Clarification from the agency

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

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The Quality and Patient Safety (QPS) Chief functions as an advisor, administrator, educator, consultant, and mentor who possesses a wide range of experience and leadership ability.

The Quality and Patient Safety Chief must establish and maintain effective relationships with all levels of Veterans Integrated Services Network (VISN) and health care system personnel and relate effectively with customers, families, and the community as well as program and service leaders at the local and network levels. Key relationships with staff are needed to assist team to carry out the functions and activities expected of them. Contribute ideas and recommendations for the establishment of standards of care, policies, and objectives for the enhancement of quality management organization wide. Assist in policy-making activities as related to customer service and the overall functioning of administrative and clinical programs. Provides senior leadership and oversight for daily clinical and administrative operations within Quality Management (QM) Program.

The Quality and Patient Safety Chief is a catalyst for the integration and collaboration of with other professional disciplines and functional areas in the mutual achievement of optimal Veteran-driven organizational goals at the Medical Center level. The Quality and Patient Safety, Chief is a key leader in strategic planning, organizational assessment, and development of facility program development. The Quality and Patient Safety, Chief participates with the ELT and strategic thought leaders in Medical Center to initiate and execute planning and decision- making processes for their program. They have the authority and responsibility for establishing standards of quality across all levels of the health care system ensuring quality of care across the Medical Center.

The Quality and Patient Safety Chief provides executive leadership and direct supervision for Patient Safety, Risk Management, Protected Peer Review, Accreditation Management and Continuous Readiness, Quality Consultants, Utilization Management, Systems Redesign, Policy Documentation and High Reliability Organization Programs. He or she collaborates with both administrative and clinical services to monitor quality and safety within the service and health care system. The Chief of QPS is data oriented. He or she coordinates and provides oversight of programs through assessment and analysis of data to identify compliance issues and oversees efforts that assure Joint Commission, OIG, OMI, and other applicable standards are monitored and actions are taken when needed to meet the standards. The Quality and Patient Safety Chief reviews and analyzes Performance Measures, External Peer Review Program (EPRP) data, Veterans Affairs Surgical Quality Improvement Program (VASQIP) data, Inpatient Evaluation Center (IPEC), Strategic Analytics for Improvement and Learning (SAIL) and other quality date trends for early intervention. He or she applies clinical performance improvement methods, collects outcome data related to policy, procedure, and regulatory compliance and in collaboration with management, initiates performance improvement monitoring projects. He or she utilizes data and comparative analytical processes in recommending design and implementation of innovative programs to improve service excellence, customer satisfaction, and compliance to patient care and regulatory standards. The Chief of QPS drives the aspirational goal of achieving a zero- defect, high reliability, sustainable organization. He or she champion a High Reliability Organization (HRO) with a culture of safety founded on a systems approach to developing evidence-based health care solutions.

The Quality and Patient Safety Chief develops and leads programs that perform technical, administrative, and investigative work and applies expertise and knowledge of health care delivery systems in performance measurement and improvement processes. He or she is responsible for activities, functions, and services that directly and significantly impact a wide range of agency programs and outcomes within a complex organization.

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, 8:00am-4:30pm
Telework: Ad-hoc at the Supervisor's discretion.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives:
Permanent Change of Station (PCS):

Conditions of employment

• 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 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.

Qualifications

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.)

• 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;

• 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;

• 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;

• 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.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

NOTE: Candidate's education, scope, and length of nursing practice (experience) will be considered in determining the grade and salary of the applicant selected. The recommended salary may be at any point in the range listed for this vacancy.

Experience as an RN will be evaluated to determine if the experience is of an acceptable level of quality with regard to the following five dimensions of nursing: Practice, Veteran/Patient Driven Care, Leadership, Professional Development, and Evidence/Based Practice/Research. Each dimension of practice has criteria that demonstrate essential core competencies for VHA Nursing Personnel.

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; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.