Summary

The Deputy Chief of Quality Management (QM) - Registered Nurse (RN) executes leadership that is characterized by substantial and continuous responsibility and accountability for population groups or integrated programs that cross services and/or discipline lines and - influence the organizational healthcare mission.

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
• The following Scope - Education and Dimension criteria must be met to qualify for Nurse IV: Scope: Executes leadership that is characterized by substantial and continuous responsibility and accountability for population groups or integrated programs that cross service and/or discipline lines and influence organizational mission and health care
• Education: Master's degree in Nursing (MSN) and 4 years of professional nursing experience - one of which is specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse III and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse IV
• OR Master's degree in a *related field with a BSN and 4 years of professional nursing experience - one of which is specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse III and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse IV
• OR a Doctoral degree in nursing and 3 years of professional nursing experience - one of which is specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse III and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse IV
• OR a Doctoral degree in a *related field with a BSN and 3 years of professional nursing experience - one of which is specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse III and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse IV
• *Note: Foreign education programs/degrees are not creditable as related degrees
• Dimensions: Leadership
• Leads health care delivery by leveraging evidence-based practices - industry-leading research - and innovative care models
• Drives a shared vision and successfully leads change to improve performance and attain measurable outcomes at the program or service level
• Business Acumen
• Transforms health care by implementing new processes - technology - informatics - and data analytics using business models and fundamental concepts of resource management at the program or service level
• Inspiring an Industry-Leading Lifestyle
• Employs an industry leading - shared decision-making lifestyle
• Cultivates a workforce that serves Veterans - families and caregivers of all backgrounds and builds trust - lifestyle competencies and catalyzes dynamic teams at the program or service level
• Communication and Relationship Management
• Directs the effective use of relationship management principles to achieve positive customer service experiences that are consistent with professional organizational values - beliefs and practices at the program or services level
• Professional and Social Responsibility
• Operationalizes a lifestyle of holistic care - health advocacy and health equity
• Applies ethical principles in decision-making at the program or service level
• Advances nursing knowledge through health science research and the translation and dissemination of evidence into practice to maximize the value to Veterans and the community
• Preferred Experience: 5 years of experience leading collaborative quality and patient safety teams and programs
• Leading interdisciplinary team/network and/or continuous process improvement portfolio
• Prefer Nursing Leadership within a hospital setting
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• Physical Requirements: The Registered Nurse (RN) must be able to perform all activities of the position without restriction
• This position involves considerable standing - walking - stooping - bending - reaching - lifting and turning
• It requires repositioning patients and assisting with transferring patients to wheelchairs/stretchers
• Mechanical devices when available are required to be used for heavy or difficult to lift patients
• The work may involve pushing or lifting in excess of 50 pounds and going up and down flights of stairs
• The position requires visual and auditory acuity at a level to provide safe and effective nursing care
• The position requires the nurse to work for periods of time with arms above shoulder level or with the neck in a fully flexed or extended position and the ability to physically control or protect him/herself from physically abusive patients
• The RN may be exposed to infected patients and contaminated materials and may be required to don protective clothing in isolation situations - operative/invasive procedures
• The RN may occasionally be exposed to patients who are combative secondary to delirium - dementia - or psychiatric disorders
• The RN must be mature - flexible - sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations - able to shift priorities - based on patient needs.

Duties

• Start your career here
• The George E
• Whalen VA Medical Center is a Complexity Level 1A facility with inpatient - outpatient - mental health - and community-based services
• The Deputy Chief of Quality Management functions as a key nursing leader supporting these organizational priorities through delegated responsibilities - program coordination - and expert consultation
• Duties of the position include - but are not limited to: Function as an advisor - administrator - educator - consultant - and mentor who has a wide range of experience and leadership ability
• Demonstrate performance broad enough to improve the care for a group of patients
• Supervise QM staff
• Assess plan - implement - coordinate - monitor and evaluate the quality and safety of the delivery of care for the organization
• Assume leadership role in the facilitation of regulatory compliance for internal and external oversight bodies (i.e. - The Joint Commission (TJC) - Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) - Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Directives and Handbooks - etc.) - Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) - Office of the Medical Inspector (OMI) - Office of the Inspector General (OIG) - and VHA performance measures - supporting performance improvement work - and supporting and guiding the work of committees
• Ensure services have systems and processes in place to provide safe - quality care that is consistent with external benchmarks
• Lead performance improvement initiatives by the identification of quality metrics - trending data - maintenance of the quality metric dashboard - and acts as a subject matter expert in data analysis and data display
• Consult and act as a resource to leadership and staff in standards interpretation - implementation - patient safety - infection control - risk management - and re-design of processes and structures to improve care outcomes
• Develop and implement policy and procedures - collaborate with service departments - and work toward meeting the strategic plan of the organization
• Oversee and monitor corrective actions from survey findings and assist services who are performance outliers
• Provide oversight for programs such as the Joint Patient Safety Reporting (JPSR) - Tort Claims - and Peer Review
• Responsible for completion of clinical quality reviews - clinical data analysis - and identify opportunities for improvement
• 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: 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 to Friday - 7:30am to 4:00pm Telework: Not available
• Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized
• Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized.