Registered Nurse - Referral Coordination Team

Veterans Health Administration • East Orange, NJ

1d • Onsite

About The Position

The VA NJ Health Care System seeks a motivated, experienced, and detail-oriented Registered Nurse for its Referral Coordination Team (RCT). The nurse reviews and triages specialty care consults, evaluates clinical documentation, applies clinical guidelines and service-level agreements, and collaborates with interdisciplinary teams to support timely access to specialty care for Veterans. The role requires clinical judgment, communication, organization, adaptability, and critical-thinking skills.

The RN coordinates the receipt, triage, and direction of care; applies knowledge of internal referral processes, clinical review criteria, utilization management standards, documentation requirements, community care regulations, and VHA standards; and guides Veterans through internal VA and community-care options. The RN acts as a liaison between referring VA providers and specialty services, clinically reviews referrals to confirm the requested care is appropriate and required pre-work and testing are complete, and supports timely access to eligible community care. The position also uses VA-mandated health information solutions to store, exchange, and track referral information and works with the Office of Integrated Veteran Care to triage Requests for Services and promote in-house access.

This is a permanent, non-virtual position. Telework is not authorized. The schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Relocation, recruitment incentives, and permanent change of station are not authorized.

Requirements

• Graduate of an appropriately accredited school of professional nursing, or meet an applicable education pathway for nursing graduates or foreign nursing education.
• Current, full, active, and unrestricted RN registration in a U.S. State, Territory, Commonwealth, or the District of Columbia; an exception may apply for Graduate Nurse Technicians appointed temporarily while pursuing licensure.
• Proficiency in basic written and spoken English.
• Meet the education and experience criteria for the assigned VA Nurse grade and level.
• U.S. citizenship, except where appointment of a non-citizen is permitted under VA policy.
• Pass a pre-employment physical evaluation or examination.
• Complete required background/security investigation and online onboarding.
• Applicants tentatively selected for a testing-designated position must submit to urinalysis for illegal drug screening.
• Males born after December 31, 1959, must be registered with Selective Service.
• Participate in the VA seasonal influenza vaccination program.
• Complete all application requirements in the announcement's Required Documents section.
• Must be able to provide acceptable identification for pre-employment requirements.
• May be required to serve a probationary period.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in nursing case management, care coordination, or utilization review.

Responsibilities

• Receive, triage, and direct referrals to support streamlined, timely, coordinated care.
• Apply knowledge of referral processes, clinical review criteria, utilization management standards, documentation requirements, community care regulations, and VHA standards and guidelines.
• Assess, organize, facilitate, and guide Veterans through internal VA and community-care options.
• Liaise between ordering or referring VA providers and specialty care services by clinically triaging consults and referrals.
• Confirm that requested care is appropriate and that required preliminary work and tests are completed.
• Support timely access to care and ensure eligible Veterans who choose community care are referred and scheduled.
• Triage incoming referrals, discuss available care options, provide scheduling guidance, and serve as a resource within the service.
• Comply with VA-mandated use of health information solutions to store, exchange, and track referral care information.
• Collaborate with the Office of Integrated Veteran Care to triage Requests for Services and promote in-house service access.
• Use delegation of authority, when applicable, to function at the highest level of role performance and align care with key performance indicators and business practice standards.

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 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.
• One full and unrestricted nursing license from any U.S. State or territory.

What This Job Offers

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