Nurse (Registered Nurse) Recruitment Incentive - Direct Hire

Clarification from the agency

• THIS IS A DIRECT HIRE ANNOUNCEMENT OPEN TO ALL U.S. CITIZENS. • THIS ANNOUNCEMENT SERVES AS A PUBLIC NOTICE FOR DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY. • PLEASE REVIEW INSTRUCTIONS IN THE HOW TO APPLY SECTION IN ORDER TO APPLY. • DUTY LOCATION TO BE DETERMINED DURING SELECTION. • Up to $34,371.00 Recruitment Incentive

Registered Nurse provides direct patient care services in accordance with legal, ethical and institution standards. Provides nursing care of a general nature to inmates in the institution hospital/clinic, and may be provided to patients in specific areas, e.g., psychiatric, operating room, orthopedics, geriatrics, etc.

Develops a nursing assessment for each patient, to include planning, implementing, and evaluating nursing care. May assess and identify high risk symptoms/behaviors in patients, to include suicidal risk, homicidal risk and risk for verbal and/or physical abuse. Completes nutritional screening as part of the assessment and refers patient to a dietitian for a nutritional assessment if necessary. Monitors, evaluates and revises the plan of care as needed. May also assess and document the discharge planning needs of a patient. Delegates and coordinates care based on assessments.

Along with all other correctional institution employees, incumbent is charged with responsibility for maintaining security of the institution. The staff correctional responsibilities precede all others required by this position and is performed on a regular and recurring basis.

Conditions of employment

Career Transition Programs (CTAP or ICTAP): These programs apply to Federal and/or DOJ employees who meet the definition of surplus or displaced from a position in the competitive service. To receive selection priority for this position, you must:

Be rated well-qualified for the position based on the competencies listed above; and submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP or ICTAP eligibility. Well-qualified is defined as having knowledge, skills, abilities, and/or competencies clearly exceeding the minimum qualification requirements for the vacancy.

EEO Statement/Policy: The United States government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service or other non-merit factor. More information can be found here: U.S Department of Justice - Equal Employment Opportunity Policy

Key Requirements:

• U.S. Citizenship is Required.
• See Special Conditions of Employment Section.
• Selective Service Requirement

Qualifications

To be considered for the position, you must meet the following qualification requirements.

Basic Requirements:

Education:
A graduate or higher-level degree, bachelor's degree, associate degree, or diploma from an accredited professional nursing educational program is required. This education must have been accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs, Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education or an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained.

Superior Academic Achievement (S.A.A.) applicants MUST provide a transcript in order to be considered under S.A.A.

Degree from Foreign Nursing School: Official certification from the Commission of Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools is required for individuals who graduated from foreign nursing schools.

AND

Licensure:
Applicants must have passed the National Council Licensure Examination. In addition, they must possess a current, active, full, and unrestricted license or registration as a professional nurse from a State, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or a territory of the United States.

NOTE: ALL applicants MUST electronically upload proof of current, active, full and unrestricted license or registration for verification at the time you apply.

All qualified referred candidates will undergo a credentialing process. This process includes validation of examinations, licensure, education, internship and residency. Please electronically upload these documents along with your required supporting documentation at the time you apply.

AND

In addition to the Basic Requirements:

Education/Work Experience:
The work experience must have equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. At the GS-09 and above grade level, many positions may require experience in a specialty area of nursing.

GS-05: To qualify at the GS-05 (or equivalent) grade level, applicants must meet one of the following qualification requirements:

• Possession of a bachelor's degree in nursing with no experience; or
• Possession of a diploma or associate degree in professional nursing and one full year of professional nursing experience.

GS-07: In addition to the above Basic Requirements, applicants must meet one of the following requirements:

• Possession of a bachelor's degree in nursing and eligibility under the Superior Academic Achievement provision;
• Possession of a bachelor's degree in nursing and at least one full year of professional nursing experience (equivalent to the GS-05 grade level);
• Possession of a diploma or associate degree in professional nursing and two full years of professional nursing experience; or
• Completion of at least one full year of graduate education in a professional nursing educational program.

GS-09: In addition to the above requirements, applicants must meet one of the following requirements:

• Possession of a master's degree in professional nursing; or
• At least one full year of professional nursing experience (equivalent to the GS-07 grade level or above) and possession of a diploma, associate degree, or bachelor's degree in nursing from a professional nursing program.

GS-10: In addition to the above requirements, applicants must meet the following requirement:

• At least one full year of professional nursing experience (equivalent to the GS-09 grade level or above) and possession of a diploma, associate degree, bachelor's degree or master's degree in nursing from a professional nursing program.

Specialized experience examples per grade level:

GS-05:

• Experience communicating with and providing nursing services to patients.
• Experience applying professional nursing concepts, principles, practices and nursing standards.
• Experience operating medical equipment.

GS-07:

• Experience implementing established protocols and standing orders for handling patients.
• Experience providing care to patients whose conditions are characterized by extremely complex health care needs.
• Experience recognizing life threatening emergencies and initiating immediate care until assistance is obtained.

GS-09:

• Experience in human behavior and the ability to communicate with and provide nursing services to patients.
• Experience in the techniques and the operational mechanics of medical equipment.
• Experience with accurately transcribing physician's orders, performing health assessments and accurately documenting in patient's medical record.
• Experience with pharmacology of a wide variety of drugs, dosages, routes of administration, therapeutic action, drug interactions, and adverse reactions.

GS-10:

• Experience in professional nursing concepts, principles, practices and nursing standards as related to medical, surgical, and mental health nursing.
• Experience in the recognition of life-threatening emergencies and in initiating immediate care until assistance is obtained.
• Experience in nursing theories and practices needed to plan and provide care to patients whose conditions are characterized by extremely complex health care needs.
• Experience using critical thinking skills and establishing priorities of care when dealing with multiple patients having varying degrees of care requirements.

If applicable, credit will be given for paid and unpaid experience. To receive proper credit, you must show the actual time (such as the number of hours worked per week) spent in activities.

You MUST meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/30/2027.

Your resume must support your responses to the online questionnaire and the qualification requirements. Failure to do so may result in an ineligible rating.See the Required Documents section for important notes about what must be included in your resume.

How you will be evaluated

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

NOTE: This announcement establishes an open continuous public notice. Given our continuous demand for Registered Nurses, applications are routinely reviewed and referred on an ongoing basis for the duration of the recruitment period.

Once the job opportunity announcement closes (at 11:59 pm ET on 09/30/2027 ), your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents) to verify you meet the basic qualifications for the position and grade level selected. Qualified candidates are then referred to the selecting official at their preferred locations for further consideration. The Hiring Official may select any qualified candidate. Veterans' preference is not applicable. Applications received under Direct Hire public notice may or may not result in a referral or selection.

When addressing the specialized experience statement, applicants must present evidence of the experience in their resume.

What Competencies/Knowledge, Skills and Abilities are Required for this Position?
The following Competencies/Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA's) are required:

GS-05 and GS-07:

• Knowledge of nursing care principles, practices and procedures.
• Knowledge of safety principles and infection control in the patient care environment.
• Ability to assess patients' needs and coordinate appropriate nursing care plan.
• Ability to communicate orally.
• Ability to communicate in writing.

GS-09:

• Knowledge of nursing care principles, practices and procedures.
• Knowledge of safety principles and infection control in the patient care environment.
• Ability to assess patients' needs and coordinate appropriate nursing care plan.
• Ability to communicate orally.
• Knowledge of rehabilitative nursing, pre- and post-operative care.

GS-10:

• Knowledge of nursing care principles, practices and procedures.
• Knowledge of safety principles and infection control in the patient care environment.
• Ability to assess patients' needs and coordinate appropriate nursing care plan.
• Knowledge of rehabilitative nursing, pre- and post-operative care.

To preview the application questionnaire, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13069723

Failure to provide legible required documents and/or follow the prescribed format often results in removal from consideration. If uploading documentation, do not identify/save your documents utilizing a special character such as %, #, @, etc. Documentation should be identified/saved as VA Letter, DD-214, or Transcripts.

Veterans' Preference Documentation:
Failure to submit all required documents at the time of application will result in the loss of claimed preference eligibility.

• DD-214: Veterans MUST provide a DD-214 demonstrating that they have been discharged or released from active duty under honorable conditions (i.e., the individual must have received either an honorable or general discharge).
• SF-15: If you are a disabled veteran, a Purple Heart recipient, widow/widower of a veteran, the spouse of a disabled veteran or the parent of a disabled or deceased veteran, you must submit:
  • A completed Standard Form (SF) 15, "Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference" andall required documentation identified on the SF-15.
  • Note: A Department of Veterans Affairs letter must contain the Veteran's Name and Combined Service-Connected Evaluation.
  • For a copy of the most current SF-15, Click Here.
• If you are on active duty and expect to be discharged or released from active duty service within 120 days, you may submit a Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty from the appropriate Branch Personnel Office containing the following information:
  1. the military service dates including the expected discharge or release date; and
  2. the character of service (must be an honorable or general discharge); and
  3. any qualifying service/campaign/expeditionary medals

Resume - All Applicants:
You must submit a resume (a two page or less resume is required) that includes your name, contact information, and relevant experience (cover letter optional).Additionally, for each job entry listed in your employment history, you must include:

• Official position title,
• Employer name and contact information,
• Start and end dates (month and year, MM/YYYY, format),
• Indicate number of hours worked per week, and
• A list of duties performed and accomplishments.

Experience that would not normally be part of the Federal employee's position is creditable when documented by satisfactory evidence of qualifying experience (e.g., a memorandum from the manager, Human Resource Manager, SF-52, MOU, etc.). If providing a memorandum, it must follow the format above AND clearly cite the duties performed.

For more help, visit USAJOBS Help Center - What should I include in my resume?

College Transcripts:
If you are using education to qualify for this position, or education is required, you must submit a transcript containing a school name and student name in addition to full listing of courses, credit earned, grade and grade-point-average, subject area, degree(s) earned, and dates of award (if applicable). Note: If you are selected for this position, official transcripts will be required prior to your first day.

SF-50: If you are a current/former federal government employee, you must provide an unredacted copy of your latest SF-50.

Proof of ICTAP/CTAP Eligibility:
If you are a displaced Federal employee claiming eligibility under CTAP or ICTAP, you must submit:

• A copy of the agency notice (i.e., letter of intent to separate, separation notice, or agency RIF letter),
• Your most recent performance appraisal, and
• Most recent SF-50 showing current/former position, grade, promotion potential, and duty location.

Professional Certification/License: if applicable.

We cannot be held responsible for incompatible software, delays in mail service, applicant application errors, etc.

Next steps

Additional locations