Registered Nurse- Wound and Ostomy Care

<p>Registered Nurse (Certified Wound Care, Ostomy and Continence Specialist) utilizes the nursing process to manage conditions such as acute wounds, chronic wounds, fistulas, vascular ulcers, pressure ulcers, arterial ulcers, venous ulcers, neuropathic ulcers and functional disorders of the bowel and bladder. This position is located at the Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital and will be required to float between Acute Care, Long Term Care and Spinal Cord Injury.</p><h3>Major Duties</h3><p>The Certified Wound Care and Ostomy Care Registered Nurse (RN) reports to the Chief Nurse and is responsible and accountable for all elements of the nursing process when providing and/or supervising direct patient care. Assesses, plans, implements, and evaluates care based on skin and wound etiology. The RN has continuing responsibility for the following functions: Coordinates orders and delivery of inpatient wound, ostomy supplies and specility mattresses; implement comprehensive and evidence-based program for prevention and maintenance of skin and wounds. Provides patient and staff education in areas of ostomy/continent diversion care, wound and fistula management, prevention and management of skin breakdown/chronic wounds, hospital acquired pressure injury prevention, bowel and bladder management; assist staff to initiate appropriate discharge referrals based on evaluation of patient's physical, psychological and self-care status. Position may entail additional duties as assigned. Assumes responsibility for the coordination of care focused on patient education, self-management, and customer satisfaction throughout the continuum of care. Administers medications and procedures per established policies and guidelines. Influences care outcomes by collaborating with members of the interdisciplinary team. Provides leadership and oversight to non certified wound care team members using strong critical thinking skills and exhibiting a robust technically skilled wound care practice Executes position responsibilities that demonstrate leadership, experience, and creative approaches to management of complex client care. Analyzes resources available to staff and identifies risk areas, including quality metrics, supplies, equipment, availability of data and information. Provides specialized wound consultation and collaboration with providers, peers, and others in health care to develop, implement, and assure continuity of individualized treatment plans throughout the continuum of care. Provides leadership based on an interprofessional approach to wound care to ensure implementation of effective treatment strategies and decisions. Coordination with local quality management/improvement and/or safety team, Interprofessional Pressure Injury/skin Committee (IPIC) and other specialty service lines to monitor and report data (pressure injury/wound) and quality reports. Identifies programmatic steps to reduce risk and incidence of pressure injuries. Participates in the administration of education to all clinical staff to support the delivery of current, evidenced based care to assure consistency, uniformity, and quality of care. Monitors effectiveness of education provided and assures evidence-based current content of education. Defines process for procuring wound therapies, products, and supplies for the IPIC and clinical staff to facilitate timely implementation of wound treatment and management strategies. Collaborates in the development, implementation, evaluation, and revision of policies, procedures, and/or guidelines. Responsible for the documented wound care outcomes at the program or service level. Wound Care program level outcomes must be broad and complex and can be demonstrated at any organizational level within a facility. The Wound Care RN has vast wound care experience and knowledge with the situations in which they are ultimately expected to perform, skillfully integrating theoretical concepts, strong critical thinking skills, and exhibits an expert technically skilled practice. Mentors and coaches colleagues through wound care knowledge sharing to provide safe, quality nursing care. Participates in activities and strategies to sustain an evidence based-practice culture. 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 Work Schedule: 06:30 AM- 4:00 PM (subject to change based on the needs of the team)- compressed tour with rotating weekends. Telework: Not Available. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized.</p><h3>Requirements</h3>U.S. Citizenship; non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. 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. 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). You may be required to serve a probationary period. Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.<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: All Registered Nurses must be a 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. 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).