Registered Nurse Clinical Nurse Educator

The incumbent demonstrates leadership in planning implementing evaluation and improving educational services while ensuring compliance with the Medical Center VISN mission and nationally recognized standards. The Educator executes leadership that is characterized by substantial and continuous responsibility and accountability for integrated programs that cross service and/or discipline lines and influence organizational mission and health care. The incumbent provides leadership in the clinical nursing areas while encouraging and fostering participation and involvement in educational programs. The Nurse Educator will work in a collaborative manner with the Clinical Nurse Experts Clinical Nurse Leaders for annual competencies process improvement activities and nurse practice issues.

Responsibilities include leadership in evaluation of clinical practice enhancement of staff knowledge development of patient education and clinical support to area managers and administration. The individual assumes substantial responsibility for meeting a variety of clinical and accreditation standards and performance improvement. The individual assures special assignments as needed by the service/organization.

Responsible and accountable for the coordination of care focused on patient transition through the continuum of care patient and family education patient self-management after discharge and supporting factors that impact customer satisfaction. Applies the nursing process and care management principles within a collaborative interdisciplinary practice setting which will then enable effective implementation of health promotion and prevention practices management of acute and chronic illnesses and attainment of appropriate lengths of stay and the effective level of care. Core functions include daily assessment of patient care needs to determine the most appropriate use of expertise in clinical coordination patient and staff education attention to systems issues that require intervention and quality and performance measures. Assists the nursing staff in the provision of complex patient care.

Designs implements and evaluates patient-specific and population-based programs of care. Influences care outcomes by providing expert consultation and guidance to nursing staff within the field of his/her specialty and by implementing improvements in health care delivery systems. Collaborates with staff and multidisciplinary treatment teams to resolve complex patient care/family issues.

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

Pay Scale: N01J
Work Schedule: Day tour of duty such as 7AM - 3:30PM 7:30AM - 4PM
Telework: Not available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not available

• 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 evaluation/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.

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.)