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Registered Nurse - Chief Nurse of Acute Care

Veterans Health Administration · Department of Veterans Affairs

Open to the publicPermanentFull-time
Location
Los Angeles, CA
Salary
$191,482 – $228,000/yr
Pay grade
GS 4
Openings
1
Posted
Jun 11, 2026
Closes
Closes in 8 days

Summary

VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System (VAGLAHS) is seeking to hire experienced Registered Nurse to work as our Chief Nurse of Acute Care Units. As Chief Nurse, you will provide program management to ensure coordination of care, including oversight of nursing clinical practice, administrative, and leadership accountability for your assigned areas; execute leadership for integrated programs that cross service and/or discipline lines and influence the organizational mission and health care.

Duties

Major duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:
  • Functions as an advisor, administrator, educator, consultant, and mentor who possesses a wide range of experience and leadership ability.
  • Provides senior leadership and oversight for daily clinical and administrative operations within nursing as directed by the Associate Director for Patient Care Services (ADPCS) including but not limited to direct supervision to the nurse managers and assesses, plans, and evaluates the processes and daily operations for all programs and clinical units within span of control.
  • Responsible for all aspects of care that fall under the Acute Care service line, providing administrative oversight and direction in the programs within the service.
  • Possesses solid knowledge of nursing regulations and professional practice requirements, Veterans Health Administration (VHA) guidelines, medical review criteria, clinical practice and documentation requirements, current standards of care, and compliance guidelines.
  • Reviews performance measures and other data for trends and early intervention, formulates follow-up plans with Nurse Executive Team, Nurse Managers, and stakeholders within Nursing Service and the healthcare system.
  • Supports the integration and collaboration of nursing with other professional disciplines and functional areas in the mutual achievement of patient-centered and organizational goals.
  • Champions a High Reliability Organization (HRO) with a culture of safety founded on a systems approach to developing evidence-based health care solutions based on prevention, not punishment, with collective mindfulness.
  • Collaborates with interdisciplinary team members, including other program and service leaders at the facility and network.
  • Relates effectively with customers, families, and the community as well as program and service leaders at the local and network levels.
  • Assists the APDCS with healthcare operations and the functions and activities expected of them, and contributes ideas and recommendations for the establishment of standards of care, policies, and objectives for the enhancement of nursing.
VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package: VA Nurse Total Rewards

Pay: 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

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., but work schedule may be adjusted to meet the needs of the service.
Compressed/Flexible: Supervisor's Discretion
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Qualifications

Basic Requirements:
  • English Language Proficiency. In 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 English.
  • 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.)
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/certification.

The following Scope, Education and Dimension criteria must be met to qualify for Nurse IV:
  • Scope: Executes leadership that is characterized by substantial and continuous responsibility and accountability for population groups or integrated programs that cross service and/or discipline lines and influence organizational mission and health care.
  • Education: Master's degree in Nursing (MSN) and 4 years of professional nursing experience, one of which is specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse III and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse IV; OR Master's degree in a *related field with a BSN and 4 years of professional nursing experience, one of which is specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse III and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse IV; OR a Doctoral degree in nursing and 3 years of professional nursing experience, one of which is specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse III and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse IV; OR a Doctoral degree in a *related field with a BSN and 3 years of professional nursing experience, one of which is specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse III and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse IV. *Note: Foreign education programs/degrees are not creditable as related degrees.
  • Dimensions:
    • Leadership. Leads health care delivery by leveraging evidence-based practices, industry-leading research, and innovative care models. Drives a shared vision and successfully leads change to improve performance and attain measurable outcomes at the program or service level.
    • Business Acumen. Transforms health care by implementing new processes, technology, informatics, and data analytics using business models and fundamental concepts of resource management at the program or service level.
    • Inspiring an Industry-Leading Lifestyle. Employs an industry leading, shared decision-making lifestyle. Cultivates a workforce that serves Veterans, families and caregivers of all backgrounds and builds trust, lifestyle competencies and catalyzes dynamic teams at the program or service level.
    • Communication and Relationship Management. Directs the effective use of relationship management principles to achieve positive customer service experiences that are consistent with professional organizational values, beliefs and practices at the program or services level.
    • Professional and Social Responsibility. Operationalizes a lifestyle of holistic care, health advocacy and health equity. Applies ethical principles in decision-making at the program or service level. Advances nursing knowledge through health science research and the translation and dissemination of evidence into practice to maximize the value to Veterans and the community.
Preferred Experience:
  • Five (5) years of progressive leadership experience with a minimum of two (2) years as a Service Chief/Nurse Director overseeing multiple clinical departments in inpatient acute care settings.
  • Minimum 3-5 years of nursing experience in a variety of acute care settings with a strong emphasis on telemetry, step-down, and/or ICU environments.
  • Demonstrated ability to interpret, evaluate, and implement medical center policies, procedures, professional nursing standards, and assist staff in implementation of all the above.
  • Proven ability to analyze performance measures, develop achievable goals, and sustain benchmarks that demonstrate an improved patient experience.
  • Experience in leading multidisciplinary teams to facilitate agency objectives, including strategic planning, service implementation, and multidisciplinary project management.
  • Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to problem solve and effectively manage conflict resolution.
  • Relevant board certification in specialty nursing/leadership.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

Physical Requirements: Applicant must possess the ability to do the following: heavy lifting and carrying, 45 pounds and over; pulling, pushing and reaching above the shoulder; walking, standing, kneeling and repeated bending.

Requirements

  • U.S. Citizenship; non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
  • All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
  • Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
  • Subject to background/security investigation.
  • Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
  • Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
  • Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
  • You may be required to serve a probationary period.
  • Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

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