Registered Nurse Case Manager/Care Coordinator

Veterans Health Administration • San Diego, CA

14h • Onsite

About The Position

The VA San Diego Healthcare System (VASDHS) is a Level 1a interdisciplinary teaching healthcare system providing inpatient and outpatient services to Veterans at its La Jolla medical center and community-based outpatient clinics. The Registered Nurse Case Manager/Care Coordinator provides nursing care and coordination for surgical patients, from the decision to pursue surgery through postoperative follow-up or release back to primary care. The position serves as a subject-matter resource for assigned surgical specialties and works with an interprofessional team to support safe, timely and effective surgical care.

The nurse applies the nursing process and sound clinical judgment to patients requiring specialized or complex care. Responsibilities include helping Veterans navigate preoperative requirements, coordinating appointments and surgical scheduling, ensuring medical clearance, supporting postoperative care, and serving as a liaison among patients, families, clinicians, administrative staff, and surgical services. The role also coordinates operating-room schedules and resources, maintains a surgical referral database, and contributes to improved surgical efficiency and patient care delivery.

This is a full-time, non-virtual position. Telework is not available, and relocation or recruitment incentives are not authorized. Applicants must hold a full, unrestricted nursing license from a U.S. state or territory and meet applicable VA nursing education and grade qualification requirements. Preferred experience includes one to two years of current surgical care coordination experience; experience in Urology, General Surgery, Cardiothoracic (CT), or Vascular surgery is helpful.

Requirements

• Full, active, unrestricted registered-nurse license in a U.S. state, territory, commonwealth, or the District of Columbia; the posting also states that one full and unrestricted license from any U.S. state or territory is required.
• Proficiency in basic written and spoken English.
• Graduation from an appropriately accredited school of professional nursing, subject to the stated VA education and foreign-education provisions.
• Meet the education and experience criteria for the applicable VA Nurse grade and level.
• U.S. citizenship, except that non-citizens may be appointed when recruiting qualified citizens is not possible under VA policy.
• Pass a pre-employment physical examination.
• Submit a transcript if education is used to establish qualifications; foreign education used for qualification requires a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with the transcript.
• Meet the stated physical requirements, including heavy lifting and carrying of 45 pounds or more; pulling, pushing, walking, standing, kneeling, repeated bending, keyboarding and viewing a computer screen for 8–12 hours; reaching above the shoulder; use of fingers; use of both hands and legs; rapid simultaneous mental and muscular coordination; specified corrected near and far vision; depth perception; distinguishing basic colors and shades; hearing (hearing aids permitted); and emotional and mental stability.
• Meet VA employment conditions, including applicable drug screening, background/security investigation, onboarding and identification requirements, seasonal influenza vaccination, and a two-year trial period.

Nice To Haves

• One to two years of current experience in surgical care coordination.
• Surgical care coordination experience in Urology, General Surgery, Cardiothoracic (CT), or Vascular surgery; experience in General Surgery, CT, or Vascular is identified as helpful.

Responsibilities

• Demonstrate sound clinical judgment and leadership in improving patient care for patients requiring specialized or complex care.
• Provide patient care in surgical specialty clinics as needed.
• Coordinate surgical care from the decision for surgery through postoperative follow-up or return to the primary care provider.
• Collaborate with the interprofessional team to plan care before surgery and arrange necessary postoperative follow-up.
• Assist the surgical team in monitoring patients who require ongoing surgical care until the surgeon releases them to primary care.
• Apply the nursing process to all aspects of patient care.
• Serve as a subject-matter resource for assigned surgical specialties.
• Help Veterans navigate preoperative consults, appointments, testing, education, and other requirements.
• Coordinate surgical case scheduling with clinical support staff, physicians, social workers, case managers, and others.
• Coordinate clinic visits, pre-surgical studies, specialty consults and clearances, treatments, and procedures for surgical patients.
• Communicate the surgical team's equipment, implant, and supply needs.
• Ensure surgical patients are medically cleared before their planned surgery date.
• Act as a liaison among surgical team members, administrative support, clinic staff, the Ambulatory Service Unit, Operating Room, inpatient nursing units, patients, and families.
• Provide patient and family education and emotional support, and coordinate care within the medical facility or non-VA contract facilities.
• Triage and address phone messages, secure messages, and consults as needed.
• Serve as the primary contact for scheduling surgical patients.
• Maintain mandatory and clinical competencies required for the position.
• Coordinate surgical risk-stratification referrals, completion of evaluations, and selection of surgery dates.
• Address psychological needs of preoperative and postoperative patients as needed.
• Triage surgical requests according to scheduling urgency.
• Optimize use of operating-room block schedules and collaborate with surgical attendings, fellows, and chief residents to maximize operating-room time.
• Complete surgical planning worksheets.
• Coordinate surgical case entry into DSS (PeriOp Live) and ensure accurate information is entered at least 72 hours before surgery.
• Notify Operating Room NM/ANM and schedulers about changes to surgical requests and unused future block or surgical time, at least two weeks in advance for unused time.
• Coordinate requested implants, equipment, instrumentation, and supplies with surgeons, residents, vendors, the implant coordinator, operating-room unit coordinator, and sterile-processing leads.
• Collaborate with surgeons, the Anesthesia team, and the Operating Room to coordinate urgent or emergency surgical scheduling.
• Maintain a surgical referral database.
• Review the qualifications and competence of privileged providers and staff who provide patient care services.
• Address customer complaints using service-recovery techniques.
• Collaborate across disciplines and departments to improve surgical efficiency and patient-care delivery.
• Arrange transportation, home-care needs, and lodging as needed.
• Remain flexible and organized and function under stressful situations, adjusting to changing surgical-suite workflow and priorities.
• Recognize and respond appropriately to patients in emergency and physically stressful situations.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

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
• Education Level: Associate degree