Advanced Practice Nurse - Employee Occupational Health Nurse Practitioner

Veterans Health Administration • Saint Louis, MO

8h • Onsite

About The Position

The Advanced Practice Nurse (Nurse Practitioner) works in the Primary Care Service, providing a full range of services with an emphasis on quality, timeliness, and advancing the Veterans Affairs mission. The role provides advanced clinical practice, consultation, and management, with a focus on employee occupational health. The nurse practitioner promotes employee health and safety, evaluates fitness for duty, performs occupational health examinations and screenings, and coordinates care and education with relevant clinical colleagues.

The position requires a post-master’s certificate, master’s degree, or doctoral degree as a Nurse Practitioner; graduation from an appropriately accredited school of professional nursing; an active, full, unrestricted advanced practice nurse license; and current board certification in an accepted nurse practitioner specialty. Nurse II is the entry grade and requires no experience beyond the basic qualifications. Nurse III requires one year of specialized APN experience equivalent to Nurse II.

This is a permanent, non-virtual position with a Monday-through-Friday schedule from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. Telework is available on an ad hoc basis. Relocation and recruitment incentives and permanent change of station are not authorized. The role is physically active and may involve extended periods of walking, standing, and sitting, moderate lifting, repeated bending or kneeling, physical assessment, and safe patient handling and mobility protocols.

Requirements

• Post-master’s certificate, master’s degree, or doctoral degree as a Nurse Practitioner.
• Graduate of a professional nursing school approved by the appropriate accrediting agency and accredited by ACEN or CCNE when the program was completed; qualifying foreign education must be validated through a recognized degree-equivalency evaluation agency.
• 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.
• Maintain current, full basic board certification as an FNP, ANP, AGPCNP, or GNP from ANCC, AANPCB, or another nationally recognized certifying body in the area of academic preparation.
• For Nurse III qualification, one year of specialized APN experience equivalent to the Nurse II grade level; Nurse II is the entry grade and requires no experience beyond the basic requirements.
• U.S. citizenship, except that non-citizens may be appointed when qualified citizens cannot be recruited in accordance with VA policy.
• Proficiency in basic written and spoken English for direct patient care.
• Subject to pre-employment drug screening, background/security investigation, and physical evaluation or examination; refusal to complete required drug testing results in denial of employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is required.
• May be required to serve a probationary period and complete the specified application and onboarding requirements.
• Physical capacity for duties such as physical assessment and potentially prolonged walking, standing, or sitting, moderate lifting, repeated bending or kneeling, and safe patient handling and mobility.

Responsibilities

• Serve as an expert consultant in health promotion, disease prevention, and safe patient handling and movement.
• Contribute to the development, implementation, coordination, and evaluation of VHA employee health education programs, accounting for employees’ age, developmental needs, and occupational needs.
• Safeguard employee and others’ health and safety and identify unsafe working conditions or health hazards.
• Conduct pre-placement physical examinations to assess physical, cognitive, and emotional fitness for duty.
• Perform examinations and complete medical reports for facility-treated Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs cases.
• Perform administrative examinations to determine medical qualification status when requested.
• Conduct special evaluations to determine fitness for duty when requested.
• Order laboratory tests, X-rays, and diagnostic studies, and make referrals for further assessment as indicated.
• Collaborate with the Occupational Health Physician to confirm diagnoses and treatment plans in complex or unstable employee care situations.
• Refer medical problems beyond the scope of Employee Occupational Health to the appropriate next level of care.
• Collaborate or consult with colleagues in Infectious Disease, Infection Prevention, Whole Health, and other groups to direct employee health education plans.
• Provide health counseling to encourage employees’ compliance with stress management, injury prevention, and other health promotion needs.
• Perform annual health screenings and wellness evaluations.
• Demonstrate VA’s ICARE values: Integrity, Commitment, Advocacy, Respect, and Excellence.

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 and 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.
• One full and unrestricted license from any U.S. state or territory is accepted for licensure.

What This Job Offers

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