Registered Nurse

Summary The Quality and Patient Safety (QPS) Chief is an advanced health care executive who executes responsibilities that demonstrate leadership, experience and innovative approaches in the guidance and direction of a variety of complex patient care programs and services. This position is located in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Mid Atlantic Health Care Network (VISN 6), Durham VA Health Care System (DVAHCS), in the office of the Director. Responsibilities The Durham VA Healthcare System (DVAHCS) is a 151 operating bed medical center that offers primary, secondary, and tertiary diagnostic and therapeutic health services in medicine, surgery, neurology, rehabilitation medicine, transitional care, dental care, oncology and radiation therapy, skilled nursing home care, and palliative care to adult and geriatric populations. Primary and secondary levels of inpatient and outpatient psychiatric care are also provided. The health care system center is also home to multiple research centers including GRECC and MIRECC. The Quality and Patient Safety (QPS) Chief functions as an advisor, administrator, educator, consultant, and mentor who possesses a wide range of experience and leadership ability. The Quality and Patient Safety Chief must establish and maintain effective relationships with all levels of Veterans Integrated Services Network (VISN) and health care system personnel and relate effectively with customers, families, and the community as well as program and service leaders at the local and network levels. Key relationships with staff are needed to assist team to carry out the functions and activities expected of them. Duties of the Nurse (Chief Quality and Patient Safety) include but are not limited to the following: Key leader in strategic planning, organizational assessment, and development of facility program development Assist in policy-making activities as related to customer service and the overall functioning of administrative and clinical programs Contribute ideas and recommendations for the establishment of standards of care, policies, and objectives for the enhancement of quality management organization wide Provides senior leadership and oversight for daily clinical and administrative operations within Quality Management (QM) Program Participates with the ELT and strategic thought leaders in Medical Center to initiate and execute planning and decision- making processes for their program Possess the authority and responsibility for establishing standards of quality across all levels of the health care system ensuring quality of care across the Medical Center Provides executive leadership and direct supervision for Patient Safety, Risk Management, Protected Peer Review, Accreditation Management and Continuous Readiness, Quality Consultants, Utilization Management, Systems Redesign, Policy Documentation and High Reliability Organization Programs Collaborates with both administrative and clinical services to monitor quality and safety within the service and health care system Coordinates and provides oversight of programs through assessment and analysis of data to identify compliance issues and oversees efforts that assure Joint Commission, OIG, OMI, and other applicable standards are monitored and actions are taken when needed to meet the standards Reviews and analyzes Performance Measures, External Peer Review Program (EPRP) data, Veterans Affairs Surgical Quality Improvement Program (VASQIP) data, Inpatient Evaluation Center (IPEC), Strategic Analytics for Improvement and Learning (SAIL) and other quality date trends for early intervention Applies clinical performance improvement methods, collects outcome data related to policy, procedure, and regulatory compliance and in collaboration with management, initiates performance improvement monitoring projects Utilizes data and comparative analytical processes in recommending design and implementation of innovative programs to improve service excellence, customer satisfaction, and compliance to patient care and regulatory standards 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 Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 7:30am - 4:00pm EST Compressed/Flexible: May be authorized at the service chief's discretion Telework: ADHOC-May be authorized (Employees who Telework on an occasional, episodic, or short-term, and have completed required telework training and telework agreement) Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Recruitment incentive may be authorized for highly qualified applicants Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Requirements Conditions of Employment 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. You may be required to serve a probationary period. Subject to background/security investigation. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Must pass pre-employment physical examination. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details. Qualifications Basic Requirements: 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); OR 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. Upon achievement of a State license, the individual may be appointed on temporary basis and later converted to a permanent appointment upon successful completion and graduation from the bridge program. (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 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. Graduate Nurse Technician (GNT) Exception: 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.) NOTE: Grandfathering Provision - 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. The following Scope, Education and Dimension criteria must be met to qualify for Nurse V: Scope: Practice of an executive nature, comprised of complex leadership and administrative components, associated with critical health care issues and activities that drive meeting the organizational mission, health care and policy. Education: Master's degree in Nursing (MSN) and 5 years of professional nursing experience, one of which is specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse IV and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse V; OR Master's degree in a related field with a BSN and 5 years of professional nursing experience, one of which is specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse IV and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse V; OR a Doctoral degree in Nursing and 4 years of professional nursing experience, one of which is specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse IV and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse V; OR a Doctoral degree in a related field with a BSN and 4 years of professional nursing experience . click apply for full job details