Registered Nurse (RN) - Emergency Department

Summary

The Emergency Department Registered Nurse (ED RN) position is located at the Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center, Milwaukee Wisconsin, in the Acute Care Outpatient Division. The ED RN is responsible and accountable for all elements of the nursing process when providing and/or supervising direct patient care.

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Duties

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The VA Milwaukee Healthcare System is one of the leading health care systems serving Veterans in the VA Great Lakes Network. Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center is an innovative - academic medical center committed to excellence in safety, outcomes, and Veteran centered care. The Emergency Department Registered Nurse is responsible and accountable for all elements of the nursing process when providing and/or supervising direct patient care:

• Collaborates in the development, implementation, evaluation, and revision of policies, procedures, and/or guidelines.
• Provides urgent and emergent care to patients with acute and/or chronic medical, surgical, and psychiatric conditions.
• Provides peers with formal or informal constructive feedback for improvement.
• Supports colleagues and other nurses through knowledge sharing to provide safe, quality nursing care.
• Fosters a safe and supportive environment conducive to the professional development of health care professionals.
• Evaluates outcomes of evidence-based decisions and practice changes for individuals, groups, and populations.
• Documents outcomes at the program or service level.
• Assesses the patient by collecting pertinent data or information, including the triage of patients based on the five-level triage system to prioritize patients that require more immediate care.
• Identifies expected outcomes to develop a collaborative and individualized plan for each patient.
• All other duties, as assigned.

VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package: VA Nurse Total Rewards

Pay: Competitive salary, regular salary increases, potential for performance awards

Paid Time Off: Up to 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: Days (mix of 8 & 12 hr shifts), with variable start times and weekend/holiday rotations.

Telework: Not Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (PCS) : Not Authorized

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• 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 ( 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.

Qualifications

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:

Grade/Level

Scope

Education

Nurse I, Level I

Delivers fundamental, knowledge-based care to assigned clients while developing technical competencies.

An Associate Degree (ADN) or Diploma in Nursing, with no additional professional nursing required.

Nurse I, Level II

Demonstrates integration of biopsychosocial concepts, cognitive skills and technically competent practice in providing care to clients with basic or complex.

An ADN or Diploma in Nursing AND 1 year of specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse I, Level 1 ; OR a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) with no additional professional nursing experience required.

Nurse I, Level III

Demonstrates proficiency in practice based on conscious and deliberate planning. Self-directed in goal setting for managing complex client situations.

An ADN or Diploma in Nursing AND 2 years of professional nursing experience in which one year is equivalent to Nurse I, Level 2; OR a BSN and 1 year of professional nursing experience equivalent to the Nurse I, Level 2; OR a Master's degree in nursing (MSN) and no additional professional nursing experience; OR a Master's degree in a *related field with a BSN and no additional professional nursing experience.

Nurse II

Demonstrates leadership in delivering and improving holistic care through collaborative strategies with others.

A BSN with 2 years of professional nursing equivalent to Nurse I, Level 3; OR an MSN with one year of specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse I, Level 3; OR a Master's degree in a *related field with a BSN and one year of specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse I, Level 3; OR a Doctoral degree in Nursing with no professional nursing experience; OR a Doctoral degree in a *related field with a BSN with no additional professional nursing experience.

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:

• BSN preferred
• Previous clinical experience in Emergency Department highly preferred
• Previous critical care RN experience highly preferred
• Emergency Nurse Certification (CEN) preferred
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, and decision-making skills
• Knowledge of principles and frameworks related to quality, performance improvement, patient safety, patient flow, and change management
• BLS Certification preferred
• TNCC Certification preferred
• ACLS Certification highly preferred

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit

Physical Requirements:

Endurance:

• Walk long distances (transfer patient, etc.)
• Stand (at patient's side during therapeutic procedure, etc.)
• Sustain repetitive movement (CPR compressions, bagging, etc.)
• Maintain physical tolerance (stand/walk/work on your feet for 8-12 hours at a time with minimal breaks)

Strength:

• Push and pull 50 pounds (position patient, move equipment, etc.)
• Support 50 pounds of weight (ambulate patient, assist to bedside toilet, etc.)
• Lift 50 pounds (transfer a patient, etc.)
• Carry equipment/supplies
• Use upper body strength (CPR, physically restrain patient, etc.)
• Squeeze with hands (operate fire extinguisher)

Mobility:

• Twist
• Bend
• Stoop/squat
• Move quickly (respond to emergency)
• Climb stairs
• Walk
• Stand

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

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: 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:

Note for RNs: Nursing education must be from a school of professional nursing accredited by one of the following accrediting organizations at the time the program was completed by the applicant.

• The Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) , located at 3343 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 850, Atlanta, GA 30326. The ACEN accredits all levels of nursing programs, including clinical doctorate, masters/post master's certificate, baccalaureate, associate and diploma nursing education programs. (Note: The National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission/NLNAC changed its name to ACEN in May 2013. ACEN's website may be utilized to verify accredited programs using automated inquiry processes; however, for verification of any nursing program's accreditation prior to 1998, an automated inquiry cannot be used and ACEN must be contacted directly via their email contact information on the ACEN website to verify.)
• The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) , located at 655 K Street, NW, Suite 7, Washington, DC 20001. The CCNE is an accrediting arm of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) and accredits nursing education programs at the bachelor and master's level.

Additional information

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

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.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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