advance nursing practice.

Benefits

• Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting).
• VA 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA.
• Annual leave - 13-26 days.
• Sick leave - 13 days.
• 11 paid Federal holidays per year.
• 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.
• Up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.
• Retirement plan with competitive salary and regular salary increases.
• Paid time off - 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year.
• Telework: Not Available.
• Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Pay

Competitive salary and regular salary increases.

Schedule

Full time - Night shift.