Licensed Practical Nurse - Primary Care

Summary This announcement is recruiting Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN) for the Beaver County Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic. Anticipated start date is late 2026 or early 2027. Qualifications Applicants pending completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. United States Citizenship: Non‑citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. Qualification under the Grandfathering Provision for current VHA employees who meet the criteria. Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements stated in section A, the following qualification criteria must be met for each grade. GS‑3: None beyond the basic requirements. GS‑4: Six months of qualifying experience as an LPN or LVN, or graduation from an approved school and one year of experience in a hospital‑outpatient clinic‑nursing home or other supervised medical/nursing/patient care facility that provided a practical knowledge of human body structure and sterile techniques, or graduation from an approved school of at least 24 months duration. GS‑5: Completion of at least one year of qualifying experience at the GS‑4 level or equivalent. Demonstrated knowledge and ability to provide a full range of practical nursing care to patients with a variety of physical and/or behavioral problems. Works with the RN and/or MD/DO to appropriately orient/train less experienced LPNs/LVNs and/or Nursing Assistants (NAs)/Health Technicians (HTs) in relation to acceptable standards of practice. Provides effective education to patients and/or family members regarding common disease processes, medication, and prescribed treatment regimes. Demonstrated ability to serve as a responsible member of the nursing team and interact appropriately with patients, family members, and other supportive personnel, incorporating acceptable customer service standards into practice. Knowledge and skill sufficient to prepare, administer, and document actions taken with commonly prescribed medications (oral, topical, subcutaneous, intramuscular, and/or intravenous) as permitted by approved local facility policies and procedures. Observation and documentation of the patient’s response to medication, and reporting of any noted change in condition to RN or MD/DO. Knowledge and ability to recognize the need for and institute emergency measures when indicated, promptly seeking assistance of RN or MD/DO and assisting in resuscitation procedures. Recognizes and appropriately responds to equipment malfunction or loss, safety hazards, or supply deficiencies, reporting to appropriate personnel for corrective action. Completed work is under general supervision of an RN or MD/DO. Individuals at this grade level are expected to have a broad working knowledge of practical nursing procedures. Completion of more complex practices or procedures may be subject to closer higher‑level review. GS‑6: Completion of at least one year of additional qualifying experience at the GS‑5 level or equivalent; technically proficient in initiating, performing, and completing assigned duties in providing care. Knowledge and ability to carry out assigned patient care based on patients’ conditions, using judgment in selecting the appropriate order and sequence of procedures and treatments, and accurately recognizing, reporting, and recording relevant patient information. Completed work should require only a general review by a registered nurse or physician for appropriateness and conformity with established policies/procedures. Ability to observe, identify, and respond to patients’ needs for medication, equipment‑assisted care, and patient/family education. In organizing and delivering care, the LPN/LVN recognizes and considers emotional, cultural, spiritual, socio‑economic, and age‑related factors. Prepares and administers prescribed medications and performs treatments according to established policies/procedures. Observes for physical and/or emotional changes in patient’s condition from prescribed medications/treatments and documents noted changes, reporting any deviations to RN or MD/DO. Knowledge and ability to recognize urgent or emergent patient care situations, seek assistance of RN/MD/DO, and initiate appropriate emergency interventions as directed. Knowledge and understanding of human behavior, patient motivations and reactions to situations, and ability to utilize this knowledge in working effectively with patients, family members, and other staff. Establishes constructive relationships with patients and their families to elicit feelings and attitudes and to promote positive communication and socialization skills. Fosters an environment of respect for individual patient and family rights to privacy and dignity in all aspects of care delivery. Effectively incorporates knowledge and understanding of established customer service standards in all interactions with patients and internal/external customers. Knowledge and skill in performing support duties for complex diagnostic tests or specialized practices/procedures, including preparing the patient, assisting in the diagnostic examination, handling specialized instruments, and monitoring the patient’s condition before, during, and after the procedure. Serves as a preceptor in orienting, educating, and training less experienced LPNs/LVNs or NAs/HTs related to support duties for these more complex specialized tests/procedures. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS‑6; the actual grade at which an applicant may be selected ranges from GS‑3 to GS‑6. Preferred experience includes vaccine administration schedules, assisting with procedures to include women’s health, and serving as charge nurse or team leader. Physical requirements: requires visual acuity, keen hearing, clear distinctive speech, and manual dexterity. Requires potentially long periods of walking, standing, computer use, or sitting. Incumbent must be a mature, flexible, and sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations and able to shift priorities with short notice based on needs. Responsibilities Daily management of the Primary Care Provider’s (PCP) scheduled appointments and clinic flow, assisting PCP with preventative care and chronic disease management. Obtaining vital signs, offering patient education, screening Veterans for preventative maintenance or chronic disease care needs, managing immunizations and injections, and assisting with exams/procedures during the visit such as pelvic exams, joint injections, wound care, teleretinal, telederm, EKGs, phlebotomy, bladder scans, and other tasks. Assisting the PACT team or other interdisciplinary team members with panel management and care coordination, including test result notification, patient education, discharge follow‑up, and chronic disease management. Participating in daily huddles and team meetings with PACT team members, and in planning, implementation, and evaluation of care. Communicating effectively and professionally with both internal and external customers, demonstrating knowledge of nurse protocols and standard operating procedures to help deliver holistic care. Co‑ordinating with LPN Team Leader, RN Care Manager, PCP, or appropriate person to deliver care when needed, and using motivational interviewing and health coaching to guide patients in achieving goals of health promotion and disease prevention. Participating in panel management by completing pre‑clinic phone prevention up to 24 hours before scheduled appointments and assisting with chronic disease management and other care coordination needs. Using telehealth technology to render care, completing view alerts assigned within 48 hours, and providing new patient orientation when encountering new patients. Completing quality control checks on testing and other equipment/supplies, stocking as needed, and informing the CN‑LPN Team Leader or Nursing Leadership of broken equipment needing repair. Recognizing and appropriately responding to breakage, malfunction, loss of equipment, safety hazards, or supply deficiencies, reporting to appropriate personnel for corrective action. Participating in performance improvement and quality improvement initiatives. Serving as LPN Team Leader (TL), working with the CN to facilitate clinic operations, preparing daily assignments (including breaks and lunches) by 7:45 am, ensuring quality checks prior to clinic start, replenishing stock orders for medication and supplies, delegating assignments to maintain clinic flow, providing feedback to fellow LPNs and unlicensed supportive personnel such as healthcare technicians and clerks, and reporting information to the CN or designee to facilitate clinic operations. Acting as a resource to fellow LPNs and unlicensed supportive personnel such as healthcare technicians and MSA’s, pre‑eceptor or mentor students or new employees. Benefits and Compensation Work schedule: 8 am–4:30 pm Monday–Friday. Recruitment incentive: sign‑on bonus not authorized. Permanent Change of Station (Relocation assistance) not authorized. Salary: Competitive with regular salary increases; a higher step rate may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA. 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 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 up to the monthly maximum of $416.66. Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5 % contributions by VA. Federal health, vision, dental, term life, long‑term care insurance programs available and can be carried into retirement. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000; Permanent Change of Station (PCS) not authorized. #J-18808-Ljbffr