Practical Nurse (Outpatient)

About the Position: This position is located at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth in Portsmouth, Virginia.

This is a Direct Hire Authority (DHA) solicitation utilizing the DHA for Certain Personnel of the DoD to recruit and appoint qualified candidates to positions in the competitive service.

Provide practical nursing care to patients in theoutpatient clinic with a variety of medical conditions. | Initiate and maintain medical histories on patients, records observations, and identifies symptoms for use by the clinician. | Conduct focused nursing assessments and contributes to the care plan in collaboration with the healthcare team. | Communicate with patients and families to ensure they are informed about care plans and progress. | Administers prescribed medications with increased independence, ensuring proper patient dosages, routes, and times are followed. | Collaborate with the healthcare team to ensure safe and effective management of patient medications.

Who May Apply: US Citizens

In order to qualify, you must meet the experience requirements described below. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document.

Basic Requirement for Practical Nurse:

Licensure: A current license to practice as a practical or vocational nurse in a State, territory of the United States, or the District of Columbia; OR must have applied for a license to practice. Applications of candidates possessing a license must be accompanied by a certified or photostatic copy of the license, a notarized statement attesting to the fact, or a citation of the license number and State issuing it. Non-licensed candidates who have completed their training may be appointed subject to obtaining the required license during the probationary period. Those not licensed must furnish the date on which they applied for a license and the jurisdiction involved. No person appointed pending licensure may be retained beyond the probationary period if licensure has not been attained.

In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirement listed below:

Experience: One year of nursing experience in a hospital, outpatient clinic, nursing home, or other supervised medical, nursing, or patient care facility that provided a practical knowledge of human body structure and sterile techniques and procedures, performing such duties as: measuring patients' vital signs; administering immunizations or medications via various routes; screening or updating patient medical records; assisting with routine procedures such as electrocardiograms (EKGs), pulmonary function tests, wound care, audiograms, or vision screenings; and coordinating patient assignments. This definition of nursing experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-04).

Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required experience in order to qualify. For this job, you must meet the qualification requirement using experience alone--no substitution of education for experience is permitted.

Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation. | This position requires the incumbent be able to obtain and maintain a determination of eligibility for a Secret security clearance or access for the duration of employment. A background investigation and credit check are required. | All applicants tentatively selected for this position will be required to submit a urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. | This position is subject to a pre-employment screening, and random drug testing, to include testing based on reasonable suspicion and testing due to direct involvement with an on-duty accident. | This position has specific initial background investigation and periodic re-verification requirements since its duties require interaction with children and youth under the age of eighteen (18)years of age on a recurring basis. | This position is required to work uncommon tours of duty hours such as, on-call, working either fixed or rotating shifts, evenings, weekends and/or holidays. | Immunization screening is required. Hepatitis B immunization is required for all positions with direct patient contact. Applicants may be required to show proof of other immunizations depending on the type of position. | This position has mandatory seasonal Influenza vaccination requirements and is subject to annual seasonal Influenza vaccinations unless otherwise exempted for medical or religious reasons (documentation of exemption must be provided upon hire). | This position requires the incumbent to have Tuberculosis testing. | This position is subject to TDY or business travel requirements to various locations. This may require travel via privately owned vehicles, commercial transport platforms, and/or military aircraft, ships, and vehicles. | This position requires the completion of a pre-employment Physical Examination and an annual examination thereafter to ensure the continued, required level of physical health and ability or fitness to perform the duties of the position. | This position has been designated Mission Essential. In the event of severe weather conditions or other such emergency type situations, the incumbent is required to report to work or remain at work as scheduled to support mission operations.