Career Center

Summary

This position is located within the Office of the Associate Director - Patient Care Services (ADPCS) - and reports to the Deputy Associate Director (DADPCS) - Phoenix VA Health Care System (PVAHCS) - Phoenix - AZ. It is a Level 1a major interdisciplinary teaching facility with service lines serving medical - surgical - mental health - and long-term care inpatients and outpatients with an Emergency Department and multiple community-based outpatient clinics (CBOC).

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.) The following Scope - Education and Dimension criteria must be met to qualify for Nurse IV: Scope: Executes leadership that is characterized by substantial and continuous responsibility and accountability for population groups or integrated programs that cross service and/or discipline lines and influence organizational mission and health care
• Education: Master's degree in Nursing (MSN) and 4 years of professional nursing experience - one of which is specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse III and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse IV
• OR Master's 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 III and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse IV
• OR a Doctoral degree in nursing and 3 years of professional nursing experience - one of which is specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse III and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse IV
• OR a Doctoral degree in a *related field with a BSN and 3 years of professional nursing experience - one of which is specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse III and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse IV
• *Note: Foreign education programs/degrees are not creditable as related degrees
• Dimensions: Leadership
• Leads health care delivery by leveraging evidence-based practices - industry-leading research - and innovative care models
• Drives a shared vision and successfully leads change to improve performance and attain measurable outcomes at the program or service level
• Business Acumen
• Transforms health care by implementing new processes - technology - informatics - and data analytics using business models and fundamental concepts of resource management at the program or service level
• Inspiring an Industry-Leading Lifestyle
• Employs an industry leading - shared decision-making lifestyle
• Cultivates a workforce that serves Veterans - families and caregivers of all backgrounds and builds trust - lifestyle competencies and catalyzes dynamic teams at the program or service level
• Communication and Relationship Management
• Directs the effective use of relationship management principles to achieve positive customer service experiences that are consistent with professional organizational values - beliefs and practices at the program or services level
• Professional and Social Responsibility
• Operationalizes a lifestyle of holistic care - health advocacy and health equity
• Applies ethical principles in decision-making at the program or service level
• Advances nursing knowledge through health science research and the translation and dissemination of evidence into practice to maximize the value to Veterans and the community
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• Physical Requirements: This position requires potentially long periods of continued walking - standing - and sitting
• The incumbent may be exposed to infected patients and contaminated materials and may be required to don protective clothing
• The incumbent may occasionally be exposed to patients who are combative secondary to delirium - dementia - or psychiatric disorders
• The incumbent must be a mature - flexible - sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations - able to shift priorities based on patient needs
• Must complete annual Employee Health requirements - such as annual TB screening or testing - as a condition of employment
• In the performance of duties - the incumbent may be required to drive and/or ride in GSA-vehicles.

Duties

• VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package: VA Nurse Total Rewards Duties Include but not limited to: The Chief Nurse for Operations executes leadership characterized by substantial and continuous responsibility with 24/7 accountability for nursing clinical operations and integrated programs that span multiple services and disciplines
• The Chief Nurse is a self-directed senior nurse leader who reports to the Deputy Associate Director (DADPCS) - Phoenix VA Health Care System (PVAHCS) - Phoenix - AZ and is accountable for operational performance - clinical quality - workforce development - and regulatory compliance across assigned programs and services
• The Chief Nurse - Operations manage operations and provides leadership to the interdisciplinary services delivering evidence-based patient care in the acute care and ambulatory settings and supports nursing operations
• The Chief Nurse establishes and maintains effective working relationships with leaders and staff at all levels of the medical center and network - and relates effectively with Veterans - families - and internal and external stakeholders
• The position provides strategic oversight for integrated clinical operations that cross service and discipline lines - ensuring alignment with medical center priorities - VISN goals - and national VA directives
• Major duties include - but are not limited to: Providing expert level leadership and operational oversight for Nursing Clinical Operations - including nursing administrative and operational oversight of Emergency Department - case managers - shift supervisors - and other areas in related roles - programs - and/or departments
• Ensuring safe - effective - and standardized nursing clinical operations through the development - implementation - monitoring - and evaluation of evidence-based practices - policies - and procedures
• Collaborating with other Chief Nurses - Nurse Managers - Assistant Nurse Managers - Nurse Educators - Advanced Practice Nurses - and interdisciplinary leaders to align clinical operations with organizational strategic goals
• Providing oversight for workforce planning initiatives - including recruitment - onboarding - orientation - competency validation - retention strategies - and professional development across nursing clinical operations
• Supporting nursing leaders in personnel management activities - including performance management - labor relations actions - and human resource processes in accordance with VA policy and federal regulations
• Leading and supporting quality improvement initiatives - High Reliability Organization (HRO) practices - and the integration of nursing-sensitive indicators into daily clinical operations
• Utilizing data analytics and performance metrics to monitor outcomes - identify trends - mitigate risk - and drive continuous improvement in clinical operations and nursing practice
• Serving as a consultant and advisor to nursing and interdisciplinary leadership regarding clinical operations - regulatory readiness - accreditation standards - and organizational change initiatives
• Preferred experience for this position includes: Master's in nursing - Masters in Health Administrator - Master of Business Administration - Doctoral preparation (DNP - PhD - or equivalent)
• A progressive nurse leadership experience at the Nurse Manager - Assistant Chief Nurse - Chief Nurse - or equivalent senior leadership level within an acute care or integrated healthcare system
• Experience with data-driven decision-making - performance dashboards - and operational analytics to improve clinical outcomes
• Experience in leading quality improvement initiatives - nursing-sensitive indicator performance - Pathway to Excellence/Magnet practices - and High Reliability Organization (HRO) practices
• Experience leading Nursing Clinical Operations - Emergency Department - Professional Development - Nursing Education - Utilization Review & Management - Staffing Methodology - Informatics and Management experience or similar enterprise-level clinical support programs
• Knowledge of VA - VHA - or other large federal healthcare system policies - regulations - and accreditation requirements (e.g. - The Joint Commission)
• Preferred Experience: 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: Shift /Tour of Duty - May Vary depending on Facility Needs Compressed/Flexible: Not Authorized Telework: Not Authorized Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: May be authorized for a highly qualified applicant.