Summary

This position is located at the Audie L. Murphy Memorial Veterans' Hospital in San Antonio - TX and reports to the Chief of Quality and Risk Management - office of Quality and Patient Safety. The Risk Manager Registered Nurse (RN) minimizes the probability of adverse risk to patients - personnel - visitors - and protecting the assets of the facility by proactively identifying - reporting - trending - reviewing - and correcting problems leading to incidents through risk identification and analysis.

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 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)
• 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: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13101160
• Grade/Level Scope Education Nurse I - Level I Delivers 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 II Demonstrates 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 III Demonstrates 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 Master's degree in nursing (MSN) and no additional professional nursing experience
• OR a Master's degree in a *related field with a BSN and no additional professional nursing experience
• Nurse II Demonstrates 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 Master's 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 III Executes 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 Master's 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
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• Preferred Experience: Bachelors or Masters Degree 2 years recent experience in a Risk Management role 2 years recent experience with Peer Review - Tort claims Experience performing detailed audits - identifying - analyzing - and mitigating risks that impact patient safety - staff safety - and organizational performance
• Experience with developing - implementing and sustaining corrective actions to meet accreditation standards and other regulatory requirements
• 2 years recent Risk Management/Protected Peer Review experience Physical Requirements: The work is sedentary
• Some work may require movement between offices - hospitals - warehouses - and similar areas for meetings and to conduct work
• Work may also require walking/standing - in conjunctions with travel to and attendance at meetings and/or conferences away from the work site
• Incumbent may carry and lift light items weighing less than 15 pounds.

Duties

• The RN is in a growth and development practice on assisting Veterans and Active Duty Service members to meet their complex health care needs
• Nurse I - Level 1 Provides fundamental conducting occurrence screen reviews to monitor and evaluate the quality of health care
• evaluating episodes of care to determine opportunities for improvement in readmissions and return to surgery during the same episode of care
• identifying significant deviations from morbidity/mortality data
• identifying negative outcomes that merit peer review
• coordinating record review findings with STX Suicide Prevention team
• Uses clinical knowledge to evaluate the quality and effectiveness of clinical performance within the facility - using data collected by internal/external monitoring processes and relays this information to clinical leadership and senior leaders
• Nurse I - Level 2 The Risk Manager is responsible for ensuring the implementation of a successful risk management program that minimizes the probability of adverse risk to patients - personnel - and visitors - and protecting the assets of the facility by proactively - accurately identifying - reporting - trending - reviewing - and correcting problems leading to incidents through risk identification and analysis
• The nurse will assist in directing the provision of professional practice using the nursing process (assessment - diagnosis - outcome identification - planning - implementation - and evaluation) with general supervision
• Facilitates recommendations for systems and/or resource changes that will serve to improve the work force and resource utilization
• Nurse I - Level 3 Independently plans and delivers technically competent care - possesses a thorough working knowledge of the directives - policies - and performance standards of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) arm of the Department of Veterans Affairs
• Serving as subject matter experts (SME) to the Chief of Staff and all levels of leadership in the PR process
• Plays a critical support role in developing and coordinating internal review systems to assure that both clinical and administrative activities follow agency accrediting and regulatory requirements
• Nurse II Provides peers with informal constructive feedback for improvement
• Fosters a safe and supportive environment conducive to the professional development of healthcare professionals
• Leads professional practice using the nursing process (assessment - diagnosis - outcome identification - planning - implementation - and evaluation) to improve evidence-based and/or data-driven outcomes for an identified patient population and/or specialized areas within immediate practice setting
• Leads the provision of nursing care to patients with complex care needs utilizing the nursing process in alignment with the ANA Standards of Nursing Practice
• Applies nursing expertise to lead improvement - with demonstrated outcomes - beyond the immediate practice setting
• Nurse III The Risk Manager is responsible for ensuring the implementation of a successful risk management program that minimizes the probability of adverse risk to patients - personnel - and visitors - and protecting the assets of the facility by proactively - accurately identifying - reporting - trending - reviewing - and correcting problems leading to incidents through risk identification and analysis
• Serves as a subject matter expert (SME) on clinical - educational - administrative issues and provides leadership across a range of contexts that contribute to organizational outcomes.comprehensive
• Partners with QSV staff and functions to integrate readiness activities (Accreditation - Patient Safety - EPRP - OPPE - System Redesign)
• Uses clinical knowledge to evaluate the quality and effectiveness of clinical performance within the facility - using data collected by internal/external monitoring processes and relays this information to clinical leadership and senior leaders
• Leads educational initiatives that expand knowledge to improve outcomes beyond the immediate practice setting
• 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: Telework: Ad hoc and as determined by the agency only Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized