United States Citizens Excepted Service Permanent Full Time
**Vacancy Identification Number (VIN):**1274131
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?
The Phoenix VA Health Care System is recruiting for a REGISTERED NURSE (HOSPICE AND PALLIATIVE CARE PROGRAM COORDINATOR).
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.
**VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply**
For information on the City of Phoenix, visit the Chamber of Commerce site athttp://www.phoenixchamber.com.
For information about the Phoenix VA Health Care System team go to:http://www.phoenix.med.va.gov.
For more information on the Department of Veterans Affairs, go tohttp://www.vacareers.va.gov_._
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. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
A full-time Hospice and Palliative Care Program Coordinator position is available in the Home and Community Based – Hospice and Palliative Care section of Nursing Service. The incumbent will be responsible for performing duties that include, but are not limited to:
* Providing overall program coordination work with the interdisciplinary Hospice and Palliative Care Team to provide nursing support to the continuum of care of the Medical Center through evaluation, consultation, case management, and discharge planning to meet hospice and palliative care needs of inpatients and outpatients through referral and coordination with community hospice agencies and VA resources.
* Acting as liaison with community hospice agencies and other community agencies such as nursing homes to track and facilitate care for Veterans.
* Facilitating theintegration of hospice/palliative care across the continuum of care through education, resource planning, and participation in the planning, development and implementation of policies and programs designed for improving the quality of integrated hospice/palliative care.
* Reporting to the Director, Home and Community Based – Hospice and Palliative Care.
* Performing other duties related to the work of an RN, as necessary.
**Tour of duty:** Eight hour day shift, may be required to work evenings, weekends or be reassigned based upon the needs of the service.
*Relocation expenses are not authorized.*
**_BASIC QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS_**
* **Citizenship**. Citizen or national of the United States.
* **Education.** 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).
* **Licensure**. 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.
* **English Language Proficiency**. Must be proficient in spoken and written English.
**NOTE**: 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.
**_NOTE_**: Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
**_ADDITIONAL 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.
**ADDITIONAL PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS**:
* MSN or Master’s in a related field with BSN
* 3 - 5 years skilled care, rehabilitation and restorative care, and hospice experience.
* 5 years of recent clinical nursing experience with documented evidence of expert clinical assessment and problem solving skills.
* Certification in Hospice and Palliative Care (CHPN)
* Ability to easily establish and maintain good interpersonal relationships and communication with physicians, staff, Veterans, and community healthcare providers.
* Demonstrated ability to perform duties with initiative and independence.
* Demonstrated ability to communicate and use verbal, written and technological communication and presentation skills.
* Computer knowledge of Microsoft Programs such as Excel, Work, PowerPoint
**IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.**
**NOTE: **The full performance level of this vacancy is Nurse III. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of Nurse I to Nurse III. The Nurse Professional Standards Board (a peer-review group) will review the selected candidate's education and experience and recommend the grade and step at which the candidate will be placed. The salary is based on the grade and step approved for the selected candidate.
**PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS**: Must meet physical requirements for staff nurse, which are: heavy lifting (45lbs and over); heavy carrying (45lbs and over); straight pulling (6 hours); pushing (6 to 10 hours); kneeling (1 hour); repeated bending (4 hours); both legs required; ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously; near vision correctable at 13” to 16”; far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and 20/40 in the other eye; ability to distinguish shades of color; heading (aid permitted). Will work in well lighted and ventilated office environment. Computer use, will frequently sit, stand, walk, bend, stoop, reach over head, twist, and lift light items such as files and handouts for job fairs or other events.
VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. the health related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.
**Refer**ence: VA Handbook 5005/27, Part II, Appendix G-6 NURSE QUALIFICATION STANDARD. A copy may be viewed in our Human Resources Office.
APPLICANTS PLEASE NOTE: Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications (particularly positions with a positive education requirement.) Therefore, applicants must report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following website:http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html All education claimed by applicants will be verified by the appointing agency accordingly. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education.
**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, but they must produce a DD Form 214 or other proof prior to appointment to document entitlement to preference. For more information on Veterans' Preference, please visithttp://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/veterans.aspx.
**It is highly recommended that you use resume builder in USA JOBS as it contains all of the information we need to determine whether or not you are qualified for this position.**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.
**All applicants are encouraged to apply online.**
**To apply for this position**, you must complete the View Occupational Questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on Friday, December 19, 2014 to receive consideration.
1. To begin, **click Apply Online** to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
2. **Click Submit My Answers** to submit your application package.
NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date. To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the more information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
**Faxing Applications or Supporting Documents:** You are encouraged to apply online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application. If you are unable to apply online or unable to upload your supporting documents to your online application, follow the directions located at the following site: Fax Options. The Vacancy ID of the job opportunity announcement is 1274131.
*NOTE*: If you applied online and your application is complete, do not fax the paper application (1203-FX) as this will overwrite your prior online responses and may result in you being found ineligible.
**You _MUST_ provide a complete Application Package which includes:**
1. CV or Resume (required).
2. VA Form 10-2850a - Application for Nurses and Nurse Anesthetists (Available at
http://www.va.gov/vaforms/medical/pdf/vha-10-2850a-fill.pdf) (required).
3. Assessment Questionnaire (required). 4. If prior military service, include all copies of your DD Forms 214 (required). Please submit copies showing character of service (e.g., honorable). 5. 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, and supporting documents as outlined in SF-15 form, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference (available athttp://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/SF15.pdf ). 6. If currently employed in the VA system, include latest SF-50 - Notification of Personnel Action. Please provide copy that shows your most recent pay plan, occupational series, grade, step and salary. (required for non-Phoenix VA HCS employees).
7. If a current VA or Federal employee, copies of your 2 most recent performance appraisals.
8. Copies of any related documents you would like considered.
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. Applicants who are referred for consideration, will also receive notice of final disposition once recruitment is complete.
VA offers a comprehensive benefits package. This link provides is an overview of the benefits currently offered:http://www.vacareers.va.gov/why-choose-va/benefits/index.asp.
This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.
This position is subject to a 2 year probationary period, if not already completed.
This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.
This position is covered by the bargaining unit.