Registered Nurse - Regional Nursing Officer

The Nurse V Regional Nursing Officer (RNO) serves as the senior nursing executive for the Health Service Area (HSA) with responsibility for complex nursing, clinical, and administrative matters that includes multiple VA medical facilities with varying levels of service complexity. The RNO provides strategic direction, organizational assessment, resource management, and the execution of mission-driven initiatives.

Duties include but not limited to:

• Leads, practices in, and monitors the outcomes of governance and organizational meetings within the assigned area of responsibility and provides recommendations that may have a direct and substantial effect on HSA and medical center operations.
• Applies knowledge of clinical systems, programs, nursing practice, and organizational priorities to support coordinated decision-making and Veteran and employee education.
• Provides executive oversight for nursing practice, sterile processing, and other assigned clinical or administrative services across the HSA.
• Analyzes nursing data, monitors nursing practice trends, identifies emerging issues, and provides expert consultation on care delivery and practice.
• Provides professional nursing oversight and support for performance appraisal review, development and revision of functional statements, and evaluation of practice.
• Oversees the development, implementation, and evaluation of guidance documents, including standard operating procedures and protocols, that support national policies and care delivery requirements.
• Represents and advocates for nursing at the regional level and advances standardized, evidence-based nursing practice across the HSA and associated medical facilities.
• Serves as a subject matter expert and consultant to HSA and facility leaders regarding nursing care delivery, professional practice, and the application of policy to clinical operations.
• Identifies opportunities to improve clinical and programmatic operations across the region and takes appropriate action to promote operational coordination, stabilization, alignment, and clarity across divisions, functions, and components.
• Collaborates with Veteran Integrated Service Network (VISN) leadership and teams to coordinate HSA engagement in the implementation and sustainment of Electronic Health Record Modernization (EHRM) and other enterprise transformation initiatives.
• Facilitates integration and collaboration between nursing, other professional disciplines, and functional areas to achieve patient-centered care and organizational performance.
• Champions High Reliability Organization (HRO) principles and a culture of safety grounded in systems thinking, collective mindfulness, prevention, learning, and evidence-based health care solutions.
• Acts as a catalyst for change, promoting continuous improvement by fostering inquiry, innovation, data analyses, and translating evidence and research into practice.
• Supports compliance with applicable accreditation requirements, federal standards, and organizational expectations within the assigned scope of responsibility.
• Leads workforce and succession planning and promotes a healthy work environment through shared decision-making, professional development, psychological safety, and ongoing learning.
• Fosters a culture that supports optimized practice aligned with education, training, certification, and ICARE principles, with the goal of improving employee engagement, patient outcomes, and Veteran satisfaction.
• Collaborates with VA medical centers and associated facilities, other HSAs within the VISN, VISN leadership, the Medical Operations Center (MOC), Veterans Health Administration Central Office (VHACO), and other key stakeholders.
• Builds consensus and cooperation among HSA and facility leaders, communicates with transparency and integrity, and represents regional nursing priorities in varied forums. Through these relationships, the RNO advances coordinated implementation of nursing, clinical, and organizational priorities across the HSA.

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, 08:00am - 04:30pm
Telework: Ad-Hoc eligible
Duty Location: Duty Location negotiable after selection. Location will fall within HSA 4.1 catchment area encompassing the following locations:

• Biloxi, MS
• Jackson, MS
• New Orleans, LA
• Pineville, LA
• Shreveport, LA
• Fayetteville, AR
• Little Rock, AR
• North Little Rock, AR
• Muskogee, OK
• Oklahoma City, OK
• Houston, TX

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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.

Grade Determinations: 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:

• Experience serving in an Executive Leadership role.
• Adept in decision making, facility planning, and resource management.
• Highly experienced in information sharing/dissemination and program evaluation.

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

Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary, although some slight physical effort may be required.

The Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing (BSN), Master of Science degree in Nursing (MSN), or Doctoral degree in Nursing 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.

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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.