Registered Nurse (Hospice/Palliative Care Program, GEC)

About the role

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific eligibility requirements per VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) & eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP participants are ineligible to apply.

Responsibilities

• Provide care for ongoing nursing care to Long-term Care Residents and perform an array of clinical skills such as medication administration, IV infusions, PCA pumps, Tube Feedings, PICC lines, Wound Care, Pressure Injury Prevention strategies, Tracheostomy care, Electrocardiograms (EKG), Ostomy Care, end of life care and palliative care.
• RN demonstrates proficiency using the nursing process in providing care for residents with complex nursing care needs.
• Guides and directs other who provide resident-centered care.
• Completes initial assessments and reassessments of the resident's condition and response to treatment.
• Affirms resident learning needs, learning preferences, and readiness to learn.
• Develops and implements a plan of care to meet needs and instructs residents and/or families.
• Promotes care planning and continuity of care through developing an individualized plan of care in collaboration with the Resident, family, and interdisciplinary health care team.
• Administers prescribed therapies using appropriate nursing judgment. Initiates referrals to other disciplines and/or Services as appropriate.
• Assumes responsibility and accountability for judgments and professional nursing actions.
• Delegates care in a safe, efficient, and cost-effective manner.
• Assumes responsibility for the coordination of care focused on patient education, self-management, and customer satisfaction throughout the continuum of care.
• Responsible and accountable for individual nursing practice and determines the appropriate delegation of tasks consistent with the nurse's obligation to provide optimal care.

Requirements

• Ability to formulate a plan of care based on nursing assessments.
• Seeks documentation guidance from the Minimum Data Set (MDS) Coordinator to ensure accuracy of the Resource Utilization Group (RUG) score.
• The incumbent is accountable to the Nurse Manager who provides the administrative and clinical supervision to include general instruction, plans and assigns work, assigns time schedules, approves leave, and completes performance evaluations.
• Knowledge of professional nursing practice and the ability to apply the nursing process (assessment, diagnosis, outcome identification, planning, implementation, and evaluation) with close supervision.
• Knowledge of Veteran/patient driven care, patient experience, satisfaction, and safety.
• Communicates, collaborates, and utilizes leadership principles to perform as an effective member of the interprofessional team.
• Incorporates educational resources/opportunities and self-evaluation for professional growth.

Qualifications

• 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.)
• 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/12982666.