The Bruce W Carter Department of Veterans Health Administration Medical Center is looking for a Registered Nurse (Patient Safety Manager) to work in the Safety and Value service. The Patient Safety Manager (PSM) is a registered professional nurse, qualified by education and experience to monitor and evaluate clinical and administrative processes for the safe delivery of patient care throughout all applicable departments of the Medical Center through an integrated Patient Safety Program. 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. In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), 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 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). The approving official may authorize a waiver of the requirement for ACEN or CCNE accreditation of any degree in nursing provided the college or university has regional accreditation from an accrediting body recognized by the Department of Education at the time of the candidate's graduation and the composite qualifications of the applicant warrant such consideration. In cases of graduates of foreign schools of professional nursing, possession of current, full, active and unrestricted registration will meet the requirement of graduation from an approved school of professional nursing. OR The completion of coursework equivalent to a nursing degree in a MSN Bridge Program that qualifies for professional nursing registration constitutes the completion of an approved course of study of professional nursing. Students should submit the certificate of professional nursing to sit for the NCLEX to the VA along with a copy of the MSN transcript. (Reference VA Handbook 5005, Appendix G6) OR 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. 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. Preferred Experience: Patient Safety experience in the inpatient and outpatient settings 2 or more years of experience managing and supervising employees 2 or more years of experience facilitating RCA's, FEMAs, and performance improvement activities to comply with accreditation and regulatory agencies on Patient Safety related activities At least 1 year of experience writing and developing reports and graphs. Grade Determinations: The following criteria must be met in determining the grade assignment of candidates, and if appropriate, the level within a grade: Nurse I Level I - An Associate Degree (ADN) or Diploma in Nursing, with no additional nursing practice/experience required. Nurse I Level II - An ADN or Diploma in Nursing and approximately 1 year of nursing practice/experience; OR an ADN or Diploma in Nursing and a bachelor's degree in a related field with no additional nursing practice/experience; OR a Bachelor's of Science in Nursing (BSN) with no additional nursing practice/experience. Nurse I Level III - An ADN or Diploma in Nursing and approximately 2-3 years of nursing practice/experience; OR an ADN or Diploma in Nursing and a Bachelor's degree in a related field and approximately 1-2 years of nursing practice/experience; OR a BSN with approximately 1-2 years of nursing practice/experience; OR a Master's degree in nursing (MSN) or related field with a BSN and no additional nursing practice/experience. Nurse II - A BSN with approximately 2-3 years of nursing practice/experience; OR ADN or Diploma in Nursing and a Bachelor's degree in a related field and approximately 2-3 years of nursing practice/experience; OR a Master's degree in nursing or related field with a BSN and approximately 1-2 years of nursing practice/experience; OR a Doctoral degree in nursing or meets basic requirements for appointment and has doctoral degree in a related field with no additional nursing practice/experience required. Nurse III - Master's degree in nursing or related field with BSN and approximately 2-3 years of nursing practice/experience; OR a Doctoral degree and approximately 2-3 years of nursing practice/experience. Note regarding MSN degrees: If your MSN was obtained via a Bridge Program that qualifies for professional nursing registration, a BSN is not required. Reference: VA Regulations, specifically VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G-6 Nurse Qualification Standard. This can be found in the local Human Resources Office. Physical Requirements: This position requires visual acuity, keen hearing, clear distinctive speech, and manual dexterity. This position requires potentially long periods of continued walking, standing, stooping, sitting, bending, pulling, and pushing. Transferring patients and objects may be required. The incumbent may be exposed to infected patients and contaminated materials and may be required to don protective clothing in isolation situations or operative/invasive procedures. The incumbent may occasionally be exposed to patients who are combative secondary to delirium, dementia, or psychiatric disorders. The incumbent must be a mature, flexible, sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations, able to shift priorities based on patient needs. Must complete annual Employee Health requirements, such as annual TB screening or testing, as a condition of employment. ["VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package: VA Nurse Total Rewards Pay: Competitive salary, regular salary increases, potential for performance awards Paid Time Off: 50 days of paid time off per year (26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year) 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) Licensure: 1 full and unrestricted license from any US State or territory The Patient Safety Manager has oversight of organization's Patient Safety Program as well as Patient Safety staff including but may not be limited to Patient Safety Specialist and Support Assistant. The Patient Safety Manager functions under the supervision of the Chief and Assistant Chief of QSV and in collaboration with members of the Medical Center Leadership, including service chiefs, supervisors, managers and employees in staff positions. The Patient Safety Manager promotes a climate of collaboration, cooperation, and understanding and serves as an advisor/consultant to all services on policy and issues related to patient safety throughout the Medical Center. He/she also interacts with employees of the National Center for Patient Safety, outside accrediting agencies and VHA employees from the Network and other agencies. The Patient Safety Program is a structured plan, system or curriculum under which action is taken toward a goal. A program's focus may be clinical (patient care), administrative, educational or research. A program generally identifies a purpose, policy, and delegation of authority and procedure. A program's scope must be broad enough to impact more than one individual patient care unit. It may affect several units, a service, a service line or the entire medical center. In order to meet this criterion, outcomes must be presented. Other duties include but are not limited to: The PSM designs/redesigns, communicates, evaluates and maintains the Medical Center's patient safety program in collaborations with the different facility's stakeholders. Effectively demonstrates proficiency in guiding Service Chiefs, supervisors, and others in the application of care, and organizational processes directly or indirectly related to patient safety. Provides guidance assessing, planning, designing and implementing measures of performance related to safety at the program or service level, Demonstrates expertise in the interpretation and application of the Patient Safety Handbook and directives. Convenes RCA teams and then aggregates and analyzes data from RCAs and prepares cyclic reports. Works collaboratively with PSM and provides input to identify topics and leads proactive risk assessments and HFMEA teams as well as prepares and presents reports to appropriate Medical Center leadership. Identifies and communicates patient safety improvement initiatives that may affect the strategic plans of the Medical Center. Based upon analysis of Patient Safety Improvement findings, the PSM recommends to the Chief and Assistant Chief of QSV and leadership, the development, alteration or redesign of Medical Center programs and processes that are impacted by patient safety issues. Ensures the Medical Center is in compliance with regulatory and accreditation standards and directives related to patient safety. Shares in responsibility for training related to patient safety (NPSG, RCA, Aggregate Reviews / PSAT reviews and HFMEAs), for all staff Analyzes ethical issues and appropriate theoretical principles; ensures application of institutional policy; serves as a resource and advocate for the protection of patient and family rights. Evaluates and translates policies, theories and strategies into action within the complex interrelationships that exist related to patient safety. Assists in determining current resource use within the Medical Center, analyzes resource use patterns and trends when issues related to patient safety are also related to resource utilization (under or over utilization or misuse). Collaborates with clinical services and others to develop strategies for improvement. Provides consultation, problem solving and leadership skills to help build and implement safety systems and promote the culture of safety within the Medical Center. Demonstrates skills with information management systems to support patient safety analysis techniques including database management, data analysis and reporting and flow charting process. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday; 7:30am-4:00pm; flexibility may be required to ensure coverage for the 24\\7 operations of the facility. Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: May Be Authorized for Highly Qualified Candidates Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required"]
The Veterans Health Administration is America’s largest integrated health care system, providing care at 1,298 health care facilities, including 171 medical centers and 1,113 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics), serving 9 million enrolled Veterans each year.
