Career Center

The Cincinnati, OH VA Medical Center is seeking a Registered Nurse specialized in Oncology to work at our facility. If you are interested in a career that offers professional/work life balance in a supportive clinical learning environment, providing integrated patient-centered, state-of-the-art care to Veterans, we welcome you to apply to be part of the Cincinnati VA team! Cincinnati is a family friendly, affordable, metropolitan city with great parks, fine arts, and food scene. Basic Requirements: Citizenship: Citizen of the United States. (Noncitizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g, this part.) English Language Proficiency: RNs appointed to direct patient care positions must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d) and 7407(d). Graduation from School of Nursing: Graduate of a school of professional nursing approved by the appropriate State agency and accredited by one of the following accrediting bodies at the time the program was completed by the applicant. The National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC), an accrediting arm of the National League for Nursing located at 61 Broadway, 33rd Floor, New York, New York 10006 or call (800) 669-1656 extension 153. The NLNAC accredits all levels of nursing programs. Additional information may be obtained from the NLNAC web site; or The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), an accrediting arm of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). The CCNE accredits bachelors and masters degree programs, and is located at One Dupont Circle N.W., Suite 530, Washington, DC 20036 or call (202) 463-6930. Additional information may be obtained from the CCNE web site. Registration: Condition of Employment. A registered nurse (RN) will have a current, full, active and unrestricted registration as a graduate professional nurse in a State, Territory, or Commonwealth (i.e., Puerto Rico) of the U.S. or in the District of Columbia. The appointing official may waive this registration if the RN is to serve in a country other than the U.S. and the RN has registration in that country (e.g., Philippines). The RN must maintain a current, full, active and unrestricted registration to continue employment with VA. Nurse Practitioners and Clinical Nurse Specialists. On and after [March 17, 2009], registered nurses appointed or otherwise moving into these assignments must meet and maintain the following additional qualifications. This includes employees appointed before [March 17, 2009], who obtain such qualifications on or after [March 17, 2009.] Nurse Practitioners. A nurse practitioner must be licensed or otherwise recognized as a nurse practitioner in a State, possess a master's degree from a program accredited by the NLNAC or CCNE, and maintain full and current certification as a nurse practitioner from the American Nurses Association or another nationally recognized certifying body. (The certification must be in the specialty to which the individual is being appointed or selected.) 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 year's of nursing practice/experience; OR a Master's degree in nursing or related field with a BSN and approximately 1-2 year's 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 year's of nursing practice/experience; OR a Doctoral degree. Physical Demands: Per VA Directive and Handbook 5019 - a physical examination will be conducted based on the physical requirements of the position. A physical examination prior to placement is required. Regarding this specific RN position, the population of male and female veterans served ranges from the adult, age 18, to the elderly adult, age 65 and over. The VA Medical Center is a major interdisciplinary teaching facility, serving medical, surgical, and neurological inpatients and outpatients. There is a large outpatient psychiatric population, with admissions for medical co­morbidities. 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 RN 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 RN may occasionally be exposed to patients who are combative secondary to delirium, dementia, or psychiatric disorders. The RN must be capable of working effectively in stressful situations and able to shift priorities based on patient needs. Preferred Qualifications/Experience/Specialized Certifications: Must have Chemotherapy/Biotherapy administration card Previous Infusion experience BLS/ACLS Requirements: Current certification in BLS is required for all staff providing direct patient care, and police. Additionally, current ACLS is required for patient care staff that work in specified or high-risk areas (SICU/ICU/CCU/MICU/PACU/ED/and all procedure suites using moderate sedation, etc.). If you are selected for a position which requires BLS/ACLS certification, you will be required to have proof of certification prior to being boarded for appointment with VA. If selected, obtain such certification to avoid any delays in the hiring process. Reference: VA Regulations, specifically VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G-6 Nurse Qualification Standard. VA Regulations, specifically VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3 These references can be found in the local Human Resources Office. ["The VA has been named one of the Top 5 Best Places to Work in the federal government. VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package: VA Nurse Total Rewards The RN provides care frequently to patients with complex psychosocial issues including dual diagnosis and complex family issues. Oncology patients require the nurse to be proficient in managing their care while they are receiving treatments in an outpatient setting. He/she will collaborate with other health professionals as a member of the multi-disciplinary team to ensure continuity of patient care by evaluating patient needs and identifying continuum of care strategies. Duties and responsibilities are but not limited to: Administers medications and procedures per established policies and guidelines. Effectively provide and/or direct the care provided by team members for patients on an assigned tour of duty; modifies and updates the plans of care/treatment plans for patients. Provides, directs, revises and modifies the plan of care or treatment plan for patients with complex nursing care needs (i.e. multi-system health care issues, complex psychosocial issues, etc.) Participates in studying, identifying, evaluating, and implementing creative process and system improvements that facilitate the mission of the Medical Center at the program or service level and which can be documented through demonstrated outcomes. Acts as a patient advocate, guides, directs or supports co-workers regarding ethical issues and makes appropriate referrals when issues are suspected or identified; i.e. knowledgeable regarding the chain-of-command and ensures referrals are made to the Medical Ethics Committee when appropriate. Demonstrates creativity in meeting patient needs. Identifies risk area and analyzes resources available in the use of patient care equipment and body mechanics, while evaluating options available and selecting a course of action resulting in favorable patient/organizational outcomes. Formally and informally coaches and mentors staff by identifying learning needs and sharing information related to new or unfamiliar technology, procedures, medications, trends, practices, etc. and participates in clinical orientation or new personnel. Communicates effectively with co-workers and participates in staff meetings and unit in-services. He/she will maintain effective communication with intra-department staff and demonstrate professional behavior by role-modeling, respect for others, collegiality, ability to accept constructive criticism and participate on ad hoc, nursing or medical center/health care system committees or task forces. Responsible for demonstrating and maintaining full competency in the use, pre-cleaning and/or reprocessing of reusable medical equipment. The employee must ensure that the appropriate Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) and manufacturer's instructions are followed for any step in the use of RME (re-cleaning, reprocessing, disinfection, sterilization, maintenance) in which he/she is involved. Demonstrate understanding of patient safety requirements by correctly using environmental safety requirements and documenting adverse incidents on progress notes, report of contact and/or incident report as appropriate. Assesses patients at risk for potential injury- and implements appropriate plans/policies/protocols designed to prevent injury or reduce risk. Initiates problems identification, defines the scope of the problems and issues related to performance improvement, seeks resolution and follows through with implementation and evaluation of the outcomes. The nurse will identify and report interventions that may be ineffective based on own research-based leaning and knowledge. Ensures that practice is supported by relevant and current research and validates existing practice based on knowledge of current published research. Participates in research or facilities special projects designed to evaluate and improve patient care and health care delivery and shares information from research findings or special projects through presentation. As a resource person, assists nursing personnel with assessment implementation and evaluation of new approaches, procedures, and standards of patient care, based on reliable nursing research and/or literature review. The Registered Nurse working in Oncology is accountable to the Associate Chief Nursing Service Medicine Programs and works collaboratively with the Clinical Nurse Specialist and the Chief Hematology/Oncology. Work Schedule: Primarily Monday-Friday, Infusion Room, day shift, however must be flexible to meet the needs of the service.\nTelework: Not Available\nVirtual: This is not a virtual position.\nRelocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized\nEDRP Authorized: Contact Brian Hulman at Brian.Hulman@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance\nPermanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized\nFinancial Disclosure Report: Not required"]