Registered Nurse- Critical Care with EDRP
Temple, TX - USA
Job Summary
This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP) a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific eligibility requirements per VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval award amount (up to $200000) & eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply.
The Critical Care Registered Nurse duties and responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:
- Responsible for providing competent evidence-based care to assigned patients and oversight of licensed vocational nurses/nursing assistants as appropriate to the setting.
- Assist in directing the provision of nursing education orientation competencies and providing quality improvement and
outcomes utilization consultation. - Demonstrates leadership in delivering and improving holistic care through collaborative strategies with others.
- Provides direct care for acutely/critically ill patients who are at high risk for actual or potential life-threatening health problems regardless of the setting for nursing care.
- Provides high intensity care and vigilance while refining assessment skills and blending in data obtained from a variety of invasive/noninvasive monitoring technology.
- Evaluates practice in an ongoing process based on best evidence.
- Provides peers with informal constructive feedback for improvement.
- Fosters a safe and supportive environment conducive to the professional development of healthcare professionals.
- Contributes professional nursing perspective in discussions with the interdisciplinary team.
- Partners with others to effect change and produce optimal outcomes.
- Supports colleagues through knowledge sharing to provide safe quality nursing care.
- Shares educational findings experiences and ideas with peers.
- Questions clinical practices for the purpose of providing evidence-based care.
- Participates in activities and strategies to sustain an evidence-based-practice culture.
- Experience with the situations in which they are ultimately expected to perform integrating theoretical concepts strong critical thinking skills and exhibits a robust technically skilled practice.
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: Available tours include 7:30am-4:00pm 7:30am-8:00pm 11:30am-8:00pm 11:30am-12:00am 3:30pm-12:00am 7:30pm-8:00am 11:30pm-8:00am.
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
- 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.)
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 I
Preferred Experience:
- Current Advanced Cardiac Life Support Certification
- 2-3 years critical care experience (ventilators vasoactive drips hemodynamic monitoring etc.)
- Current Critical Care Registered Nurse (CCRN) Certification
- Professional Governance participation
- Evidence of Belt/Systems Redesign training/experience/certification
Reference: For more information on this qualification standard please visit Requirements:
This position may require potentially long periods of continued Heavy lifting of 45 pounds and over Moderate lifting of 15-44 pounds Heavy carrying of 45 pounds and over Moderate carrying of 15-44 pounds Light carrying under 15 pounds Straight pulling for 1-2 hours Pushing for 1 hour Reaching above shoulder Use of fingers Walking for 8-10 hours Standing for 8-10 hours Repeated bending .5 hours Both legs required Ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously Near vision correctable at 13 to 16 to Jaeger 1 to 4 Far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other Both eyes required Depth perception Ability to distinguish basic colors Ability to distinguish shades of colors Hearing (aid may be permitted) Mental and emotional stability Simple grasping for 2-4 hours Sitting for 8 hours Fine manipulation for 4-8 hours Twisting for 2 hours.
The Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing (BSN) or Master of Science degree in Nursing (MSN) must be fully accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) or the Commission On Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). Verification of accreditation may be obtained from or your school has changed names or is no longer in existence you must provide this information in your application.
Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges universities schools or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information visit:
This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.
This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.
VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38 and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.
If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.
Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicants criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations Security and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.
CTVHCS is in the process of making a cultural change shifting from a disease-focused approach to a health and wellbeing approach in order to implement the Whole Health System of Care. This is a VA-wide initiative to provide a comprehensive and systematic approach to improve healthcare delivery at all stages of Veteran care. This entails moving from an episodic siloed approach to an interdisciplinary holistic approach emphasizing self-care in the larger context of well-being. All staff in this facility will be part of this process shifting the focus from the question Whats the matter with you to the question What matters to you and how can we help you live your best life This strategy also involves integrating a full range of conventional approaches with Complementary and Integrative Health (CIH) approaches in order to optimize lifelong health and well-being as defined by the Veteran rather than narrowly focusing on disease management.
Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government passionate about the ideals of our American republic and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
Required Experience:
IC