Practical Nurse - Spinal Cord Injury

<p>The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this occupational series. For more information, refer to Required Documents below. This Licensed Practical Nurse position is at the VA Boston Healthcare System located at the West Roxbury, MA location. This position is a full time position at 40 hours per week.</p><h3>Major Duties</h3><p>This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT and will remain open until 7/29/2026. The initial cut-off date for referral of eligible applications will be 5/13/2026, with subsequent cut-off dates bi-weekly. Eligible applications received after that date will be referred at regular intervals or as additional vacancies occur on an as-needed basis until positions are filled. The incumbent performs a wide range of patient care and supportive duties in SCI. In addition to direct patient care activities and specialized procedures, the incumbent will have the ability and training to perform a wide range of clerical support duties to enhance the processing of orders and referrals; clinic scheduling and patient flow, flexibility is inherent in the position. Reports to and works under the supervision of the SCI chief. Duties may include, but are not limited to: Participates in pre-planning of care such as through huddles and follow-up of patient visits as indicated and participates in the prioritization and coordination of patient care and team communication. May serve as the initial contact for patients seeking medical care. Receives and directs patients and visitors and responds to routine inquiries. Prepares patients for medical evaluation and treatment. Adheres to principles of infection control, safety, and universal precautions. Interviews patients and records subjective complaints or requests, and preventive health questionnaires using live data entry. Acts in the capacity of liaison/expediter of care between the patient and the SCI/D Care Team, as well as interdisciplinary care team, or other clinicians and staff in outpatient and/or inpatient settings of the Medical Center. Facilitates smooth communication and information flow among them for the purpose of better coordination of care and assists patients with questions, complaints, and other information relative to the Veterans care. Participates in demonstrating treatment activities or procedures for the benefit of other health technicians, students and medical personnel. Triages patients, identifies needs by assessing the patients' mental and functional status in order to advise the provider. Acts as a backup to the MSA for support with answering clinic phones, checking messages, scheduling patients and arranging for patient travel. Receives and processes telephone calls, alerts, etc., for the team as appropriate. Readily recognize emergency situations, and takes appropriate measures and assists provider in emergency situations. Work Schedule: Monday thru Friday 8:00 am - 16:30 pm. Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): May Be Authorized. Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized. Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases. When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade). Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year). Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience. Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child. Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66. 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) Telework: Not Available. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: F05146. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized. PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized. Financial Disclosure: Not Required. Notifications: This position is in the Excepted Service. This position is covered by a special rate. This position is not a Bargaining Unit position. The incumbent may be required to travel to other VA campuses and CBOC's. Due to a critical staffing shortage, 38 U.S.C. § 7412 waives the requirement to apply Veterans' preference for this job announcement. Narrative responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) may be required from the selectee in order to proceed with the appointment. Current and former Federal employees may submit copies of their most recent SF-50, (Notice of Personnel Action). The SF-50 must identify the position title, series, grade, step, tenure and type of service (Competitive or Excepted). In some cases, more than one SF-50 may be required to show a higher grade previously held.</p><h3>Requirements</h3>You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959. Must be proficient in written and spoken English. Subject to background/security investigation. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Must pass pre-employment physical examination. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.<h3>Education</h3>IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. 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. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.