Licensed Practical Nurse (Blind Rehabilitation Center)

Summary

The LPN/LVN also performs assigned duties in a manner that promotes quality health care, outstanding customer service, and the maintenance of an environment committed to serving the veteran. The LPN/LVN performs within this functional statement under frequent guidance of the Nurse Manager or designee. Assigned tasks require basic technical competence and skill.

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Duties

• Respond to resident calls for assistance and address resident needs in a timely manner.
• Ensure proper identification of resident per policy before administering care.
• Willingly assist co-workers without being asked and work well as a team member.
• Actively participate in change of shift by communicating all pertain resident information to Team Leader, Charge Nurse or receiving shift.
• Assist registered nurse with admission, transfer, and discharge of residents. Completing duties as assigned and under the supervision of the registered nurse.
• Give bed bath, tub and shower baths, shampoo hair, trim nails and assist resident with grooming. H/she will consistently promote resident independence, rehabilitation and restorative nursing as the resident plan of care dictates.
• Give morning and evening care and teach personal hygiene.
• Provide and assist in oral hygiene and denture care.
• Change linen of occupied and unoccupied beds.
• Assist resident with bedpans and urinals.
• Feed residents; assist those who need help with eating.
• Change resident's position, maintain body alignment and take measures to prevent skin breakdown and/or deformity.
• Provide postmortem care.
• Apply and observe comfort and safety devices as directed by the registered nurse.
• Practice safety precautions according to written procedure in performance of duties when working with residents and resident's personal care devices, medication administration and unit equipment.
• Perform duties in a safe manner to prevent resident/employee accident/injury.
• Safely operate equipment such as specialized beds, prosthetic devices and suction machines.
• Utilize proper body mechanics, mechanical lifting devices and transfer aids when lifting and moving resident to prevent injury to self and others.
• Assist in maintaining a clean and orderly unit environment; keep supplies and equipment clean and in proper places, observe infection control guidelines, etc. He/she is expected to take personal accountability in reducing resident's risk of trips and falls by taking quick and immediate action to correct any environmental safety concerns.
• Utilize principles of infection control, cleanliness and hand washing to assure a safe, clean environment to prevent cross infections.
• Understand and utilize principles of Universal Precautions and type of isolation for protection of resident and/or self.
• Report faulty equipment or safety hazards.
• Be knowledgeable and correctly utilizes the RACE procedure during fire drills and emergency situations. Verbalizes the steps within the RACE procedure and his/her responsibility.
• Verbalize role of unit/staff in a disaster including recognition of disaster alarms/notification per policy. Also recognizing alternate power sources and mechanism to use on the event of utility system failure.
• Be knowledgeable in regards to the location of MSDS for all hazardous chemicals used within the assigned area and take appropriate action as needed to mitigate situation.
• Other duties as assigned
  
  

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Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• 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.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• You may be required to serve a probationary period.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
• 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).
• Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.
  
  

Qualifications

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

Basic Requirements:

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  United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• English Language Proficiency. In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), no person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English.
• Education - Graduate of a school of practical or vocational nursing approved by the appropriate State agency and/or accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC) at the time the program was completed by the applicant. Exceptions include health care education in the military service or training in the military service which is accepted by the licensing body in the jurisdiction in which the individual is licensed as qualifying for full LPN/LVN licensure will be accepted as meeting the education requirements for VHA employment OR granted a license by a jurisdiction that does not require graduation from an approved school AND have at least one year of successful practice as an LPN/ LVN. Licensure - Active, full, current and unrestricted licensure as a Graduate Licensed Practical or Vocational Nurse in a State, Territory, or Commonwealth (i.e., Puerto Rico), of the United States or the District of Columbia.
  
  

Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements stated above, the following qualification criteria must be met for each grade. The candidate's qualifications must clearly demonstrate the level of competence required for the grade.

GS-03 None beyond the basic requirements. LPNs at this grade level are expected to perform all duties within the scope of their license (e.g., medication administration); however, completed work may require routine or detailed higher level review depending upon the complexity of the duties involved.

GS-04 (a) Six months of qualifying experience as an LPN or LVN; or(b) Graduation from an approved school (which may be waived as provided in paragraph 4 of Section C) and one year of experience that involved nursing care work in a hospital, outpatient clinic, nursing home, or other supervised medical, nursing, or patient care facility that provided a practical knowledge of human body structure and sterile techniques and procedures; or (c) Graduation from an approved school of at least 24 months duration.

GS-05

• Knowledge and ability to provide a full range of practical nursing care to patients with a variety of physical and/or behavioral problems.
• Ability to serve as a responsible member of a nursing team and interact in an appropriate manner with patients, family members, professional and/or other support personnel involved in the delivery of patient care.
• Knowledge and skill sufficient to prepare, administer, and appropriately document actions taken specific to commonly prescribed oral, topical, subcutaneous, intramuscular and/or intravenous medications. This includes observing and documenting patient responses to medication and reporting noted changes in the patient's condition.
• Knowledge and ability to recognize the need for and to institute emergency measures and assist in resuscitation procedures in cardia and/or pulmonary arrest.
• Recognize and appropriately respond to breakage/malfunction or loss of equipment, safety hazards, and supply deficiencies.
  
  

GS-06

• Proficiency in initiating, performing, and completing assigned duties in providing care to variable patient populations.
• Knowledge and ability to appropriately carry out assigned patient care based on the patients' conditions, using judgment in selecting the appropriate order and sequence of procedures and treatments, and accurately recognizing, reporting, and recording relevant patient information.
• Ability to observe, identify, and response to a patient's needs for care including medication, equipment-assisted care, and patient/family education.
• Prepares and administers prescribed medications (oral, topical, subcutaneous, intramuscular and/or intravenous) and performs treatments according to established policies/procedures. Observes for, documents, and reports physical and/or emotional changes in the patient's condition from prescribed medications/treatments.
• Knowledge and ability to recognize urgent or emergent patient care situations and initiating appropriate emergency interventions as directed.
• Knowledge and understanding of human behavior, patient motivations and reactions to situations and the ability to appropriately utilize this knowledge in working effectively with patients, family members and other staff.
• Knowledge and skill in performing support duties for complex diagnostic tests and/or specialized practices or procedures, which includes preparing the patient and assisting in the diagnostic examination, preparing, and handling specialized instruments or other specialized equipment, and monitoring the patient's condition before, during, and following the procedure.
  
  

Preferred Experience: Acute care, Long term care, and/or Blind rehabilitation experience

Tour Information: Sun-Mon with holidays and weekends **Night Shift** (3:30pm-12:00am) (11:00pm-8:00am)



Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-6. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-3 to GS-6.



Physical Requirements: Heavy Lifting (45 lbs and over); Straight Pulling (up to 8 hours); Pushing (8 hours); Reaching above shoulder; Use of fingers; Both hands required; Walking (up to 8 hours); standing (up to 8 hours); Kneeling; Repeated bending (up to 8 hours); Both legs required; Ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously; Far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other. This position will require standing and walking for extended periods of time as well as hearing and vision corrected to the near normal range. Ability to work outside in COVID swabbing tent when assigned to COVID duties.

Education


IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.



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: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If 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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.



Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.



NOTE: Current GS-0620 LPN/LVN employee of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) who were converted to an appointment under 38 U.S.C. 7401(3) in implementation of Public Law 98-160, enacted November 21, 1983, or who was converted to an appointment under 38 U.S.C. 7405 in implementation of Public Law 99-576, enacted October 28, 1986 are considered to have met the Education requirement. The waiver does not apply to persons appointed under 38 U.S.C. 7401(3) or 7405 after these conversions.

Additional information



Physical Requirements: Eligible applicants must be physically and mentally able to perform efficiently the essential functions of the position, with or without reasonable accommodation, without hazard to themselves or others. Depending on the essential duties of a specific position, usable vision, color vision, hearing or speech may be required. However, in most cases, a specific physical condition or impairment of a specific function may be compensated for by the satisfactory use of a prosthesis or mechanical aid.

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

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.

Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process.

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 applicant's 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.

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West Palm Beach VA Medical Center

7305 North Military Trail

West Palm Beach, FL 33410

US