Registered Nurse - Quality Management Consultant

Veterans Health Administration • West Haven, CT

18h • Onsite

About The Position

This full-time Registered Nurse - Quality Management Consultant position is in the Sterile Processing service at the West Haven VA Connecticut Healthcare Systems in West Haven, Connecticut. The role focuses on individual growth and development in practice, increasing self-direction in quality-of-care outcomes, and applying sterile processing principles and quality management concepts while developing critical-thinking skills.

The consultant assesses, plans, implements, and evaluates quality assurance and quality control activities across reusable-instrument processing, including cleaning, decontamination, inspection, assembly, packaging, sterilization, storage, and distribution. The role coordinates assigned quality activities, reviews quality data and monitoring documentation, monitors compliance with policies and standards, and prepares reports on trends and improvement opportunities. The consultant also supports audits, staff education and compliance monitoring, corrective actions, and process-improvement initiatives, and participates in facility councils, committees, and workgroups. Work is scheduled Monday through Friday on the day shift, with evenings or weekends if needed. Ad-hoc telework may be available 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, subject to the stated provisions for qualifying bridge-program candidates and foreign nursing education.
• Current, full, active, and unrestricted registration as a graduate professional nurse in a U.S. state, territory, or commonwealth, or the District of Columbia; a stated Graduate Nurse Technician temporary-appointment exception may apply to candidates pursuing licensure.
• Meet the education and experience criteria for the applicable VA Nurse grade and level, which vary by grade and include qualifying nursing degrees and, for some levels, specialized professional nursing experience.
• U.S. citizenship, except that non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens under VA policy.
• Applicants tentatively selected for a testing-designated position must submit to urinalysis screening for illegal drug use; refusing testing results in denial of employment.
• Selective Service registration is required for males born after December 31, 1959.
• Subject to background and security investigation.
• Must complete the online onboarding process and provide acceptable identification for pre-employment requirements.
• Must pass a pre-employment physical evaluation or examination.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is required for VA Health Care Personnel.
• May be required to serve a probationary period.
• Must complete the application requirements in the announcement’s Required Documents section.
• Position requires lifting and carrying; reaching above the shoulder; use of fingers; walking and standing for up to 8 hours; repeated bending; working alone; protracted or irregular work hours; and occasional emotional strain.
• Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited institutions may be used to qualify; foreign education requires the specified equivalency documentation.
• Nursing degrees used to qualify must be accredited by ACEN or CCNE.

Nice To Haves

• Extensive knowledge of Sterile Processing Services equipment, processes, and workflow.
• Knowledge of quality management systems.
• Experience with quality audits and inspections to verify standards compliance.
• Education, training, or mentorship experience.

Responsibilities

• Assess, plan, implement, and evaluate quality assurance and quality control activities related to the cleaning, decontamination, inspection, assembly, packaging, sterilization, storage, and distribution of reusable instruments and equipment.
• Collaborate with SPS leadership, staff, and interdisciplinary teams to identify operational concerns, reduce errors, standardize practices, and support process-improvement initiatives.
• Coordinate assigned quality activities to improve instrument set accuracy, reprocessing reliability, workflow efficiency, timely availability of instruments and equipment, and customer satisfaction.
• Follow established policies, procedures, guidelines, and manufacturer instructions for use.
• Support monitoring of staff compliance and identify practices requiring clarification, education, or corrective action.
• Apply sterile processing principles and quality management concepts to recognize process variations, evaluate potential causes of deficiencies, and recommend improvements.
• Participate in evaluating SPS program outcomes through audits, quality-control checks, and performance monitoring.
• Assist in determining whether improvement activities and corrective actions achieve intended results and sustain gains in quality, safety, accuracy, and efficiency.
• Assume responsibility for assigned SPS quality-management program activities at the Medical Center and applicable off-site locations, supporting consistent practices and coordination across service areas.
• Collect and analyze quality data; review reprocessing and sterilization monitoring documentation; monitor compliance with relevant policies and standards; and prepare reports identifying trends and opportunities for improvement.
• Provide staff support in planning, designing, implementing, modifying, and evaluating assigned SPS quality-management activities.
• Participate in facility councils, committees, and workgroups addressing sterile processing quality, safety, compliance, and operational improvement.
• Share findings and contribute to the development and follow-up of action plans.

Benefits

• Competitive salary with 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 5-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