The Spinal Cord Injury and Disorders Inpatient Registered Nurse provides evidence-based direct and supervisory nursing care for Veterans with spinal cord injuries/disorders in a 43-bed acute-care unit, including ventilator beds.
Manages complex medical and surgical care, medications, procedures, education, care coordination, quality improvement, interdisciplinary collaboration, staff development, and patient/family support to promote health, independence, comfort, and optimal outcomes.
Duties include, but are not limited to: Conduct comprehensive, systematic nursing assessments and use clinical judgment, critical thinking, time management, and organization to deliver patient-centered care. Provide direct care to Veterans with spinal cord injury/disorder (SCI/D) who have acute, complex medical, surgical, pre-operative, and post-operative needs. Coordinate services and prioritize care using an organized, systematic problem-solving approach.
Establish collaborative, measurable short- and long-term goals and interventions with patients and the interdisciplinary team. Implement, monitor, and evaluate individualized plans of care and revise interventions based on patient response and treatment outcomes. Complete accurate, timely clinical documentation in accordance with VA and facility policies. Function as Charge Nurse and Nurse Therapist, as assigned.
Analyze and evaluate unit operations and care-delivery processes to identify opportunities to improve patient care and outcomes. Maintain strict compliance with sterile technique, infection-prevention, infection-control, and patient-safety practices. Assess and continuously monitor respiratory status for ventilator-dependent patients. Monitor mechanical ventilator settings, tracheostomy cuff pressures, and alarms; perform airway suctioning and tracheostomy care.
Administer intravenous fluids and medications in accordance with established policies and guidelines. Assess, access, and maintain central lines in accordance with facility policy. Perform wound care, including Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT).
Apply specialized SCI/D clinical knowledge, including injury level and ASIA classification; respiratory management; skin-integrity and pressure-injury prevention; wound staging; neurogenic bowel and bladder management; and altered elimination needs. Provide nursing care for Veterans with conditions affecting the SCI/D population, including multiple sclerosis (MS) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Assess and address psychological, emotional, functional, lifestyle, and aging-related effects of spinal cord injury or disorder. Serve as an integral interdisciplinary team member by planning, delivering, evaluating, and documenting coordinated care. Create and sustain a therapeutic rehabilitation environment that supports health, independence, comfort, quality of life, and functional outcomes.
Provide patient and family education, support self-management, and participate in interdisciplinary discharge planning. Participate in educational in-services, patient-safety initiatives, performance-improvement activities, and evidence-based-practice efforts. Assist with orientation, education, competency development, and mentoring of nursing personnel and students.
Participate in the VAPAHCS service-improvement model and interdisciplinary committees to design, implement, and evaluate performance-improvement initiatives. Demonstrate and promote VA ICARE values: Integrity, Commitment, Advocacy, Respect, and Excellence. Incorporate High Reliability Organization (HRO) practices to promote a culture of safety, continuous process improvement, and the goal of zero harm.
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: 12 hour NOC shift, 1930-0800 with rotating weekends and holidays Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statements: 11850F, 11851F, 11852F, 11853F, and 11854F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
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).
mohammad.ahmed@va.gov · 6506946000 X15104
This position is with Veterans Health Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs.
The posted pay range is $153887 – $228000/yr.
Applications close on 2026-09-28.
This is a 12 hour NOC shift, 1930-0800 with rotating weekends and holidays position.
This position is open under the 'Public' hiring path.
Source: USAJOBS.gov — U.S. Federal Government
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