Registered Nurse (RN)

About the Role

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. Specific eligibility requirements per VHA policy must be met, and the EDRP application must be submitted within four months of appointment. Program approval, award amount (up to $200,000), and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP participants are ineligible to apply.

Key Responsibilities

• Service consults for the mental health service line at the Tomah, WI VAMC.
• Possess intimate knowledge of the internal referral care process, clinical review criteria, utilization management standards, clinical documentation requirements, community care regulations, and Veterans Health Administration (VHA) standards and guidelines.
• Use nursing knowledge and systems theory to assess, organize, facilitate, and guide Veterans through their full range of care options, including internal/direct care in Veterans Affairs (VA) and care in the community.
• Serve as a liaison to both internal and community providers, managing the care of the Veteran throughout the consult process.
• Support the medical center's mission to improve timely access to care, empower Veterans to make more informed care decisions, and ensure eligible Veterans who want to receive care in the community are referred and scheduled.
• Triage incoming referrals, discuss available care options, provide scheduling guidance, and act as a resource within the service.
• Guide Veterans through their full range of care options by utilizing a national standardized triage tool.
• Serve as the liaison between ordering or referring VA providers and specialty care services by clinically triaging consults or referrals to confirm appropriate care is requested and all necessary pre-work and tests are completed.
• Comply with VA mandated use of health information solutions for storing, exchanging, and tracking referral care information.
• Work collaboratively with the Office of Integrated Veteran Care to triage Request for Services (RFS) to promote in-house service access.
• Other duties as assigned.

Requirements & Tech Stack

• English Language Proficiency.
• 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 of a school of professional nursing approved by the appropriate accrediting agency and accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) or The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) at the time the program was completed.
• Exception: 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 an opportunity to become registered with a state licensing board prior to completion. Upon achievement of a State license, the individual may be appointed on a temporary basis and later converted to a permanent appointment upon successful completion and graduation from the bridge program.
• Exception for foreign graduates: Possession of a current, full, active, and unrestricted registration will meet the requirement for graduation from an approved school of professional nursing. Credit for foreign nursing education higher than 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).
• Graduate Nurse Technician (GNT) Exception: Candidates who meet basic education requirements but do not possess the required licensure may be appointed at the entry step of the grade and level applicable to 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).
• Grandfathering Provision: All persons currently employed in VHA in the 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.

Qualifications

Grade Determinations (Scope, Education, and Dimension Criteria)

• Nurse I - Level I:
• Delivers fundamental, knowledge-based care to assigned clients while developing technical competencies.
• An Associate Degree (ADN) or Diploma in Nursing, with no additional professional nursing required.
• Nurse I - Level II:
• Demonstrates integration of biopsychosocial concepts, cognitive skills, and technically competent practice in providing care to clients with basic or complex needs.
• An ADN or Diploma in Nursing AND 1 year of specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse I - Level 1; OR a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) with no additional professional nursing experience required.
• Nurse I - Level III:
• Demonstrates proficiency in practice based on conscious and deliberate planning.
• Self-directed in goal setting for managing complex client situations.
• An ADN or Diploma in Nursing AND 2 years of professional nursing experience in which one year is equivalent to Nurse I - Level 2; OR a BSN and 1 year of professional nursing experience equivalent to Nurse I - Level 2; OR a Master's degree in nursing (MSN) and no additional professional nursing experience; OR a Master's degree in a *related field with a BSN and no additional professional nursing experience.
• Nurse II:
• Demonstrates leadership in delivering and improving holistic care through collaborative strategies with others.
• A BSN with 2 years of professional nursing equivalent to Nurse I - Level 3; OR an MSN with one year of specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse I - Level 3; OR a Master's degree in a *related field with a BSN and one year of specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse I - Level 3; OR a Doctoral degree in Nursing with no professional nursing experience; OR a Doctoral degree in a *related field with a BSN with no additional professional nursing experience.
• Nurse III:
• Executes position responsibilities that demonstrate leadership, experience, and creative approaches to management of complex client care beyond the immediate practice setting.
• MSN and 2 years of specialized nursing experience, one of which is equivalent to Nurse II and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse III; OR a Master's degree in a *related field with BSN and two years of specialized nursing experience, one of which is equivalent to Nurse II and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse III; OR a Doctoral degree in Nursing with and one year of specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse II and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse III; OR a Doctoral degree in a *related field with a BSN and one year of specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse II and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse III.
• Note: Foreign education programs/degrees are not creditable as related degrees.

Preferred Experience

• Previous professional experience in a mental health care setting(s) is highly preferred.
• Previous professional experience in referral or consult management is preferred.

Physical Requirements

• Includes a level of physicality normally associated with duties performed by nurses such as direct patient care.
• Potentially long periods of walking, standing, sitting, moderate lifting, repeated bending, or kneeling.
• Examples may include, but are not limited to: significant amounts of time standing assisting assigned patients; utilization of safe patient handling and mobility protocols.

Work Schedule

• Full-time (1 FTE).
• Monday - Friday, 0800 - 1630.
• Telework: Ad-hoc only, as determined by agency policy.
• Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
• Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized.

VA Offers a Comprehensive Total Rewards Package

• Pay: Competitive salary, regular salary increases, potential for performance awards.
• Paid Time Off: Up to 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.