The New Mexico VA Health Care System seeks a Registered Nurse (Transplant Coordinator) to join our team. The Registered Nurse (Transplant Coordinator) is responsible for assessing, planning, implementing, and evaluating the nursing care for patients suffering from chronic and end stage organ disease and potential transplant patients and live donors. The RN coordinates care delivered by other members of the transplant team to affect positive outcomes for the patient. Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. English Language Proficiency. In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), 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 State-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). 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. OR The completion of coursework equivalent to a nursing degree in a MSN Bridge Program that qualifies for professional nursing registration constitutes the completion of an approved course of study of professional nursing. Students should submit the certificate of professional nursing to sit for the NCLEX to the VA along with a copy of the MSN transcript. (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. 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. Preferred Experience: Transplant Coordinator experience preferred. 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 years of nursing practice/experience; OR a Master's degree in nursing or related field with a BSN and approximately 1-2 years 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 years of nursing practice/experience; OR a Doctoral degree and approximately 2-3 years of nursing practice/experience. Note regarding MSN degrees: If your MSN was obtained via a Bridge Program that qualifies for professional nursing registration, a BSN is not required. Reference: VA Regulations, specifically VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G-6 Nurse Qualification Standard. This can be found in the local Human Resources Office. Physical Requirements: Heavy lifting (45 lbs and over); Heavy carrying (45 lbs and over); Straight pulling and pushing; reaching above shoulder; use of fingers; both hands required; walking and standing up to 8 hours; repeated bending; Ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously; hearing aid permitted. ["VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package: VA Nurse Total Rewards What you will do in this role: Assures the performance of necessary studies to determine a patient's candidacy Assumes lead in directing responsibility of all patient and family education; acts as the resource person regarding transplantation for all staff nurses Assists in the evaluation and selection of potential recipients and living donors Maintains appropriate monitoring of patients' status throughout work-up and while on the deceased donor organ transplant waiting list Coordinates comprehensive care with other team members and monitors live donor post donation for clinical/social/emotional issues and routine follow up visits; Prepares patients for discharge and outpatient follow-up Communicates all patient post donations issues and concerns to other transplant team members and maintains communication with patients' referring physicians. Participates in 24-hour call duties shared by all coordinators that includes triaging patient problems, coming in to hospital/clinic as needed and taking organ call for potential transplantation of recipient(s) Recognizes and responds to crisis situations. Notifies appropriate individuals of actual or impending crisis. Essential duties of this role: Performs pre-transplant duties such as communicating with patients, referring physicians, and dialysis units on the status of patients within the transplant process. Educating patients and caregivers in multiple states across many time zones on the transplant process. Coordinates all aspects of patient evaluations including medical testing, follow up, and care coordination. Collaborates with Virginia Mason providers, social workers, financial coordinators, and dialysis units in multiple states to formulate a plan for transplantation and the post-operative phase. Completes inpatient rounds and discharge planning on transplant patients; acts as a liaison between inpatient/outpatient areas and other disciplines Performs post-operative duties in the clinic to assess patient progress after transplant. Facilitates safe transitions and plans of care for patients to return home to their referring providers' care. The RN Transplant Coordinator practices the following: Clinical Judgement: incorporates clinical reasoning into care delivery, which includes clinical decision-making, critical thinking, and a global grasp of the patient situation, coupled with nursing skills acquired through a process of integrating formal and informal experiential knowledge and evidence- based guidelines. Clinical Inquiry: exhibits the ongoing process of questioning and evaluating practice and providing informed practice changes. Creates practice changes through research utilization and experiential learning while leveraging the methods and tools of the Virginia Mason Production System (VMPS) to continuously improve the care delivery system. Caring Practices: demonstrates behaviors that create a compassionate, supportive, and therapeutic environment for patients and staff, with the aim of promoting comfort and healing and preventing unnecessary suffering. Collaboration: works with others (e.g., patients, families, healthcare providers) in a way that promotes/encourages each person's contributions toward achieving optimal/realistic patient/family goals. Involves intra- and inter-disciplinary work with colleagues and community Advocacy and Moral Agency: works on another's behalf and represents the concerns of the patient/family and nursing staff; serving as a moral agent in identifying and helping to resolve ethical and clinical concerns within and outside the clinical setting. 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, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm Telework: Not available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required"]
Providing Health Care for Veterans: The Veterans Health Administration is America’s largest integrated health care system, providing care at 1,255 health care facilities, including 170 medical centers and 1,074 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics), serving 9 million enrolled Veterans each year.
