Assistant Registered Nurse Manager - Acute Care 4 West

Veterans Health Administration • West Haven, CT

26d • Onsite

About The Position

The Assistant Nurse Manager position is in Acute Care, 4 West, at the West Haven VA Healthcare Systems campus. This is a full-time position at 40 hours per week, with days and evening scheduling and 24/7 accountability. The role reports directly to the Nurse Manager and performs duties independently on a daily basis, requiring minimal supervision when covering for the Nurse Manager. The Assistant Nurse Manager coordinates their schedule to provide unit coverage and assists within the unit.

The position provides nursing leadership in applying the nursing process to client care and organizational systems, with the aim of improving outcomes at the program or service level. It promotes compliance with professional practice standards, patient safety monitoring, and unit-level nursing performance. The role supports a high-reliability organization through a commitment to safety culture and continuous improvement.

The Assistant Nurse Manager contributes to evaluating nursing productivity, staffing methodology, and workflow; develops staffing plans and schedules; and monitors leave to maintain adequate patient-care staffing. Delegated duties may include completing performance evaluations, facilitating unit-based orientation, and initiating or recommending disciplinary actions. The role is responsible for performance improvement, customer service and patient satisfaction, patient and employee safety, employee relations, standards of care and practice, the work environment, and accreditation and regulatory standards.

Applicants must meet VA nursing education and licensure requirements, including English proficiency and current, full, active, unrestricted professional nurse registration in a U.S. state, territory, commonwealth, or the District of Columbia. A graduate nurse technician exception may apply to eligible candidates pursuing licensure. Preferred qualifications include progressive leadership experience, including charge nurse experience; 3–5 years of direct patient care; experience with staffing and scheduling; involvement in policy development and quality improvement; and a preferred MSN.

The VA offers a total rewards package that includes competitive salary, regular salary increases, potential performance awards, paid time off, retirement benefits, insurance programs, and licensure support. Compressed or flexible scheduling may be authorized by the supervisor. Telework is ad hoc as determined by agency policy; this is not a virtual position.

Requirements

• Proficiency in basic written and spoken English.
• Graduation from an appropriately accredited school of professional nursing, or an applicable qualifying nursing education pathway described in the announcement.
• Current, full, active, and unrestricted registration as a graduate professional nurse in a U.S. state, territory, commonwealth, or the District of Columbia, subject to the stated Graduate Nurse Technician exception.
• Meet the applicable VA grade-determination scope, education, and dimension criteria.
• U.S. citizenship, unless appointment of a non-citizen is permitted under VA policy.
• Pass required pre-employment urinalysis, background/security investigation, and physical and medical examination.
• Register for Selective Service if applicable to male applicants born after December 31, 1959.
• Complete required online onboarding and application documentation.
• Participate in the seasonal influenza vaccination program.
• Be prepared to serve a probationary period if required.
• Meet the physical requirements, including lifting, carrying, reaching above shoulder, use of fingers, walking and standing for up to 8 hours, repeated bending, working alone, protracted or irregular hours, and occasional emotional strain.

Nice To Haves

• Progressive leadership experience, including Charge Nurse experience.
• 3–5 years of direct patient care experience.
• Experience with staffing and scheduling.
• Involvement in policy development and quality improvement.
• Master of Science in Nursing (MSN).

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership in applying the nursing process to client care, organizational processes, and systems to improve program- or service-level outcomes.
• Promote compliance with professional practice standards in designated clinical areas, including patient-safety monitoring and unit-level nursing performance.
• Contribute to evaluating nursing productivity, staffing methodology, and systems and workflow.
• Develop staffing plans and time schedules and monitor leave to ensure adequate staffing for patient care.
• Perform delegated duties, including developing schedules, completing performance evaluations, facilitating unit-based orientation, and initiating or recommending disciplinary actions.
• Support performance improvement, customer service and patient satisfaction, patient and employee safety, employee relations, standards of care and practice, the work environment, and accreditation and regulatory standards.
• Support a high-reliability organization through commitment to a culture of safety and continuous improvement.
• Assist within the unit and coordinate scheduling to provide coverage for the Nurse Manager, requiring minimal supervision while covering.
• Perform duties independently on a daily basis and report directly to the Nurse Manager.

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 VA contributions up to 5%.
• Federal health, vision, dental, term life, and long-term care insurance; many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement.
• Licensure: one full and unrestricted license from any U.S. state or territory.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager
• Education Level: Associate degree