RN-Deputy Associate Director for Patient Care Services

Clarification from the agency

This job is open to current permanent Department of Veteran Affairs employees. First area of consideration - Current Permanent Orlando VAMC employees including Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs). Second area of consideration - Current Permanent VISN 8 employees. Third area of consideration- Current Permanent VA employees.

**Recruitment/Relocation Authorized**

Duties include but not limited to:

• Responsible for planning, designing, and carrying out multiple clinical or clinically related programs.
• Sets long and short range goals for programs that are interlinked with goals of the Medical Center/VISN/VHA.
• Adjusts organizational goals, develops new techniques and methods.
• Responsible for methodology, approach, interpretation and evaluation of programs under the jurisdiction of the position and accountability for the success and outcomes of multiple programs.
• Ensures the development of a highly educated and motivated nursing staff that delivers high quality competent care over all sites of care.
• Serves as first line supervisor for Chief Nurse of GEC, Chief Nurse of Primary Care, Chief Nurse of Mental Health, Chief Nurse of Education, and Chief Nurse of Research.
• Reports directly to the Associate Director for Patient Care Services and provides coverage and is the spokesperson for nursing in the absence of the ADCPS.
• Functions as a member of the senior executive leadership team of the organization for strategic planning, organizational assessment, and program development.
• Provides senior leadership and oversight for daily clinical and administrative operations within nursing as directed by the ADPCS.
• Overall management of nursing practice regardless of line authority within the facility.
• Catalyst for the integration and collaboration of nursing with other professional disciplines and functional areas in the mutual achievement or patient centered and organizational goals.
• Champions High Reliability Organization with a culture of safety founded on a systems approach to developing evidence based health care solutions based on prevention, not punishment, with collective mindfulness.
• Participates in VISN and CO workgroups.
• Aids the ADPCS in guiding overall management of the profession and practice of nursing within OVAHCS, as well as across divisions and services.
• Assumes leadership and exercises oversight authority for nursing job descriptions, policies and procedures, nursing standards of patient care, treatment and services, standards of nursing practice, staffing plans, standards to measure, assess, and improve patient outcomes based upon evidence based practices.
• Directly responsible for ensuring that all registered nurses, LVNs, and NAs are licensed, certified, and/or registered upon employment and thereafter.
• Ensures solid processes are in place for timely competency validations and performance evaluations.
• Provides outcomes to the ADPCS if outcomes are not optimal.
• Reviews and consults on all disciplinary actions involving conduct and professional practice of nursing personnel.
• Maintains and promotes effective labor and management relations and participates in negotiation agreements as appropriate.
• Incorporates the principles and practices of performance improvement, system redesign, and continuous survey readiness at all levels within the organization.
• In collaboration with the ADPCS, has the responsibility for ensuring that nurses perform their duties in a manner consistent with the scope of practice approved by their state board of nursing, regulatory agencies, VHA/VA policies.

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, 0800 - 1630.
Telework: Ad-hoc
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized. You may qualify for reimbursement of relocation expenses in accordance with agency policy.
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Authorized.
PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized.

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.
• 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 identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Must pass pre-employment physical evaluation/examination.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• You may be required to serve a probationary period.
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

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, one of which is specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse IV and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse V. *Note: Foreign education programs/degrees are not creditable as related degrees.
• Dimension Requirements:
  • Leadership. Establishes the strategic direction for health care delivery, evidence-based practices, industry-leading research, and innovative care models. Creates a shared vision and successfully leads change to improve performance and attain measurable outcomes at the organization or enterprise level.
  • Business Acumen. Transforms health care through the application of new processes, technology, informatics, data analytics, business principles, systems thinking and resource management at the organization or enterprise level.
  • Inspiring an Industry-Leading Lifestyle. Establishes an industry leading, shared decision-making lifestyle; a workforce that serves Veterans, families, and caregivers of all backgrounds; builds trust and lifestyle competencies and catalyzes dynamic teams at the organization and enterprise level.
  • Communication and Relationship Management. Drives the effective use of relationship management principles to achieve positive customer service experiences that are consistent with professional and organizational values, beliefs, and practices at the organizational or enterprise level.
  • Professional and Social Responsibility. Sets the standard for a lifestyle of holistic care, health advocacy and health equity. Applies ethical principles in decision-making at the organization or enterprise level. Advances nursing knowledge through health science research and the translation and dissemination of evidence into practice to maximize the value to Veterans, the community, and the health care industry.

Preferred Experience:

• VA Senior Nursing Experience is Highly recommended.
• Board Certification, to include NEA-BC is highly preferred.

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

Physical Requirements: This position may include a level of physicality normally associated with duties performed by nursing personnel such as direct patient care, and potentially long periods of walking, standing, sitting, moderate lifting, repeated bending, or kneeling.

Examples may include:

• Significant amounts of time standing assisting Veterans.
• Utilization of safe patient handling and mobility protocols.

How you will be evaluated

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

Area of Consideration - Eligible applications will be reviewed and referred in the following order:

1. Current permanent Orlando VAMC employees including Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs).
2. Current permanent VISN8 employees.
3. Current permanent VA employees.

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.

NOTE: Candidate's education, scope, and length of nursing practice (experience) will be considered in determining the grade and salary of the applicant selected. The recommended salary may be at any point in the range listed for this vacancy.

Experience as an RN will be evaluated to determine if the experience is of an acceptable level of quality with regard to the following five dimensions of nursing: Practice, Veteran/Patient Driven Care, Leadership, Professional Development, and Evidence/Based Practice/Research. Each dimension of practice has criteria that demonstrate essential core competencies for VHA Nursing Personnel.

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.

NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position.

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

• License
• Long-form resume/Curriculum vitae (CV)
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

The following documents are accepted and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position.

• Cover Letter
• License
• Long-form resume/Curriculum vitae (CV)
• Other (1)
• Professional Certification
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

Next steps