Summary

You will serve as a Licensed Practical Nurse with the Nursing Service Line for the Alaska VA System with duty in Fairbanks - Alaska.

Qualifications

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

Basic Requirements:

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy
• English Language Proficiency: Licensed practical or vocational nurses appointed to direct patient care positions must be proficient in both spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d) - and 7407(d)
• Licensure: Must possess a full - active - current - and unrestricted licensure as a licensed practical or vocational nurse in a State - Territory or Commonwealth (i.e. - Puerto Rico) of the United States - or District of Columbia
• EDUCATION (TRANSCRIPTS WITH CONFER DATE REQUIRED): Graduate of a school of practical or vocational nursing approved by the appropriate State agency and/or accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC) at the time the program was completed by the applicant
• Exceptions include: Health care education in the military service or training in the military service which is accepted by the licensing body in the jurisdiction in which the individual is licensed as qualifying for full LPN/LVN licensure will be accepted as meeting the education requirements for VHA employment
• VHA employees who were converted to appointments under 38 U.S.C. 7401(3) in implementation of Public Law 98-160 - enacted November 21 - 1983 - and for VHA employees converted to appointments under 38 U.S.C. 7405 in implementation of Public Law 99-576 - enacted October 28 - 1986
• and for their future personnel actions under this authority
• The waiver will not apply to persons appointed under 38 U.S.C. 7401(3) or 7405 after these conversions
• Individuals are granted a license by a jurisdiction that does not require graduation from an approved school
• See paragraph 4 - section C
• Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements stated above - the following qualification criteria must be met for each grade
• The candidate's qualifications must clearly demonstrate the level of competence required for the grade
• GS-03 Level: None beyond the basic requirements
• LPNs at this grade level are expected to perform all duties within the scope of their license (e.g. - medication administration)
• however - completed work may require routine or detailed higher level review depending upon the complexity of the duties involved
• GS-4 Level: At least six months of qualifying experience as an LPN or LVN
• At this level LPN/LVNs are expected to exercise greater judgment - require less supervision - and to operate in accordance with all established policies - procedures - and techniques
• OR Graduate of an approved school AND one year of experience that involved nursing care work in a hospital - outpatient clinic - nursing home - or other supervised medical - nursing - or patient care facility that provided a practical knowledge of human body structure and sterile techniques and procedures
• OR Graduate from an approved school of at least 24 months duration
• GS-5 Level: At least one year of qualifying experience equivalent to the GS-4 level under the general supervision of an RN or MD/DO that has provided you with the following: Individuals at this grade level are expected to have a broad working knowledge of practical nursing procedures
• however - completion of more complex practices or procedures may be subject to closer higher-level review
• Demonstrated knowledge and ability to provide a full range of practical nursing care to patients with a variety of physical and/or behavioral problems
• Works with the RN and/or MD/DO to appropriately orient/train less experienced LPNs/LVNs and/or Nursing Assistants (NAs)/Health Technicians (HTs) in relation to acceptable standards of practice in promoting optimal patient care delivery
• Provides effective education to patients and/or family members in relation to common disease processes - medication - and /or prescribed treatment regimes
• Demonstrated knowledge and ability to serve as a responsible member of a nursing team and interact in an appropriate manner with patients - family members - professional and/or other support personnel involved in the delivery of patient care and incorporating acceptable - established customer service standards into practice
• Knowledge and skill sufficient to prepare - administer - and appropriately document actions taken specific to commonly prescribed oral - topical - subcutaneous - intramuscular and/or intravenous medications
• This includes observing and documenting patient responses to medication and reporting noted changes in the patient's condition
• Knowledge and ability to recognize the need for and to institute emergency measures when indicated - promptly seek the assistance of the RN or MD/DO and assist in resuscitation procedures in cardiac and/or pulmonary arrest
• Recognize and appropriately respond to breakage/malfunction or loss of equipment - safety hazards - and supply deficiencies - promptly reporting to appropriate personnel for corrective action
• GS-6 Level: At least one year of qualifying experience equivalent to the GS-5 level that has provided you with the following but not limited to: Technically proficient in initiating - performing - and completing assigned duties in providing care to variable patient populations
• Knowledge and ability to appropriately carry out assigned patient care based on the patients' conditions - using judgment in selecting the appropriate order and sequence of procedures and treatments - and accurately recognizing - reporting - and recording relevant patient information
• Completed work should need only a general review by a registered nurse (RN) or physician (MD/DO) for appropriateness and conformity with established policies/procedures
• Ability to observe - identify - and respond to a patient's needs for care including medication - equipment-assisted care - and patient/family education
• In organizing and delivering care - the LPN/LVN recognizes and considers emotional - socio-economic - and age-related factors
• Prepares and administers prescribed medications (oral - topical - subcutaneous - intramuscular and/or intravenous) and performs treatments according to established policies/procedures
• Observes for - documents - and reports physical and/or emotional changes in the patient's condition from prescribed medications/treatments
• Knowledge and ability to recognize urgent or emergent patient care situations - seeking assistance of the RN and/or MD/DO - and initiating appropriate emergency interventions as directed
• Knowledge and understanding of human behavior - patient motivations and reactions to situations and the ability to appropriately utilize this knowledge in working effectively with patients - family members and other staff
• Knowledge and skill in performing support duties for complex diagnostic tests and/or specialized practices or procedures - which includes preparing the patient and assisting in the diagnostic examination - preparing - and handling specialized instruments or other specialized equipment - and monitoring the patient's condition before - during - and following the procedure
• Serves as a preceptor in orienting - educating - and training less experienced LPNs/LVNs or NAs/HTs related to support duties for these more complex - specialized
• Preferred Experience: Have one-year experience as a Licensed Practical Nurse
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-06
• The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-03 to GS-06.

Duties

• Develop and maintain communication with patients - interdisciplinary teams - VA medical centers - and other agencies
• Check vitals - process reminders - reviewing and processing alerts - and administering medications as needed
• Participate in team huddles and meetings to manage and plan patient care
• Adjust the flow and sequencing of the work to meet team and patient needs
• Work with the team to reinforce the plan of care and self-help solutions and enter appropriate information into the electronic record
• Monitor pre-appointment requirements to assure readiness for patient visit/procedure (e.g. - X-ray - lab work
• Provide input in problem solving on operational issues or procedures
• Participate in and independently follow up on team huddles by sharing information and collaborating with the medical team to assure continuity of care
• Evaluate patient information and clinic schedule lists to determine whether patient is vested
• Educate providers about shared patients (those who receive their care at multiple VAs or those who have care in the community) and bring to the attention of the provider
• Perform other duties as assigned
• Work Schedule: Monday through Friday - 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM
• Recruitment-Relocation Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not authorized
• EDRP: Not authorized
• Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases
• When setting pay - a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade)
• Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave - 13 days of sick leave - 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual - based on prior [work experience] or military service experience
• Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment - up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth - adoption - or foster care placement of a child
• Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment - full time employees with a total family income below $144 -000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66
• Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA
• Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)
• Telework: This is not a telework position
• Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 000000
• Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized
• VA Careers - Licensed Practical Nurse: https://youtube.com/embed/Ae85IP1Oiz4 Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019
• This position involves considerable amount of standing (up to 2 hours) - walking (up to 2 hours) - stooping - sitting - bending - reaching - lifting - turning - pulling - and pushing
• It requires visual acuity - keen hearing (at a level to provide safe and effective nursing care clear distinctive speech) - and manual dexterity
• The Licensed Practical Nurse works with Veterans and their families during times of emergent and non-emergent times
• Some primary roles in this capacity: assist providers with clinic visits - exams - and procedures
• administer medication - process clinical reminders - review and process alerts
• provide education within scope of practice
• keep Veteran informed during visit and provide needed updates - assist with walk-in patients as schedule allows
• daily cleaning and stocking of rooms
• review secure messages - FAXCOM - and CMT tasks
• provide SBAR communication
• and assist in scrubbing the schedule
• This LPN position has the potential to cross- train to other departments in the VA to help better fulfill the mission of caring for our Veterans - and to be able to fill in for other departments during times of absences and low staffing as indicated by their supervisor/management
• Work Conditions: A Licensed Practical Nurse works in a primary care Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) setting primarily works in an outpatient - office clinic environment - caring for a range of veterans by performing direct patient care - medication administration - and clinical support for providers
• The environment is typically well-lit and ventilated but can be stressful - requiring multitasking and the ability to handle several tasks at once
• LPNs play a vital role on the Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT).