Associate Chief Nurse - Sterile Processing Service

Associate Chief Nurse, SPS

The Associate Chief Nurse, SPS functions as an advisor, administrator, educator, consultant, and mentor who possesses a wide range of experience and leadership ability. The incumbent provides senior leadership and oversight for daily clinical and administrative operations within SPS program as directed by the Associate Director for Patient Care Services. The incumbent plays a leadership role in ongoing systematic evaluation and improvement of quality and effectiveness of SPS program outcomes. The incumbent provides health system-wide leadership for critical and semi-critical Reusable Medical Device (RMD), including sterile storage, reprocessing, standard operating procedures (SOP), competency assessment, selection, operation, and maintenance of reprocessing equipment, staff education program for RMDs, and quality management of SPS. The incumbent is responsible for assessing, monitoring, developing, and implementing corrective action plans for instrument processing, decontamination, sterilization, storage, biological monitoring, and high-level disinfection monitoring through an SPS Quality Management System. Additionally, the incumbent maintains oversight and availability for consultation of non-critical RMD. The incumbent assesses the environment, analyzes trends, transmits data, communicates ideas, develops, and implements policies, initiates programs and systems, and collaborates in the management of resources. The incumbent has knowledge in areas of patient care practices, microbiology, asepsis, disinfection/sterilization process, adult education, infectious diseases, communication, administration and epidemiology. The incumbent has responsibility and oversight of evidence based practice (EBP) infection control relating to sterile processing standards. Specific activities include but are not limited to education program development, evaluating concepts and project development, mentoring staff and medical providers in sterile processing principles and in the implementation of projects, data collection techniques, statistical analysis, and developing evidence based clinical guidelines and protocols. This position is accountable for the SPS as well as oversight of the use of RMD across the VA St. Louis Health Care System. The ACN SPS relates effectively with customers, families, and the community as well as program and service leaders at the local and network levels. They assist the ADPCS with healthcare operations and the functions and activities expected of them. The incumbent contributes ideas and recommendations for the establishment of standards of care, policies, and objectives for the enhancement of nursing.

VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package: 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 through Friday, 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM. Telework: Ad-hoc. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized.