Registered Nurse (Deputy Associate Director of Patient Care Services)

This Registered Nurse - Deputy ADPCS position is located in Nursing Service at the White River Junction location. This position is full-time at 40 hours per week.

NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

Included but are not limited to:

The Deputy ADPCS functions as a member of the senior executive leadership team of the organization for strategic planning, organizational assessment, program development and is direct supervisor to the Associate Chiefs of Nursing Service (ACNS) Acute Care (A/C) and Quality and Performance (Q&P), Staffing Coordinator Nurse, Patient Care Coordinators, Nursing Service Administrative Officer, and Nursing Service Secretary, including oversight of each clinical area. The Incumbent is accountable for providing primary assistance to the ADPCS. The Deputy ADPCS provides coverage and is the spokesperson and leader for patient care services to include Nursing Service, Nursing Education, Social Work, GEC, and Sterilization Processing Services in the absence of the ADPCS. The Deputy ADPCS is a professional nurse who applies current leadership, management, and performance improvement concepts and participates in developing and implementing strategies for improving the quality of care delivered to patients in the assigned areas. Such a plan creates a professional practice environment that fosters excellence in nursing services, evidence-based practice, staff recruitment and retention, nursing research and scholarly inquiry as well as customer satisfaction. The Deputy ADPCS has responsibility for ensuring the continuous and timely availability of quality patient care services as directed by the ADPCS. The Deputy ADPCS is the catalyst for the integration and collaboration of nursing with other professional disciplines and functional areas in the mutual achievement of patient-centered and organizational goals. The Incumbent champions a High Reliability Organization with a culture of safety founded on a systems approach to developing evidence-based health care solutions based on prevention, not punishment and collective mindfulness. The Incumbent provides organizational leadership skills to develop and achieve performance measures and to support strategic planning initiatives.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday; 07:30 a.m. - 04:00 p.m.
Telework: Yes, may be authorized on an ad-hoc basis at the supervisor's discretion.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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

Notifications:

• This position is in the Excepted Service.
• This position is covered by a special rate.
• The salary is based on the grade and step approved for the selected candidate.
• Veterans' preference does not apply for internal or other current permanent Federal agency employees.
• The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below
• If you are a current federal employee, you are required to attach your Most Recent non-award SF-50. This should be a SF-50 from the current calendar year which shows your current position, grade and step. Award SF-50's do not provide sufficient information and will not be accepted.

VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package: VA Nurse Total Rewards

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 V:

• Scope: Practice of an executive nature, comprised of complex leadership and administrative components, associated with critical health care issues and activities that drive meeting the organizational mission, health care and policy.
• Education: Master's degree in Nursing (MSN) and 5 years of professional nursing experience, one of which is specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse IV and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse V; OR Master's degree in a *related field with a BSN and 5 years of professional nursing experience, one of which is specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse IV and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse V; OR a Doctoral degree in Nursing and 4 years of professional nursing experience, one of which is specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse IV and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse V; OR a Doctoral 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 IV and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse V. *Note: Foreign education programs/degrees are not creditable as related degrees.
• Dimension Requirements:
  • Leadership. Establishes the strategic direction for health care delivery, evidence-based practices, industry-leading research, and innovative care models. Creates a shared vision and successfully leads change to improve performance and attain measurable outcomes at the organization or enterprise level.
  • Business Acumen. Transforms health care through the application of new processes, technology, informatics, data analytics, business principles, systems thinking and resource management at the organization or enterprise level.
  • Inspiring an Industry-Leading Lifestyle. Establishes an industry leading, shared decision-making lifestyle; a workforce that serves Veterans, families, and caregivers of all backgrounds; builds trust and lifestyle competencies and catalyzes dynamic teams at the organization and enterprise level.
  • Communication and Relationship Management. Drives the effective use of relationship management principles to achieve positive customer service experiences that are consistent with professional and organizational values, beliefs, and practices at the organizational or enterprise level.
  • Professional and Social Responsibility. Sets the standard for a lifestyle of holistic care, health advocacy and health equity. Applies ethical principles in decision-making at the organization or enterprise level. Advances nursing knowledge through health science research and the translation and dissemination of evidence into practice to maximize the value to Veterans, the community, and the health care industry.

Preferred Experience:

• VA leadership experience
• 5+ years in leadership role
• Served as a Nurse Executive, Deputy and/or Chief Nurse in a large healthcare system, preferrable an academic setting
• Leading quality management, patient safety initiatives
• Proficient in change management
• Strong staffing/resource management experience
• Skilled in policy development/EBP and implementation

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

Physical Requirements: All applicants must be physically able to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position. A pre-placement physical examination shall be completed prior to appointment.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.The Associate Degree Nursing (ADN), Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing (BSN), or Master of Science degree in Nursing (MSN) must be fully accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) or the Commission On Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). Verification of accreditation may be obtained from http://www.acenursing.us/accreditedprograms/programsearch.htm or https://directory.ccnecommunity.org/reports/accprog.asp.

• If your school has changed names, or is no longer in existence, you must provide this information in your application.
• If your school was accredited by ACEN or CCNE at the time of graduation, but is no longer listed on the websites, you must provide documentation of accreditation with your application packet.