Summary The Primary Care, Patient Aligned Care Team, Registered Nurse Care Manager is responsible and accountable for all elements of the nursing process when providing and/or supervising direct patient care. The Registered Nurse will assume responsibility for the coordination of care focused on patient education, self-management, and customer satisfaction throughout the continuum of care. Responsibilities MAJOR DUTIES: The Primary Care, Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) Registered Nurse Care Manager will provide a full range of nursing care to Veterans/Patients, including complex care needs using the nursing process. Implement the PACT concept of right person, right place, right time that ensure access to care and support staff functioning at the top of their scope. Management of Veteran chronic disease conditions through ongoing assessment of conditions and recognize changes in condition and respond with timely and correct interventions. Establish plan of care and goals with Veteran Patient after assessing learning needs, learning preferences, readiness to learn and modify modalities of teaching when needed. Initiate referrals to other disciplines and services as appropriate and allowed by current Nursing Protocols. Apply all modalities of care available to deliver best practice to panel. Demonstrate consistent critical thinking skills that will meet the needs of veterans. May delegate nursing tasks to be completed by other staff - Will delegate care responsibilities based on need and competency of staff. Will ensure that delegation of tasks are completed. Ensure documentation of care is complete, accurate, consistent, concise, and timely. Code encounters appropriately and timely. Documentation will be alerted to other team members as needed. Documentation will be completed and signed. Recommend use of SOAP/SBAR models for documentation. Implement appropriate notification processes for problematic events involving patient, family, and staff along with appropriate documentation as needed. Demonstrate responsibility and accountability for own nursing judgements and actions. Utilize tools and reports to provide proactive management of Veterans with chronic disease or at high risk. Demonstrate and implement appropriate process that ensure equitable distribution of resources. Promote, advocate, and strive to protect the health, safety and rights of the patient. Maintain professional boundaries with patients, families, and employees. Demonstrate responsibility and accountability for own nursing judgements and actions. Collaborate with healthcare consumer and other key stakeholders in the conduct of nursing practice. Develop and implement a plan to meet learning needs, instruct patients and families in basic health teaching. Demonstrate grade-appropriate and consistent critical thinking skills. Ensure application of institutional policy to protect information from unauthorized release, loss, alteration, or deletion. Does not use thumb-drives or other means, such as xeroxing, to remove patient data from the medical center, unless approval by the Director through OI&T has been granted. Maintain competency on PPE use/donning and doffing. Demonstrate safe work practices. Comply with safety rules and regulations for safe job performance and fire protection. Practice safe body mechanics, use mechanical devices, and/or request help when needed in moving, lifting, or turning patients to prevent injury to patient, self, or others. Report all accidents to supervisor promptly and notify supervisor of unsafe or unhealthy environmental situations/conditions. Correct safety hazards promptly. Put broken equipment out of service immediately, tag it as such and follow-through for appropriate disposition of the broken equipment. Contribute to an environment of a High Reliability Organization with a culture of safety founded on a systems approach to developing health care solutions based on prevention, not punishment, with collective mindfulness. Responsible for environment of care issues when on duty. Secure medication room and pyxis are clean, including pill crusher. Medication refrigerator and nutrition refrigerator temperatures and cleaning logs are checked and recorded per policy. Label all medications. Emergency equipment is checked daily per policy and the log completed. 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 from 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM Compressed/Flexible: Not Authorized Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Requirements 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. 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). Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details. 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/12556163. Grade/Level Scope Education Nurse I, Level I Delivers fundamental, knowledge-based care to assigned clients while developing technical competencies. An Associate Degree (ADN) or Diploma in Nursing, with no additional professional nursing required. Nurse I, Level II Demonstrates integration of biopsychosocial concepts, cognitive skills and technically competent practice in providing care to clients with basic or complex. An ADN or Diploma in Nursing AND 1 year of specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse I, Level 1 ;OR a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) with no additional professional nursing experience required. Nurse I, Level III Demonstrates proficiency in practice based on conscious and deliberate planning. Self-directed in goal setting for managing complex client situations. An ADN or Diploma in Nursing AND 2 years of professional nursing experience in which one year is equivalent to Nurse I, Level 2; OR a BSN and 1 year of professional nursing experience equivalent to the Nurse I, Level 2; OR a Master's degree in nursing (MSN) and no additional professional nursing experience; OR a Master's degree in a *related field with a BSN and no additional professional nursing experience. Nurse II Demonstrates leadership in delivering and improving holistic care through collaborative strategies with others. A BSN with 2 years of professional nursing equivalent to Nurse I, Level 3; OR an MSN with one year of specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse I, Level 3; OR a Master's degree in a *related field with a BSN and one year of specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse I, Level 3; OR a Doctoral degree in Nursing with no professional nursing experience; OR a Doctoral degree in a *related field with a BSN with no additional professional nursing experience. 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. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Preferred Experience: Minimum of 1 year nursing experience - Primary Care experience preferred. Physical Requirements: The Registered Nurse must be able to perform all activities of the position without restriction. This position involves considerable standing, walking, stooping, bending, reaching, lifting, and turning. It requires repositioning patients and assisting with transferring patients to wheelchairs/stretchers. Mechanical devices when available are required to be used for heavy or difficult to lift patients. The work may involve pushing or lifting weight in excess of 50 pounds and going up and down flights of stairs. The position requires visual and auditory acuity at a level to provide safe and effective nursing care. The position requires the nurse to work for periods of time with arms above shoulder level or with the neck in a fully flexed or extended position and the ability to physically control or protect him/herself from physically abusive patients. Education Additional Information This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status. VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority. Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.