Nurse Practitioner Job in Columbia - 98141825 - ZADGRH5TXQGGM

Job Title:
Nurse Practitioner

Department:
Department Of Veterans Affairs

Agency:
Veterans Health Administration

Job Announcement Number:
OE-11-SPH-457613

OPEN PERIOD:
Tuesday, March 29, 2011 to Saturday, December 31, 2011
SERIES & GRADE:VN-0610-00

POSITION INFORMATION:
Full Time Excepted Service Permanent

DUTY LOCATIONS:
5 vacancies - Columbia, SC

WHO MAY BE CONSIDERED:
United States Citizens

JOB SUMMARY:

Vacancy Identification Number (VIN): 457613

To fulfill President Lincoln's promise – "To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan" – by serving and honoring the men and women who are America's Veterans.

How would you like to become a part of a team providing compassionate care to Veterans?

This is an open continuous announcement.  We will accept applications until all positions are filled.  Applications received by April 15th will receive first consideration.  If all positions are not filled, applications will then be considered on the 1st and the 15th of the month.  The announcement will be closed when all positions have been filled.

As a VA professional nurse, your opportunities are endless. With many openings in the multiple functions of VA, you will have a wide range of opportunities at your fingertips. Not only is it the largest, most technologically advanced integrated health care system in the nation, but we also provide many other services to Veterans through the Benefits Administration and National Cemeteries.

VA professionals feel good about their careers and their ability to balance work and home life. VA offers generous paid time off and a variety of predictable and flexible scheduling opportunities.  

For more information on the Department of Veterans Affairs, go to http://www.vacareers.va.gov/ .  

KEY REQUIREMENTS:

• U.S. Citizenship
• Full unrestricted Licensure, Certification, or Registration required.
• Must pass pre-employment examination.
• Designated and/or Random Drug Testing required.
• Background and/or Security Investigation required.
• English Language Proficiency required.

Additional Duty Location Info:
5 vacancies - Columbia, SC

The VA Medical Center, Columbia, SC is seeking five full-time certified mid-level practitioners to work in Surgical Care Service Line to cover various shifts to include week days, weekends, day, evening and night sights.  Work may be performed in 8, 10 or 12 hours shifts to provide 24/7/365 coverage for inpatient/outpatient care.  Incumbents will stay in-house nights and weekends.  Duties will include outpatient as well as inpatient evaluations and procedures.  BLS/ACLS certification required.

The incumbent exhibits strong clinical skills to improve patient care for an aging, adult population; as well as excellent interpersonal relationship skills in interpreting and communicating health care information to the patient, family, and the interdisciplinary health care team.

Columbia is the geographic center of South Carolina, with easy access to mountains (two hours west) and nationally recognized beach resorts (two hours east).  Columbia boasts a nationally acclaimed library system, highly rated schools, and many outstanding golf courses.   Big time college sports abound with two major schools – the University of South Carolina, Columbia, in the Southeastern Conference and Clemson University, Clemson, Atlantic Coast Conference (two hours away).  Professional sports NFL Carolina Panthers and NBA Charlotte Bobcats are less than 1 ½ hours north.

Positions may be filled as either Physician Assistants or Nurse Practitioners.  This announcement is for Nurse Practitioner only.  The announcement number for Physician Assistant is OE-11-SPH-457641.

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED:

Citizen of the United States.  Graduate of a school of professional nursing approved by the appropriate State-accrediting 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) or The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).  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.  In cases of graduates of foreign schools of professional nursing, possession of current, full, active and unrestricted registration will meet the requirement of graduation from an approved school of professional nursing.    Must be proficient in spoken and written English.

A nurse practitioner must also 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.]

A minimum of 3 semester hours in an advanced pharmacology course is also required.

Applicant's education and length of nursing practice (experience) will be considered by a Nurse Professional Standards Board in determining the grade and salary of the applicant selected.   Experience as a RN will be evaluated to determine if the experience is of an acceptable level of quality with regard to the following four dimensions of nursing: Practice, Professional Development, Collaboration and Scientific Inquiry. Each dimension of practice has criteria that demonstrate essential core competencies for VHA Nursing Personnel. The criteria are as follows: Practice: practice, ethics and resource utilization, Professional Development: performance, education/career development, Collaboration; collaboration, collegiality, Scientific Inquiry: quality of care, research.     Education/Experience Requirements: 

• Nurse I Level I - An Associate Degree (ADN) or Diploma in Nursing, no experience.
• Nurse I Level II - An ADN or Diploma in Nursing and approximately 1 year of experience, or an ADN or Diploma in Nursing and a bachelor's degree in a related field and no experience; or a Bachelors of Science in Nursing (BSN) and no experience.
• Nurse I Level III - An ADN or Diploma in Nursing and approximately 2-3 years of experience, or an ADN or Diploma in Nursing and a bachelors degree in a related field and approximately 1-2 years of experience; or a BSN with approximately 1-2 years of experience, or a Master's degree in nursing (MSN) or related field with a BSN and no experience.
• Nurse II - A BSN with approximately 2-3 years of experience, or ADN or Diploma in Nursing and a bachelors degree in a related field and approximately 2-3 years experience or a Master's degree in nursing or related field with a BSN and approximately 1-2 years experience, or a Doctoral degree in nursing or meets basic requirements for appointment and has doctoral degree in a related field with no experience. 
• Nurse III - Master's degree in nursing or related field with BSN and approximately 2-3 years experience or Doctoral degree in nursing or related field and approximately 2-3 years experience. 
  
  

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

Reference: VA Handbook 5005/27, Part II, Appendix G-6 NURSE QUALIFICATION STANDARD http://www1.va.gov/vapubs/viewPublication.asp?Pub_ID=464&FType=2

Veterans Preference:  When applying for Federal Jobs, eligible Veterans should claim preference on their application or résumé. Applicants claiming preference based on service-connected disability, or based on being the spouse or mother of a disabled or deceased Veteran, must complete an SF 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference. Veterans who are still in the service may be granted tentative preference on the basis of information contained in their applications.  These applicants must submit a DD Form 214 worksheet or statement of service with their application.  Failure to provide required Veteran documents will result in an ineligible rating.  For more information on Veterans' Preference, please visit http://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/veterans.aspx.

HOW YOU WILL BE EVALUATED:

Your application, résumé and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.   You may also be evaluated based upon the question responses you provide during a structured interview. In responding to structured interview questions you should be sure to cite specific examples of experience, explain exactly what you did, and the outcome.

BENEFITS:

Working for the Department of Veterans Affairs offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacation, sick leave, holidays, life insurance, health benefits, thrift savings plan, and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System. In addition to traditional "dollars and cents" benefits, we offer a range of benefits to help balance work and life.  For more information please visit us at http://www4.va.gov/JOBS/Job_Benefits/benefits.asp .

OTHER INFORMATION:

This position will be filled on a full-time permanent basis.  Upon completing any required probationary period, the position will be permanent.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status. 

HOW TO APPLY:

To begin the process, click the Apply Online button at the right side of this screen to create an account or log in to your existing USAJOBS account. Follow the prompts to complete the occupational questionnaire. Please ensure you click the Submit My Answers button at the end of the process.

YOU MUST INCLUDE VA FORM 10-2850a IN YOUR APPLICATION PACKAGE TO BE CONSIDERED FOR THIS VACANCY.   You may upload the completed form to your USAJOBS or Application Manager account if you apply online.  Then you can use the uploaded form again and again when applying for future vacancies.  Please see this guide ( http://www.va.gov/OHRM/joblistings/uploading-and-using-documents-online.doc ) for more information on uploading and re-using the form in your applications.  Other required forms and documents can also be saved in your account and used the same way.   Applicants are urged to apply online; this process is much easier and faster.

Note: To return to a previously Saved or Incomplete application, just reapply through your account in USAJOBS.  Check your account ( https://my.usajobs.gov/Login.aspx ) to see the status of your application after applying, including any messages that may have been sent to you.

If you cannot apply online:

1. Click the following link to view and print the occupational questionnaire: View Occupational Questionnaire.
2. Print this 1203FX form to provide your response to the occupational questionnaire: http://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/OPM1203fx.pdf .
3. Fax the completed 1203FX form along with all supporting documents to (478)757-3144.  Your 1203FX form must be placed on top of all materials being faxed and will serve as a cover page for your fax transmission.
4. Keep a copy of your fax receipt in case verification is needed.

To fax supporting documents you are unable to upload:

1. Complete this cover page  http://staffing.opm.gov/pdf/usascover.pdf using the following Vacancy ID: 457613.  You must use this fax cover sheet in order for your documents to be matched with your online application.
2. Fax your documents to (478)757-3144.

The complete Application Package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on Saturday, December 31, 2011.
REQUIRED DOCUMENTS:

You must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

1.CV or Resume.

2.   VA Form 10-2850a - Application for Nurse and Nurse Anesthetist (Available at  http://www.vacareers.va.gov/jobs_download/vha-10-2850a-fill.pdf) (required).

3.Optional Form 306 - Declaration for Federal Employment (Available at http://www.va.gov/vaforms/va/pdf/OF306.pdf).  This is a required form and must be submitted with your application.

4.If prior military service, include all copies of your DD Forms 214 (required).   Applicants claiming preference based on service-connected disability, or based on being the spouse or mother of a disabled or deceased Veteran, must also complete and submit an SF 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference (available at http://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/SF15.pdf).

5.   If currently employed in the VA system, include latest SF-50 - Notification of Personnel Action. (required).

AGENCY CONTACT INFO:

WJB DORN VAMC
Phone: (803)776-4000x6735
Fax: (478)757-3144 Agency Information:
SURGICAL
PLEASE DO NOT MAIL/E-MAIL APPLICATIONS
APPLY ONLINE OR FAX ONLY
THANK YOU, SC 29209
Fax: (478)757-3144

WHAT TO EXPECT NEXT:

After we receive your complete application package (including any required documents), your qualifications will be reviewed to decide if you meet the basic requirements.  You will be notified when this decision is made.