Advanced Practice Nurse (Certified Nurse Anesthetist)

Veterans Health Administration • Little Rock, AR

7d • Onsite

About The Position

The Advanced Practice Nurse (APN) Certified Nurse Anesthetist (CNA) is a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA). The CRNA provides a full range of services emphasizing quality, timeliness, and the advancement of the Veterans Affairs (VA) mission. The CRNA practices to the full extent of their education, training, and certification.

Requirements

• 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.
• English Language Proficiency. In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(f), no person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English.
• 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.
• A masters or doctoral degree in nurse anesthesia.
• Nursing education must be from a school of professional nursing anesthesia accredited by Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Education Programs ( COA ) at the time the program was completed by the applicant.
• All APN (CNAs) must maintain an active, current, full and unrestricted license to practice as a CNA or equivalent, in a State, Territory or Commonwealth of the United States or in the District of Columbia.
• All APN (CNAs) must maintain full and current certification by the National Board of Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists ( NBCRNA ) or an equivalent Nurse Anesthetist certification recognized by the COA.
• Meets basic education requirement for an APN (CNA).
• Ability to translate into anesthesia care the principles of professional nursing practice including the patients' rights to autonomy, dignity, privacy, and safety.
• Knowledge of current research and practice guidelines to frame anesthesia practice including up to date techniques, pharmacology, and equipment.
• Ability to obtain, document and verify informed anesthesia consent and perform a pre-anesthetic patient history and physical, which includes managing pre-operative consults and interpreting data.
• Ability to formulate a patient-specific anesthetic plan and describe salient anesthetic risks, benefits, and options to the patient.
• Ability to administer inhalational, regional, intravenous, local, and topical anesthetics.
• Skill in detecting and treating anesthesia or surgically related physiologic changes and ability to treat accordingly in order to maintain homeostasis.
• Skill in assessing patient status for appropriateness of transfer of care to another healthcare provider and communicating essential patient information to other providers effectively.
• Ability to participate in collaborative responsibility for proper patient positioning, physiologic monitoring, infection control and anesthesia documentation.
• Skill in responding to emergency situations by providing airway management, fluid and medication administration, invasive line insertion and management and the use of advanced cardiac life support techniques.
• Ability to provide patient care that is abreast of changing concepts and advancements in the profession, (e.g., ultrasound techniques.)
• Ability to practice anesthesia in an interdisciplinary environment utilizing a collaborative concept of anesthesia care.
• Knowledge of quality improvement processes to maintain ongoing review and evaluation of anesthesia care to improve outcomes.
• Ability to demonstrate a practice emphasis on safety, current established guidelines and protocols while recognizing the duty to report unsafe conditions or errors.
• One year of specialized APN (CNA) experience equivalent to the APN (CNA) II grade level.
• Progressively responsible experience in the administration of anesthetics as indicated in the knowledge, skills and abilities listed below .
• Ability to plan, administer and manage anesthesia for a broad range of complex surgical procedures skillfully employing continuous assessment and anesthetic adaptation based on patient response and comorbidities.
• Ability to participate in assignments that are technically challenging, encompass a variety of anesthetizing locations and utilize advanced equipment and procedures while adapting techniques to solve various complex anesthesia problems including the development of individualized programs of post-op anesthesia care.
• Skill in responsibility and accountability to perform to the extent of the CNA standards of practice as a licensed healthcare professional in any model of anesthesia practice.
• Ability to contribute to the educational mission as a mentor or preceptor providing didactic and clinical instruction in anesthesia to student nurse anesthetists, medical and dental residents, and other health care trainees.
• Knowledge to participate in the development, implementation and maintenance of auditing processes that ensure and improve the quality and consistency of anesthesia and associated documentation.
• Ability to contribute to departmental administrative processes through quality assurance, shared governance, or committee representation as applicable.
• Ability to serve as a representative on interdisciplinary teams to establish and maintain guidelines and communication.
• Skill demonstrated in the ability to embrace the safety culture emphasis by continuously assessing for safety risks, actively reporting safety concerns, and maintaining a just culture by identifying faults in systems rather than individuals.

Nice To Haves

• 3 years of full time experience as a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist in diverse clinical settings.

Responsibilities

• Collaborating with a variety of health care professionals to achieve common goals for care, safety, and welfare Of patients.
• Fostering high levels of confidence and satisfaction among patients and staff, as well as meet and exceed compliance standards.
• Providing anesthetic services within five general categories to include: pre-anesthesia evaluation and preparation; anesthesia induction, maintenance, and emergence; post anesthesia care; peri-anesthetic and clinical support functions; and emergency response techniques.
• Developing and implementing a comprehensive anesthesia plan of care for patients requiring local, regional, general, and monitored anesthesia both inside and outside the Operating Room (OR) suite.
• Ensuring anesthetic services delivered throughout the facility are of the highest quality to promote patient safety, satisfaction, and improve outcomes and efficiencies.
• Functioning as resource for staff education and is willing to be a preceptor and adjunct clinical faculty for health care trainees rotating through the facility.
• Developing and implements evidence-based practices that are essential to the delivery of the highest quality anesthesia care.
• Prescribing appropriate preoperative, intra-operative and postoperative orders and medications.
• Exemplifying the ICARE core values of-integrity, Commitment, Advocacy, Respect, and Excellence.

Benefits

• Competitive salary, regular salary increases, potential for performance awards
• 50 days of paid time off per year (26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year)
• Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA
• Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level