Registered Nurse Operating Room

The Registered Nurse (RN) is assigned to the Operating Room (OR) in the Nursing Service at the Buffalo NY VA Medical Center. The incumbent is a professional registered nurse qualified by education and recent operating room experience to provide direct patient care and specializes in perioperative nursing practice. The Registered Nurse will be involved in the three phases of the patients surgical/OR experience. This includes the preoperative intraoperative and postoperative surgical phases of care. The incumbent will possess intimate knowledge of regulatory requirements AORN standards utilization of organizational processes clinical documentation requirements current standards of care evidence based practices and compliance OR RN executes position responsibilities that demonstrate leadership experience and creative approaches to management of complex client surgical care. The Operating Room Nurse functional role includes specialization in perioperative nursing practice and is responsible for preoperative assessment and postoperative evaluation providing individualized direct care with emphasis on the intraoperative period organizing and coordinating the clinical components in response to individual healthcare needs and care continuum in multiple settings. The goals are to center services around the patient to foster patient self-managed care and maximize efficient and cost-effective use of health care resources. The Operating Room Nurse utilizes all avenues of resources available to provide safe and efficient timely coordination of quality health care and services. The scope of practice will include but is not limited to the role of scrub/instrument and circulating nurse. The incumbent collaborates and coordinates the patients plan of care with the multidisciplinary team members.The duties include but are not limited to:

• Function proficiently in both the circulator role (and scrub role if/when qualified) in the OR and to be competent in all surgical specialties served - in care of outpatients and inpatients who have surgical procedures at VA Buffalo.
• Maintain knowledge of current Association of peri-Operative Registered Nurses (AORN) Standards VHA Directives and service level standard operating procedures.
• Assure the sterility of the surgical field is maintained and all instrumentation and equipment in play is used in a safe and efficient manner.
• Protect the patient from injury caused by chemical electrical mechanical and thermal sources and extraneous objects performs counting procedures to protect the patient from unintended retained surgical items leads and/or participates in the Time Out process in the OR to ensure correct site side and level and follow implant and tissue/tissue-based product documentation policy and procedures.
• Manage the patients specimens in the appropriate manner administers medications safely and correctly performs interventions to maintain the patients wound and tissue perfusion at or above baseline levels and performs interventions to protect the patient from surgical site infection.
• Responsible for ensuring comprehensive documentation of all care provided during the perioperative experience is timely complete and accurate in the electronic health record. The OR RN is scheduled on a rotational basis to be on-call during weekend holiday night and weekdays after business hours to provide patient care for emergency procedures.

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: Full Time. Variable Day Tour (currentlyor 0900-1730) with on-call rotation assigned to RN after successful completion of the OR orientation. (Specific day tour of duty hours are subject to change based on department needs.)
Compressed/Flexible: Not Available
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

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 drivers 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.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position you will be required to serve a 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public determining if your employment advances the public interest we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification in writing that your continued employment advances the public interest.

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 masters level bridge program in nursing who have completed coursework equivalent to a bachelors 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: I Level IDelivers 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 IIDemonstrates 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 IIIDemonstrates 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 Masters degree in nursing (MSN) and no additional professional nursing experience; OR a Masters degree in a *related field with a BSN and no additional professional nursing experience.Nurse IIDemonstrates 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 Masters 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 IIIExecutes 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 Masters 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:

• One year of Operating Room RN experience with multi-specialty service competence in a setting comparable to the Buffalo VAMC (inpatient and outpatient care facility)
• Previous Charge Nurse experience in the surgical setting
• Previous experience in the OR Scrub role
• Demonstrated experience in sterile technique
• Demonstrated effective interpersonal relationships
• Demonstrated leadership and ability to function with minimal supervision
• BSN

Reference:
For more information on this qualification standard please visit Requirements:The position requires the incumbent to have visual acuity keen hearing clear distinctive speech and manual dexterity. The incumbent must be mature flexible and sensible capable of working effectively in stressful situations and able to shift priorities based on patient needs. This position requires limited periods of standing stooping bending pulling pushing walking and be able to lift up to 35 pounds. Transferring patients and objects may be required. This position also requires sitting for long periods typing on computer keyboard looking at computer monitor and using the telephone. The incumbent maybe exposed to infected patients and contaminated materials requiring the incumbent to don protective clothing and equipment in isolation situations or during invasive patient procedures. The incumbent may be exposed to patients who are combative or aggressive related to neurologic or psychiatric disorders. The incumbent must meet the required screening/testing and be medically cleared by Employee Occupational Health as a condition of employment.