Registered Nurse (Patient Aligned Care Team)

The Registered Nurse will serve as a primary care nurse in support of the physician or advanced practice provider. Duties will include, but not be limited to, oversight of nursing staff, patient intake, documentation, point of care testing and health screening. The RN will assess, triage, take histories and document conditions and concerns for Veterans presenting to the clinic and via the telephone. The RN is responsible for promoting an environment that supports caring and courteous service, safe patient care, and positive working relationships. The clinical nurse will coordinate care through the health continuum using health education, health coaching, and health promotion.

General Description of Assigned Duties:

The PACT Registered Nurse provides direct Veteran care and care coordination, as it pertains, to Veterans and their care within the Primary Care Department. Manages assigned panel(s), utilizes registries, and ensures appropriate evaluation and access is provided to patient panels. This nurse provides health promotion, health education and coaching on wellness, disease prevention, and chronic care management. The nurse will assist in directing the provision of nursing education, orientation, competencies and providing quality improvement and outcomes utilization.

The PACT Registered Nurse evaluates practice in an ongoing process, based on best evidence. Provides peers with informal constructive feedback for improvement. Fosters a safe and supportive environment conducive to the professional development of healthcare professionals. Contributes professional outpatient nursing perspective in discussions with the interdisciplinary team. Partners with others to effect change and produce optimal outcomes. Supports colleagues through knowledge sharing to provide safe, quality outpatient nursing care. Shares educational findings, experiences, and ideas with peers. Questions PACT clinical practices for the purpose of providing evidence-based care. Participates in activities and strategies to sustain evidence-based-practice.

• The PACT Registered Nurse assumes the role of Charge or Co-charge Nurse. Demonstrates timely and effective communication. Promotes seamless care coordination. Ensures effective and timely management of CPRS alerts, Call Center Relay Messaging Queue (CMRQ), and Secure Messaging by ensuring that patients' requests are acknowledged within 72 hours of receipt. Consistently complies with the Standard of Work (SOW) for ED and Inpatient 2-day post discharge calls.
• Collaborates with patients and interdisciplinary teams. Responsible for a robust chronic disease management program. Monitors PACT metrics with particular emphasis on HEDIS measures. Demonstrates proficiency in PACT reports including eQM (electronic quality management), VSSC (VA Support Service Center), SAIL and Primary Care Almanac, and PACT Compass. Collaborates with the patients and care teams to develop meaningful goals for patients.
• Contributes to Accreditation Readiness including Quick Sweeps, Environment of Care (EOC) rounds, and clinic daily logs. Leads and/or participates in daily huddles. Initiates and follows through with patient schedule scrubbing days to weeks in advance. Conducts Outreach to patients prior to appointment time to complete reminders. Triages walk-in patients and collaborate with providers to determine a plan of care. Conducts nurse visits and provide patient education. Rooms patients, performs treatments, administers medications, performs other patient care duties. Follows up on Community Care Consults.

Preferred Experience:

• 2-3 years Primary Care experience
• Direct patient care within the last 2 years.

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 8:00a.m.- 5:00p.m./ 7:30a.m-4p.m.
Telework: Not authorized
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

• 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.)

• 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 evaluation/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.