Clarification from the agency

Current permanent employees of VAMC Lebanon, NECPAC, and employees of VISN4 Contracting, OI&T, CBOPC and Veterans Canteen Service located in Lebanon, PA may apply. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this occupational series. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

The Nursing Home Charge LPN is responsible for the evidence-based care of a group of patients as follows:

• Functions independently as the charge nurse for the shift, responsible for the care provided to the community living center (CLC) Veterans by the other licensed and non-licensed nursing staff during the assigned shift.
• Assists the RN and other members of the interdisciplinary team (IDT) with providing input in the development of the care plan, based on the Veterans care needs.
• Performs support duties for diagnostic procedures, which include preparing the Veteran and monitoring the Veteran's condition.
• Assists with discharge planning of Veterans to more appropriate level of care.
• Coordinates the transfer of Veterans to more appropriate levels of care dependent on acuity needs.
• Promotes Veteran participation in the therapeutic community by fostering self-reliance and independence.
• Promotes the values of cultural transformation and Veteran-centered care to nursing staff in the community living center (CLC).
• Administers prescribed medications and performs more complex treatments in accordance with hospital policy and procedure and standard operating procedures (SOPs).
• Verifies physician orders in compliance with hospital policies and procedures and SOPs.
• Identifies, initiates, and acts as a leader in the rehabilitation aspect of Veteran care, such as maintaining and/or improving current functional status through consideration of therapy programs such as Nursing Restorative Therapy, Resistance Therapy, Kinesiotherapy and other Veteran therapy groups. Ensures that Veterans' recreational needs are met.
• Performs nursing care to the unit's Veterans including all aspects of personal care and grooming, including rounding per facility SOP.
• Monitors bladder and bowel functioning, tracking of I&O and hydration and initiates intervention when it is indicated.
• Performs rehabilitative and restorative nursing care, as applicable.
• Supports and enhances Veteran self-determination.
• Advocates for the Veteran in regard to decisions made about the types of treatment provided during the end-stage disease process and at the end-of-life.
• Consistently follows policies, standard operating procedures (SOPS), and procedures applicable to reusable medical equipment (RME) and infection control. Monitors staff compliance with RME procedures/policies.
• Assigns care and required documentation to the most appropriate level of skill required for the tasks/duties. Determines priority of care needs and communicating to staff expectations of care.
• Conducts routine rounds throughout the shift on each Veteran.
• Evaluates and observes Veterans levels of acuity and communicating/reporting changes in acuity level to the medical provider, nursing supervisor, covering RN, and/or nurse manager (NM).
• Coordinates the transfer of Veterans to a more acute level of care, as applicable, which includes hand-off communication to the receiving unit.
• Reports required information for hand-off communication to the oncoming shift and at other times to applicable staff and departments.
• Communicates effectively with the NM, Nurse Officer of the Day (NOD), and/or medical provider on duty for issues affecting Veteran care and staffing levels.
• Educates Veterans on their care needs. Communicates with families and significant others, as appropriate.
• Supports the NM in monitoring the practice of licensed and unlicensed nursing staff in Veteran care delivery.
• Promptly reports any deviations from normal practice patterns to the NM or the nursing supervisor.
• Ensures completion of all shift documentation by other nursing staff, such as activities of daily living (ADL) notes, pain management notes, and nursing entries. Completes all assigned routine documentation, such as monthly summary notes; psychotropic drug review notes; MDS assessments, as applicable; and care plans. Completes or ensures the completion of all shift reports.
• Evaluates unit for safety issues, taking appropriate action when indicated, to include routine equipment checks (i.e., Wanderguard unit, crash cart, refrigerators, etc.) and any equipment malfunction.
• Communicates, to appropriate staff, when immediate intervention is needed for safe care.
• Initiates and maintains standards of cleanliness and safety in Veteran environment and exercises proper use and maintenance of equipment.
• Performs additional duties as assigned.

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

Work Schedule: Days, 6:45 a.m. - 3:15 p.m. with rotating weekends and holidays.
Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• 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.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• 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 (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

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.
• Licensure: 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.
• 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).
• May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria).

Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements stated in section A, 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-7 - The GS-7 grade level is for select, complex LPN/LVN positions, as established by each health care facility. To be advanced, employees must meet all of the following standards, provided the standard is part of their assignment.

• Completion of at least one (1) year of additional qualifying experience at the GS-6 level or equivalent, fully meeting all of the performance requirements for the GS-6 LPN/LVN.
• Knowledge and skills necessary to carry out more specialized patient care duties, including assignments in selected, more complex inpatient and/or outpatient care settings. Knowledge base promotes the incorporation of current patient care data in actively contributing to the development of the patient's overall health plan and in carrying out assigned nursing interventions. Positions at this grade level require broader knowledge and skills because supervision is more general and employees are expected to be involved to a greater degree in the development and modification of treatment plans.
• Ability to assist RN and/or MD/DO to appropriately prioritize overall patient care needs and adjust plans for care delivery. Makes astute observations of subtle, less obvious changes, both physical and emotional, in patient's condition, and accurately and thoroughly documents care delivered and patient's response to care that could require immediate modification of the patient's care plan. Appropriately seeks assistance and guidance by informing RN or MD/DO of changes in patient's condition requiring higher-level intervention. At this grade level, the LPN/LVN is expected to participate to a greater degree in prioritizing, and, as appropriate, modifying patient care treatment. They must also possess the ability to observe more subtle physical and emotional changes in patients and demonstrate taking appropriate action based on those observations.
• Ability to proactively assist the RN or MD/DO in addressing patient's needs for medication/treatments, accurately administering prescribed medications/treatments according to established policies/procedures and appropriately recording administration and patient's response to medications/treatments received. (This may include restricted medication locally authorized for administration by employees at this grade level.) Demonstrates the knowledge and ability to readily recognize the more subtle signs and symptoms of potential or actual drug reactions, promptly inform the RN or MD/DO of observed changes in patient's condition and initiate appropriate, prescribed interventions. Employees at this grade level demonstrate broader knowledge and skill with respect to these responsibilities than employees at lower grade levels.
• Knowledge and skill to promptly recognize potential urgent or emergent patient care situations, seek assistance of the RN and/or MD/DO for appropriate team intervention and effectively intervene, as directed, to assure the continuation of optimal, safe and therapeutic patient care delivery. At this grade level, the LPN/LVN must have a broader knowledge of the patient treatment process and exercise judgment that demonstrates the ability to effectively intervene when appropriate.
• Assists individuals or groups of patients and their families to take an active role in promoting healthy lifestyles for more positive patient outcomes. Exercises skill in influencing and communicating with unusually difficult to care for or communicate with patients and/or family members who may exhibit problems with lack of self-control, resistant or abusive behaviors, or impediments in their ability to understand or follow instructions. This includes the ability to effectively deal with the above types of patients under very general supervision.
• Exhibits skill, creativity and initiative in contributing to the improvement of overall care delivery and patient and/or family satisfaction levels through active participation in committees/task forces, research projects or in developing educational materials/media.
• Actively promotes and effectively incorporates established customer service standards in all aspects of their practice.
• Possesses comprehensive practical nursing knowledge and skills in specialized procedures and practices to serve as a resource person for other staff in organizing and implementing more complex/specialized patient care. Serves as a role model and mentor to other nursing staff in the application of more complex technology, effectively guiding and directing their continuing practice in these areas.
• Supports the RN or MD/DO in monitoring the practice of unlicensed nursing or non-medical staff in patient care delivery. Promptly reports any deviations from normal practice patterns to the RN or MD/DO. In addition to responsibilities at the lower grade level, the LPN/LVN is responsible for monitoring the practice of non-licensed nursing and medical staff.
• Work of considerable difficulty and responsibility is performed under general supervision. Individuals in these positions are, to a considerable extent, expected to exercise independent technical judgments and to possess and apply a comprehensive working knowledge of the principles, art and science of practical nursing. The staff mix is such that employees at this grade level are expected to perform practical nursing duties of considerable difficulty and responsibility under very general supervision.
• Actively seeks out educational opportunities to enhance nursing knowledge and skills, and providing leadership in assisting other staff improve and advance their nursing practice.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

Preferred Experience: At least one year of LPN experience.

Physical Requirements: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

• Resume
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action

*Any applicants who are current Federal employees (including current VA employees) must submit a copy of their SF-50/Notification of Personnel Action form (version Jan 2025 or later) showing their current grade/step/salary. Applications submitted without an SF-50 will be considered ineligible.

Special Note for Applications: To complete your application, please use the following link https://vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Resume.docx to download the standard Clinical Resume Document. This one-page document does not need to be modified and must be uploaded into the two-page restricted 'Resume' document upload field.

Your full resume/CV may be uploaded without page limitation into the 'Other' document upload field.

The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please ensure you have included all documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), etc.

• Cover Letter
• License
• Other (1)
• Performance Appraisal
• Professional Certification
• Resume
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

Next steps