Registered Nurse - Surgery Clinic

The RN serves as a member of the interdisciplinary health care team and is responsible for assessment, care coordination, patient education, clinical triage, and follow-up care within the scope of practice, applicable policies, and professional standards.

The RN performs comprehensive nursing assessments, including psychosocial, functional and health-risk assessments.

The RN provides direct nursing care, including medication administration, treatments, wound care, injections, specimen collection, patient monitoring, and other clinic-based procedures.

The RN recognizes changes in patient condition and initiates appropriate interventions, escalation, emergency response, and provider notification. The RN uses clinical judgement to prioritize care and manage multiple patients and competing demands.

The RN responds to patient calls, secure messages, walk-ins, and other clinical inquiries.

The RN obtains and documents pertinent information, determines urgency of concern, provides nursing advice within scope and coordinates timely follow-up. The RN coordinates care among providers, services, facilities, caregivers and community resources.

The RN tracks referrals, diagnostic testing, consultations, hospitalizations, and follow-up appointments.

The RN communicates effectively with patients, families, caregivers, providers, and interdisciplinary team members, maintains confidentiality and compiles with applicable privacy, security, and information-management requirements.

The RN participates in quality improvement, patient safety, infection prevention, risk management, and performance measurement activities.

This position potentially requires flexibility in schedule and assignments, as this is a 24/7 hospital. The incumbent may be required to rotate tours and duties during low/high census or complete administrative tasks established by the immediate supervisor.

PLEASE NOTE: These positions require Basic Life Support (BLS) certification. If selected, Applicants will provide proof of current certifications prior to employment. Only BLS certification which included Automated External Defibrillator (AED) obtained from either the American Heart Association (AHA) or the Military Treatment Training Network (MTN) will be accepted.

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 through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., excluding Federal holidays.
Telework: Not Available.
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.)

• Significant amounts of time standing assisting assigned patients
• Utilization of safe patient handling and mobility protocols

• 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.
• 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.