Advanced Practice Nurse (Nurse Practitioner) - Primary Care (Float)

Veterans Health Administration • Oxford, AL

9d • Onsite

About The Position

The Advanced Practice Nurse (Nurse Practitioner) – Primary Care (Float) provides short- or long-term coverage for primary care patient panels across various locations, requiring intermittent and often frequent travel. The position provides walk-in coverage, virtual care visits, support for performance improvement, and other clinical duties as assigned. The Nurse Practitioner works independently or collaboratively with providers to carry out plans of care, while diagnosing and treating medical problems, coordinating higher-level care, and making complex clinical decisions. The role leads a Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) teamlet comprising an RN, LPN/Clinical Associate, and Advanced Medical Support Assistant (AMSA).

The position optimizes care for patients with acute problems, during transitions of care, and with chronic conditions who may benefit from self-management support, including diabetes, hypertension, CHF, hyperlipidemia, pain, and depression. The Nurse Practitioner uses motivational interviewing to help patients establish health goals and must attend a formal Motivational Interviewing course. Care is delivered through in-person, telephone, video, and secure messaging channels, with appropriate care plans, outcome tracking, timely documentation, communication of test results, patient and family education, assessments, triage, case management, and care coordination. The role also provides leadership in holistic care, health promotion, disease prevention, whole-health strategies, and team performance improvement.

This position is not virtual. The work schedule is 7:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m. or 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, with some weekends and evenings based on service needs. Ad-hoc telework is available. The position reports directly to the Primary Care Director and/or Associate Chief of Staff of Primary Care. The position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program, subject to eligibility and approval; awards may be up to $200,000, with an eligibility period of one to five years. Former EDRP participants are ineligible to apply.

Requirements

• A post-master's certificate or master's or doctoral degree as a Nurse Practitioner.
• Graduation from a professional nursing school approved by the appropriate accrediting agency and accredited by ACEN or CCNE when the program was completed, or a validated equivalent for foreign education.
• An active, current, full, and unrestricted APN license to practice as a Nurse Practitioner in a U.S. state, territory, commonwealth, or the District of Columbia.
• Current, full basic board certification in an accepted Nurse Practitioner specialty: FNP, ANP, AGPCNP, ACNP, AGACNP, or GNP, from ANCC, AANPCB, or another nationally recognized certifying body in the area of academic preparation.
• For Nurse Practitioner III: one year of specialized APN (NP) experience equivalent to Nurse II, in addition to the basic education requirement.
• Proficiency in basic written and spoken English for direct patient care.
• U.S. citizenship, except that non-citizens may be appointed when qualified citizens cannot be recruited under VA policy.
• Pass a pre-employment physical evaluation and, if selected for a testing-designated position, urinalysis screening for illegal drug use.
• Complete required onboarding and background/security investigation requirements; seasonal influenza vaccination is required for VA Health Care Personnel.
• Register with Selective Service if male and born after December 31, 1959.
• Meet the position's physical requirements, including the knowledge, skills, and abilities to provide quality care to various patient groups under different modalities.

Responsibilities

• Provide short- or long-term coverage for primary care patient panels at various locations, including intermittent and often frequent travel.
• Provide walk-in coverage, conduct virtual care visits to other locations, assist with performance-improvement activities, and perform other assigned clinical duties.
• Carry out patient plans of care independently or in collaboration with providers.
• Diagnose and treat medical problems, coordinate care to a higher level when needed, and make complex clinical decisions.
• Lead the PACT teamlet and delegate appropriate care and processes to team members.
• Optimize care for patients with acute problems, patients undergoing transitions of care, and patients with chronic conditions who may benefit from self-management support.
• Use motivational interviewing to help patients develop patient-driven goals for health optimization and attend a formal Motivational Interviewing course.
• Apply health promotion, disease prevention, and whole-health strategies to deliver and improve holistic care.
• Provide care through face-to-face, telephone, video virtual visits, and secure messaging.
• Develop appropriate plans of care and track patient outcomes to evaluate intervention effectiveness.
• Document care timely and appropriately, ensure care plans include clinically indicated recommendations, and communicate test results and plans of care to patients or ensure clinical support staff do so.
• Perform clinical assessments and in-person or virtual triage in collaboration with patients to identify health-optimization goals.
• Provide patient and family education, evaluate progress toward goals, and perform case management and care coordination for assigned patients who need these services.
• Participate in team performance-improvement and sustainment activities to optimize team efficiency and care delivery.
• Provide leadership to the PACT, including shared delegation of appropriate care and care processes.
• Report directly to the Primary Care Director and/or Associate Chief of Staff of Primary Care.

Benefits

• Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), subject to eligibility and approval, with awards up to $200,000 and eligibility periods of one to five years.
• Competitive salary, regular salary increases, and potential performance awards.
• 50 days of paid time off per year: 26 days annual leave, 13 days sick leave, and 11 paid Federal holidays.
• Traditional federal pension with five-year vesting.
• Federal 401(k) with up to 5% in contributions by VA.
• Federal health, vision, dental, term life, and long-term care insurance; many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement.

What This Job Offers

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