Advanced Practice Nurse - Cardiology

Veterans Health Administration • West Haven, CT

1d • Onsite

About The Position

The Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (Nurse Practitioner) works in the Nursing Specialty Care Cardiology unit at the West Haven location. This is a full-time position scheduled for 40 hours per week, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The position provides care and counseling, promotes and maintains health, and helps prevent illness and injury through the nursing process, including systematic data gathering, assessment, nursing judgment, and evaluation of human responses to actual or potential health problems. The recruitment will result in the hiring of either a Physician Assistant or a Nurse Practitioner; this description concerns the Nurse Practitioner role.

The Nurse Practitioner assists the supervising physician or designee with evaluation and management of inpatients and clinic patients; conducts initial histories and physical examinations; provides ongoing care to assigned patients; screens patients for further care or admission; orders and reviews diagnostic studies; and implements appropriate treatment. The role also includes patient and family education, health promotion and disease prevention, triage and administrative duties, coordinating consultations and special tests, and potentially participating in committees and research studies.

The position requires an accredited graduate nursing education and an active, unrestricted Nurse Practitioner license and current board certification. Nurse II is the entry grade and requires no prior experience beyond the basic qualifications. Nurse III requires one year of specialized Nurse Practitioner experience equivalent to Nurse II, along with the stated leadership, clinical practice, outcome, professional development, and professionalism competencies. The role requires U.S. citizenship subject to stated exceptions, English proficiency, security screening, a pre-employment physical, and participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program.

Requirements

• Graduate from an approved professional nursing school accredited by ACEN or CCNE at the time of program completion.
• Hold a post-master's certificate, master's degree, or doctoral degree as a Nurse Practitioner.
• Maintain an active, current, full, and unrestricted Nurse Practitioner license in a U.S. state, territory, commonwealth, or the District of Columbia.
• Maintain current, full basic board certification in an accepted Nurse Practitioner specialty from ANCC, AANPCB, or another nationally recognized certifying body in the area of academic preparation.
• Demonstrate English proficiency in basic written and spoken English.
• Be a U.S. citizen, except where appointment of a non-citizen is permitted under VA policy when qualified citizens cannot be recruited.
• Meet applicable Selective Service registration requirements for males born after December 31, 1959.
• Submit to required background and security investigation, drug screening when applicable, onboarding, and pre-employment physical evaluation.
• Participate in the VA seasonal influenza vaccination program.
• For Nurse III qualification, have one year of specialized Nurse Practitioner experience equivalent to Nurse II.
• Meet the applicable clinical practice, outcome focus, leadership, professional development, and professionalism/collegiality criteria for the grade sought.
• Be physically able to satisfactorily perform the position duties.

Responsibilities

• Assist the supervising physician or designee in evaluating and managing inpatient and clinic patients.
• Perform initial histories and physical examinations for new outpatients and inpatients.
• Provide ongoing inpatient and outpatient care for assigned patients.
• Screen outpatients to determine whether they need further health care or admission.
• Order diagnostic studies, including laboratory tests, x-rays, electrocardiograms, CT scans, and MRI scans, as needed for patient care.
• Review diagnostic test results and implement appropriate treatment.
• Educate and counsel patients and families about preventive care, medical conditions, and prescribed treatments and drugs.
• Carry out health promotion and disease prevention activities.
• Perform assigned triage and administrative duties.
• Initiate and expedite consultation requests and schedule special tests and studies.
• Participate in committees and research studies when required.
• Deliver evidence-based care and contribute to evaluating and improving care quality and timeliness.
• Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams to improve patient outcomes.

Benefits

• Competitive salary, regular salary increases, and potential performance awards.
• 50 days of paid time off per year: 26 days of annual leave, 13 days of 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