Registered Nurse - Nurse Manager

About the role

Eastern Oklahoma VA Health Care System is a Joint Commission accredited Level 1c complexity facility that includes a 61‑bed hospital in Muskogee and six community‑based outpatient clinics in Tulsa, Bartlesville, Claremore, Vinita, McAlester, and Idabel. In 2021 Congress approved federal funding for a new Veterans Hospital in Tulsa, the first hospital to be built under the Communities Helping Invest through Property and Improvements Needed for Veterans Act of 2016.

Responsibilities

• Responsible and accountable for all elements of the nursing process when providing or supervising direct patient care.
• Assesses, plans, implements, and evaluates delivery of care based on age‑specific components.
• 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 the operation of assigned units and provides coverage for other Nurse Managers as needed.
• Responsible and accountable for the direction and supervision of specific orientation, training, development of staff, and evaluation of individual staff performance.
• Functions as a role model, educator, practitioner, and supervisor providing leadership to the team.
• Enhances care outcomes by collaborating with interdisciplinary team members to remove barriers and implement new evidence‑based cutting‑edge programs/processes.
• Engages in professional organizations to enhance leadership and career growth.
• Adheres to ethical principles in decision‑making, fostering accountability at personal, organizational, and staff levels.
• Equips staff with tools for competent care and promotes an environment of accountability for high‑quality, cost‑effective outcomes.
• Promotes alliances across the care continuum, building trust through active listening, engagement, and emotional intelligence.
• Performs all other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• English Language Proficiency: proficiency in basic written and spoken English required per 38 U.S.C. 7403(f).
• Education: graduation from a school of professional nursing approved by the appropriate accrediting agency and accredited by either ACEN or CCNE at the time of program completion.
• Alternative education: individuals in a master’s‑level bridge program who have completed coursework equivalent to a bachelor’s degree in nursing may become state‑licensed prior to bridge completion; after licensure they may be appointed temporarily and later converted to permanent upon graduation.
• Foreign‑educated nurses: current, full, active, and unrestricted registration meets the requirement for an associate‑degree/entry‑level nursing education; higher foreign education requires formal degree equivalency validation (e.g., International Consultants of Delaware).
• Licensure: current, full, active, and unrestricted registration as a graduate professional nurse in any U.S. state, territory, commonwealth, or the District of Columbia.
• Graduate Nurse Technician (GNT) exception: candidates meeting basic education requirements but lacking licensure may be appointed at the entry step of the applicable grade/level as a GNT on a 120‑day temporary appointment (extendable up to two years) while pursuing licensure.
• Grandfathering provision: all VHA employees in the 0610 series performing the described duties on the effective date (1/29/2024) are considered to have met all qualification requirements for their current grade, including education and licensure/certification.

Qualifications

• Nurse I – Level I: delivers fundamental knowledge‑based care while developing technical competencies; requires an Associate Degree (ADN) or Diploma in Nursing with no additional professional nursing experience.
• Nurse I – Level II: demonstrates integration of biopsychosocial concepts, cognitive skills, and technically competent practice for basic or complex client care; requires ADN/Diploma plus