The Western New York VA Medical Center is seeking a Registered Nurse (RN) - Nurse Educator to work on the facility Education Team at the Buffalo Location. The Registered Nurse - Nurse Educator is responsible for providing expert, evidence-based education to staff and provides educational instruction and training for nursing staff in clinical and outpatient units.
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. Grade Determinations: The following Scope, Education and Dimension criteria must be met in determining the grade assignment of candidates, and if appropriate, the level within a grade. The Dimension requirements (Practice, Veteran/Patient Driven Care, Leadership, Professional Development and Evidence-Based Practice/Research) are detailed for each grade and level within the online assessment: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12751014. Grade/Level Scope Education 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 *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: Masters' degree in nursing or related health field. Major in Nursing Education. Minimum of five (5) years RN clinical experience in a variety of settings, critical care experience strongly preferred CNE certification preferred. Experience developing and implementing curriculum in staff development. Experience with accreditation processes and expectations. Demonstrated significant and sustained contribution to the healthcare which may include committees or use of creative approaches to enhance quality of patient care. Demonstrated leadership and collaboration with interdisciplinary health care team, in program development, implementation and evaluation to meet organizational performance measures. Demonstrates the ability to provide leadership in improving and sustaining the quality and effectiveness of patient care in diverse and complex programs. Demonstrated ability to make sustained contributions to health care inside or outside the medical center as evidenced by professional presentations, academic teaching, and active participation in professional organizations preferred. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: The position requires the incumbent to have visual acuity, keen hearing, clear distinctive speech, and manual dexterity. The incumbent must be mature, flexible, and sensible, capable of working effectively in stressful situations and able to shift priorities based on patient needs. This position requires limited periods of standing, stooping, bending, pulling, pushing, walking, and be able to lift up to 35 pounds. Transferring patients and objects may be required. This position also requires sitting for long periods typing on computer keyboard, looking at computer monitor, and using the telephone. The incumbent maybe exposed to infected patients and contaminated materials requiring the incumbent to don protective clothing and equipment in isolation situations or during invasive patient procedures. The incumbent may be exposed to patients who are combative or aggressive related to neurologic or psychiatric disorders. The incumbent must meet the required screening/testing and be medically cleared by Employee Occupational Health as a condition of employment.
The Registered Nurse - Nurse Educator understands instructional design, implementation, application related to education and training and performs learning needs assessments, develops educational trainings for clinical staff within organization. The incumbent assists with the orientation of new employees, evaluation of their progress in the orientation process, development/implementation of a learning plan for improving identified deficiencies and serves as a trainer and consultant for Resuscitation Education Initiative (Redi) Program including certification as Basic Life Support (BLS) instructor. He/she will Monitor and tracks BLS/Advanced Life Support (ALS) compliance within the organization. The incumbent will collaborate with interdisciplinary team to support and evaluate responses to emergency responses in the facility to include BLS and ALS. (Organizes, participates, and evaluates mock codes.) The RN - Nurse Educator supports the nurse residency programs, including the development of curriculum utilizing strategic learning methodologies such as simulation, lecture case studies and virtual reality. He/she develops expert level coaching/mentoring skills, and systematically evaluates current practice, formulate outcomes for groups of patients and/or organizational processes within area of expertise. The incumbent will collaborate with other Nurse Educators and interprofessional healthcare teams in the ongoing clinical education activities including in-services, training, competency assessment, and evaluations of both current and new staff nursing skills. He/she reviews current nursing literature for new trends and changes based on evidence-based research with the ability to propose practice and documentation revisions based on evaluation of outcomes, and collaborates with leadership and unit managers to identify educational training needs for staff, while supporting activities that foster competence, critical thinking, and decision making. The duties include, but are not limited to: Deliver a fundamental understanding of adult learning principles and a lifelong learner that can practice with flexibility to adapt or change learning strategies based on the assessment of learning needs within the healthcare organization. Assess, plan, implement, and evaluate educational needs to facilitate learner development and skill training of clinical staff. Assume responsibility for the coordination of education focused on staff education, self-management, and customer satisfaction throughout the healthcare continuum. Execute position responsibilities that demonstrate leadership, experience, and creative approaches to management of complex situations. Responsible and accountable for all elements of the nursing process when providing and/or supervising staff education. Analyze, interpret, and evaluate data to determine outcomes and changes related to educational programs. Work Schedule: Full-Time. Days (7:30 am - 4:00 pm) Compressed/Flexible: Not Authorized Telework: Ad-hoc per agency policy Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized 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