Clarification from the agency

This job is open to current permanent Department of Veteran Affairs employees, current permanent Federal employees of other agencies, and all US Citizens.

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The Registered Nurse - Nurse Educator understands instructional design, implementation, application related to education and training and performs learning needs assessments, develops educational trainings for clinical staff within organization. The incumbent assists with the orientation of new employees, evaluation of their progress in the orientation process, development/implementation of a learning plan for improving identified deficiencies and serves as a trainer and consultant for Resuscitation Education Initiative (Redi) Program including certification as Basic Life Support (BLS) instructor. He/she will Monitor and tracks BLS/Advanced Life Support (ALS) compliance within the organization.

The incumbent will collaborate with interdisciplinary team to support and evaluate responses to emergency responses in the facility to include BLS and ALS. (Organizes, participates, and evaluates mock codes.) The RN - Nurse Educator supports the nurse residency programs, including the development of curriculum utilizing strategic learning methodologies such as simulation, lecture case studies and virtual reality. He/she develops expert level coaching/mentoring skills, and systematically evaluates current practice, formulate outcomes for groups of patients and/or organizational processes within area of expertise.

The incumbent will collaborate with other Nurse Educators and interprofessional healthcare teams in the ongoing clinical education activities including in-services, training, competency assessment, and evaluations of both current and new staff nursing skills. He/she reviews current nursing literature for new trends and changes based on evidence-based research with the ability to propose practice and documentation revisions based on evaluation of outcomes, and collaborates with leadership and unit managers to identify educational training needs for staff, while supporting activities that foster competence, critical thinking, and decision making.

The duties include, but are not limited to:

• Deliver a fundamental understanding of adult learning principles and a lifelong learner that can practice with flexibility to adapt or change learning strategies based on the assessment of learning needs within the healthcare organization.
• Assess, plan, implement, and evaluate educational needs to facilitate learner development and skill training of clinical staff.
• Assume responsibility for the coordination of education focused on staff education, self-management, and customer satisfaction throughout the healthcare continuum.
• Execute position responsibilities that demonstrate leadership, experience, and creative approaches to management of complex situations.
• Responsible and accountable for all elements of the nursing process when providing and/or supervising staff education.
• Analyze, interpret, and evaluate data to determine outcomes and changes related to educational programs.

Work Schedule: Full-Time. Days (7:30 am - 4:00 pm)
Compressed/Flexible: Not Authorized
Telework: Ad-hoc per agency policy
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized

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

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.
• You may be required to serve a probationary period.
• 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 dentification 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).

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.)

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 in determining the grade assignment of candidates, and if appropriate, the level within a grade. The Dimension requirements (Practice, Veteran/Patient Driven Care, Leadership, Professional Development and Evidence-Based Practice/Research) are detailed for each grade and level within the online assessment: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12751014.

Grade/Level	Scope	Education
Nurse III	Executes position responsibilities that demonstrate leadership, experience and creative approaches to management of complex client care beyond the immediate practice setting.	MSN and 2 years of specialized nursing experience, one of which is equivalent to Nurse II and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse III; OR a Master's degree in *related field with BSN and two years of specialized nursing experience, one of which is equivalent to Nurse II and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse III; OR a Doctoral degree in Nursing with and one year of specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse II and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse III; OR a Doctoral degree in a *related field with a BSN and one year of specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse II and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse III.

*Note: Foreign education programs/degrees are not creditable as related degrees.


Preferred Experience:

• Masters' degree in nursing or related health field.
• Major in Nursing Education.
• Minimum of five (5) years RN clinical experience in a variety of settings, critical care experience strongly preferred
• CNE certification preferred.
• Experience developing and implementing curriculum in staff development.
• Experience with accreditation processes and expectations.
• Demonstrated significant and sustained contribution to the healthcare which may include committees or use of creative approaches to enhance quality of patient care.
• Demonstrated leadership and collaboration with interdisciplinary health care team, in program development, implementation and evaluation to meet organizational performance measures.
• Demonstrates the ability to provide leadership in improving and sustaining the quality and effectiveness of patient care in diverse and complex programs.
• Demonstrated ability to make sustained contributions to health care inside or outside the medical center as evidenced by professional presentations, academic teaching, and active participation in professional organizations preferred.

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

Physical Requirements:
The position requires the incumbent to have visual acuity, keen hearing, clear distinctive speech, and manual dexterity. The incumbent must be mature, flexible, and sensible, capable of working effectively in stressful situations and able to shift priorities based on patient needs. This position requires limited periods of standing, stooping, bending, pulling, pushing, walking, and be able to lift up to 35 pounds. Transferring patients and objects may be required. This position also requires sitting for long periods typing on computer keyboard, looking at computer monitor, and using the telephone. The incumbent maybe exposed to infected patients and contaminated materials requiring the incumbent to don protective clothing and equipment in isolation situations or during invasive patient procedures. The incumbent may be exposed to patients who are combative or aggressive related to neurologic or psychiatric disorders. The incumbent must meet the required screening/testing and be medically cleared by Employee Occupational Health as a condition of employment.

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.