Registered Nurse Case Manager/Care Coordinator

Summary The VA San Diego Healthcare System (VASDHS) is a Level 1a major interdisciplinary teaching healthcare system - offering a variety of Inpatient and Outpatient services to Veterans at the medical center in La Jolla and at the six Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs) located in Chula Vista - Escondido - Imperial Valley - Kearny Mesa - Oceanside - Sorrento Valley - and Rio Clinic. The VASDHS provides high quality care with advanced technologies and a compassionate service to Veterans. Qualifications Basic Requirements: English Language ProficiencyIn 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 EnglishGraduate 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 programUpon 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 programCredit 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 ColumbiaGraduate 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.) 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/certificationGrade 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 gradeThe 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/13088451Grade/Level Scope Education Nurse I - Level I Delivers fundamental - knowledge-based care to assigned clients while developing technical competenciesAn Associate Degree (ADN) or Diploma in Nursing - with no additional professional nursing requiredNurse I - Level II Demonstrates integration of biopsychosocial concepts - cognitive skills and technically competent practice in providing care to clients with basic or complexAn 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 requiredNurse I - Level III Demonstrates proficiency in practice based on conscious and deliberate planningSelf-directed in goal setting for managing complex client situationsAn ADN or Diploma in Nursing AND 2 years of professional nursing experience in which one year is equivalent to Nurse I - Level 2OR a BSN and 1 year of professional nursing experience equivalent to the Nurse I - Level 2OR a Master's degree in nursing (MSN) and no additional professional nursing experienceOR a Master's degree in a *related field with a BSN and no additional professional nursing experienceNurse II Demonstrates leadership in delivering and improving holistic care through collaborative strategies with othersA BSN with 2 years of professional nursing equivalent to Nurse I - Level 3OR an MSN with one year of specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse I - Level 3OR a Master's degree in a *related field with a BSN and one year of specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse I - Level 3OR a Doctoral degree in Nursing with no professional nursing experienceOR a Doctoral degree in a *related field with a BSN with no additional professional nursing experienceNurse III Executes position responsibilities that demonstrate leadership - experience and creative approaches to management of complex client care beyond the immediate practice settingMSN and 2 years of specialized nursing experience - one of which is equivalent to Nurse II and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse IIIOR 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 IIIOR a Doctoral degree in Nursing with and one year of specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse II and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse IIIOR 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 degreesPreferred Experiences: 1-2 years current experience in Surgical Care Coordination - specifically in Urology - General Surgery - CT - Vascular experience helpfulOR experience in GS - CT - Vascular helpfulReference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/Physical Requirements: In accordance with VA Directive and Handbook 5019Physical Requirements: Heavy Lifting and Carrying (45 lbsand over)Straight Pulling - Pushing - Walking - Standing - Kneeling - Repeated bending - Keyboarding - Viewing computer screen (8 - 12 hours)Reaching above shoulderUse of fingersBoth hands and legs requiredAbility for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneouslyNear vision correctable at 13"" to 16"" to Jaeger 1 to 4Far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and 20/40 in the otherDepth perceptionAbility to distinguish basic colors and shades of colorsHearing (aid permitted)and Emotional/Mental stability. Duties Demonstrates sound clinical judgment and leadership in improving patient care using the nursing process for patients requiring specialized or complex care independentlyProvides patient care in the surgical specialty clinics as neededProvides surgical care coordination from the point of decision for surgery until patient post-op tenure is completed or they are returned to PACT/Primary Care provider for continued follow-upMeets and collaborates with an interprofessional team to discuss and determine a plan of care for surgical patients prior to surgery and any necessary follow-ups post-surgeryAssists the surgical team in monitoring surgical patients requiring ongoing surgical care until the surgeon releases the patient back to primary careApplies the nursing process(assessment - diagnosis - outcome identification - planning - implementation - and evaluation) to all aspects of patient careServes as a subject-matter resource for multiple surgical specialties as assignedHelps veterans navigate through the pre-op process - including necessary consults - appointments - testing - education - etcCoordinates surgical case scheduling with clinical support staff - physicians - social workers - case managers - etc. - to ensure timely surgical patient careCollaborates with clinic nurses and other employees to help coordinate clinic visits - pre-surgical medical studies(radiology - nuclear medicine - labs - etc.) - consults and clearances from other specialties - treatments - and/or procedures for surgical patientsCommunicates the needs of the surgical team - including equipment - implants - and supplies to successfully perform scheduled proceduresEnsures all surgical patients are medically cleared prior to the planned/scheduled surgery dateFunctions as a liaison between all members of the Surgical Specialty team (attending surgeons - residents - and fellows) - administrative support staff ( AS - MSAs - etc.) - surgical clinic staff - Ambulatory Service Unit (ASU) - Operating Room (OR) - inpatient nursing units - etcProvides excellent customer service as a liaison between patients and families to support education - emotional support - and surgical care coordination within the medical facility or non-VA contract facilitiesTriages and addresses phone messages - secure messages - and consults as neededServes as the primary contact for scheduling surgical patients for surgeryMaintains all mandatory and clinical competencies required for the positionCoordinates patient referrals for surgical risk stratification - completion of evaluation - and surgery date selectionAddresses the psychological needs of pre and post operative patients as neededTriages all surgical requests for urgency of schedulingOptimizes the use of the surgical block schedule for available operating room timeCollaborates with surgical attendings - fellows - and chief residents to maximize OR surgical timeCompletes surgical planning worksheetsCoordinates surgical case entry into DSS (PeriOp Live) and ensures correct information is entered at least 72 hours prior to surgical procedureNotifies the Operating Room NM/ANM and Operating Room Schedulers of any changes to surgical requests and any future block time/surgical time that will not be utilized by the service (minimum of two weeks in advance for unused surgical time)Coordinates requested implants - equipment - instrumentation - and supplies required for surgery with the attending surgeons - residents - vendors - implant coordinator - operating room unit coordinator - and sterile processing leadsCollaborates with Surgeons - Anesthesia team - and Operating Room to coordinate urgent/emergency surgical schedulingMaintains a surgical referral databaseReviews the qualifications and competence of privileged providers/staff who provide patient care servicesAddresses customer complaints with optimal Service Recovery techniquesCollaborates with multiple disciplines and departments to improve surgical efficiency and delivery of patient careArranges transportation - home-care needs - and lodging as neededDemonstrates an ability to be flexible - organized - and function under stressful situations - adjusting to the uneven workflow and changing priorities of the surgical suiteRecognizes and responds to patients in emergency and physically stressful situations as appropriatePerforms other duties as assignedVA offers a comprehensive total rewards package: VA Nurse Total Rewards Licensure: 1 full and unrestricted license from any US State or territory Work Schedule: Full time Compressed/Flexible: N/A Telework: N/A Virtual: This is not a virtual positionRelocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized