Spinal Cord Injury Registered Nurse

Veterans Health Administration • San Juan, PR

2d • Onsite

About The Position

The Registered Nurse (RN) is responsible and accountable for all elements of the nursing process when providing and/or supervising direct patient care. Assesses, plans, implements, and evaluates care based on age-specific components. Executes position responsibilities that demonstrate leadership, experience, and creative approaches to management of complex client care. The RN will assist in directing the provision of nursing education, orientation, competencies, and providing quality improvement and enhance outcomes utilization. RN integrates outpatient nursing knowledge, skills, abilities, and judgment and is self-directed in goal setting for managing complex situations. Duties include but are not limited to: Independently plans and delivers technically competent care to patients with complex needs in alignment with the ANA Standards of Nursing Practice. Manages the care of patients, while organizing and prioritizing patient care needs, and ensuring assigned tasks are completed. Collaborates with the interdisciplinary team to ensure the plan of care is achieved. Assesses Care Coordination plans aligned with provider disposition and delivers technically competent care to patients. Triage and applies a collaborative team approach in identifying, analyzing, and resolving patient care problems.

Requirements

• U.S. Citizenship; non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment.
• Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
• Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements.
• Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Must pass pre-employment physical evaluation/examination.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• You may be required to serve a probationary period.
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.
• English Language Proficiency. In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7403(f), no person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English.
• Graduate of a school of professional nursing approved by the appropriate accrediting agency and accredited by one of the following accrediting bodies at the time the program was completed by the applicant: The Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) or The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).
• Individuals attending a master's level bridge program in nursing who have completed coursework equivalent to a bachelor's level degree in Nursing may have opportunity to become registered as a nurse with a state licensing board prior to completion of the bridge program.
• In cases of graduates of foreign schools of professional nursing, possession of a current, full, active, and unrestricted registration will meet the requirement for graduation from an approved school of professional nursing to warrant an appointment as a Nurse who has completed an associated degree/entry level Nursing education program.
• Credit for foreign nursing education higher that associate degree/entry level requires a formal degree equivalency validation from a recognized equivalency evaluation accepted by VA such as International Consultants of Delaware (ICD).
• Current, full, active, and unrestricted registration as a graduate professional nurse in a State, Territory or Commonwealth (i.e., Puerto Rico) of the United States, or the District of Columbia.
• Candidates who otherwise meet the basic education requirements, but do not possess the required licensure, may be appointed at the entry step of the grade and level applicable to the completed nursing education as a GNT on a 120-day temporary appointment while actively pursuing licensure (may be extended up to two years on a case-by-case-basis.)
• All persons currently employed in VHA in 0610 series and performing the duties as described in the qualification standard on the effective date of the standard (1/29/2024) are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade held including positive education and licensure/certification.

Nice To Haves

• Spanish proficiency
• In addition to the English Language Proficiency, you must also be proficient in basic written and spoken Spanish in order to perform the duties of this position.

Responsibilities

• Assists in directing the provision of nursing education, orientation, and competencies.
• Provides quality improvement and enhances outcomes utilization.
• Integrates outpatient nursing knowledge, skills, abilities, and judgment.
• Is self-directed in goal setting for managing complex situations.
• Independently plans and delivers technically competent care to patients with complex needs in alignment with the ANA Standards of Nursing Practice.
• Manages the care of patients, while organizing and prioritizing patient care needs, and ensuring assigned tasks are completed.
• Collaborates with the interdisciplinary team to ensure the plan of care is achieved.
• Assesses Care Coordination plans aligned with provider disposition and delivers technically competent care to patients.
• Triage and applies a collaborative team approach in identifying, analyzing, and resolving patient care problems.

Benefits

• Competitive salary
• Regular salary increases
• Potential for performance awards
• 50 days of paid time off per year (26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year)
• Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting)
• Federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA
• Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)

What This Job Offers

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