Registered Nurse - Critical Care (Surgical Intensive Care Unit)

About the role

The Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU) is a 10-bed unit specializing in surgery, vascular surgery, neurosurgery and abdominal surgery. Duties include but not limited to:

• Participates, in collaboration with the multidisciplinary care team, in providing direct patient care to the critically ill Veteran post-operatively and any medical overflow patient.
• Responsible and accountable for individual nursing practice and delivery of optimal care (ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses).
• Trained on and maintains competence in use of low-use/high-risk equipment- IABP, CRRT and others. This includes equipment that promotes safety in patient movement, ambulation.
• Maintains monitoring of cardiac rhythms, ventilation status, lab values, mentation, post-operative considerations and other factors in providing direct patient care.
• Provides nursing report in team rounds in provision of patient advocacy.
• Utilizes established references to safely and effectively perform nursing procedures.
• Recognizes changes to patient condition requiring intervention and responds appropriately-change in VS and/or mentation, indication of respiratory distress, bleeding from operative or other sites, and other variations from normal/patient baseline.
• Formulates a plan of care based on nursing assessments, using the nursing process, based on the ANA Standards of Nursing. Adapts plan based on outcomes and evaluation.
• Includes the patient and family/significant other in developing the initial plan of care and establishing goals.
• Affords assessment of patient (and family) basic learning needs and provides instruction on basic health information and discharge instruction.
• Ensures documentation is consistent, accurate, concise, and timely-CPRS, BCMA, ICCA, and potentially others.
• Recognizes critical patient care situations and initiates effective actions in emergencies.
• Functions as a collegial team member in provision of care throughout the unit.

Responsibilities

Duties include but not limited to:

• Participates, in collaboration with the multidisciplinary care team, in providing direct patient care to the critically ill Veteran post-operatively and any medical overflow patient.
• Responsible and accountable for individual nursing practice and delivery of optimal care (ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses).
• Maintains monitoring of cardiac rhythms, ventilation status, lab values, mentation, post-operative considerations and other factors in providing direct patient care.
• Provides nursing report in team rounds in provision of patient advocacy.
• Utilizes established references to safely and effectively perform nursing procedures.
• Recognizes changes to patient condition requiring intervention and responds appropriately-change in VS and/or mentation, indication of respiratory distress, bleeding from operative or other sites, and other variations from normal/patient baseline.
• Formulates a plan of care based on nursing assessments, using the nursing process, based on the ANA Standards of Nursing. Adapts plan based on outcomes and evaluation.
• Includes the patient and family/significant other in developing the initial plan of care and establishing goals.
• Affords assessment of patient (and family) basic learning needs and provides instruction on basic health information and discharge instruction.
• Ensures documentation is consistent, accurate, concise, and timely-CPRS, BCMA, ICCA, and potentially others.
• Recognizes critical patient care situations and initiates effective actions in emergencies.
• Functions as a collegial team member in provision of care throughout the unit.

Requirements

Basic Requirements:

• English Language Proficiency.
• Graduate 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 program. Upon 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 program. Credit 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 Columbia. Graduate 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.)

Qualifications

Grade 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 grade. The 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/12946899.

Benefits

Competitive salary, regular salary increases, potential for performance awards
Paid Time Off: 50 days of paid time off per year (26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year)
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)
Licensure: 1 full and unrestricted license from any US State or territory

Pay

Competitive salary, regular salary increases, potential for performance awards

Schedule

Day/Night rotation depending on need. Shifts: 7:30AM to 4:00PM OR 7:30AM to 8:00PM OR 7:30PM to 8:00AM OR 11:30PM to 8:00AM. The goal being 3 months rotation at a time. Compressed/Flexible: Authorized Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: This position is eligible for EDRP, a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of your start date. Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP Participants are ineligible to apply for the program. Contact VHA.ELRSProgramSupport@va.gov for questions/assistance.

Skills

None specified

Benefits

Competitive salary, regular salary increases, potential for performance awards
Paid Time Off: 50 days of paid time off per year (26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year)
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)
Licensure: 1 full and unrestricted license from any US State or territory