Advanced Practice Nurse (Certified Nurse Anesthetist)

Summary

The West Haven VA Medical Center is hiring two Nurse Anesthetist positions located within the Anesthesiology department of the West Haven - CT. VA Medical Center. The position is full time at 40 hours per week. Recruitment/Relocation incentives authorized.

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.) The following Education - Experience - and Knowledge - Skills and Abilities must be met for Advanced Practice Nurse (Certified Nurse Anesthetist) II: Education and Experience Requirement
• Meets basic education requirement for an APN (CNA)
• Nurse II is considered the entry grade level for APN (CNAs)
• no experience is required
• Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities
• The following list of knowledge - skills and abilities present the minimum skill set expected of an Entry Level CNA
• Entry level into practice may include but are not limited to the following: Ability to translate into anesthesia care the principles of professional nursing practice including the patients' rights to autonomy - dignity - privacy - and safety
• Knowledge of current research and practice guidelines to frame anesthesia practice including up to date techniques - pharmacology - and equipment
• Ability to obtain - document and verify informed anesthesia consent and perform a pre-anesthetic patient history and physical - which includes managing pre-operative consults and interpreting data
• Ability to formulate a patient-specific anesthetic plan and describe salient anesthetic risks - benefits - and options to the patient
• Ability to administer inhalational - regional - intravenous - local - and topical anesthetics
• Skill in detecting and treating anesthesia or surgically related physiologic changes and ability to treat accordingly in order to maintain homeostasis
• Skill in assessing patient status for appropriateness of transfer of care to another healthcare provider and communicating essential patient information to other providers effectively
• Ability to participate in collaborative responsibility for proper patient positioning - physiologic monitoring - infection control and anesthesia documentation
• Skill in responding to emergency situations by providing airway management - fluid and medication administration - invasive line insertion and management and the use of advanced cardiac life support techniques
• Ability to provide patient care that is abreast of changing concepts and advancements in the profession - (e.g. - ultrasound techniques.) Ability to practice anesthesia in an interdisciplinary environment utilizing a collaborative concept of anesthesia care
• Knowledge of quality improvement processes to maintain ongoing review and evaluation of anesthesia care to improve outcomes
• Ability to demonstrate a practice emphasis on safety - current established guidelines and protocols while recognizing the duty to report unsafe conditions or errors
• The following Education - Experience - and Knowledge - Skills and Abilities must be met for Advanced Practice Nurse (Certified Nurse Anesthetist) III: Education and Experience Requirement: Meets basic education requirement for an APN (CNA) AND One year of specialized APN (CNA) experience equivalent to the APN (CNA) II grade level
• Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities: Progressively responsible experience in the administration of anesthetics as indicated in the knowledge - skills and abilities listed below
• Ability to plan - administer and manage anesthesia for a broad range of complex surgical procedures skillfully employing continuous assessment and anesthetic adaptation based on patient response and comorbidities
• Work assignments will vary by facility
• Ability to participate in assignments that are technically challenging - encompass a variety of anesthetizing locations and utilize advanced equipment and procedures while adapting techniques to solve various complex anesthesia problems including the development of individualized programs of post-op anesthesia care
• Skill in responsibility and accountability to perform to the extent of the CNA standards of practice as a licensed healthcare professional in any model of anesthesia practice
• Ability to contribute to the educational mission as a mentor or preceptor providing didactic and clinical instruction in anesthesia to student nurse anesthetists - medical and dental residents - and other health care trainees
• Knowledge to participate in the development - implementation and maintenance of auditing processes that ensure and improve the quality and consistency of anesthesia and associated documentation
• Ability to contribute to departmental administrative processes through quality assurance - shared governance - or committee representation as applicable
• Ability to serve as a representative on interdisciplinary teams to establish and maintain guidelines and communication
• Skill demonstrated in the ability to embrace the safety culture emphasis by continuously assessing for safety risks - actively reporting safety concerns - and maintaining a just culture by identifying faults in systems rather than individuals
• Reference: VA Handbook 5005/160 Part II Appendix G6d
• For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.The full performance level of this vacancy is Nurse III
• The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of II to III
• Physical Requirements: This position requires visual acuity - keen hearing - clear distinctive speech - and manual dexterity
• This position requires potentially long periods of continued walking - standing - stooping - sitting - bending - pulling - and pushing
• Transferring patients and objects may be required
• The CRNA may be exposed to infected patients and contaminated materials and may be required to don protective clothing in isolation situations.

Duties

• Collaborate with a variety of health care professionals to achieve common goals for care - safety - and welfare of patients
• Foster high levels of confidence and satisfaction among patients and staff - as well as meet and exceed compliance standards
• Provide anesthetic services within five general categories to include: pre-anesthesia evaluation and preparation
• anesthesia induction - maintenance - and emergence
• post anesthesia care
• peri-anesthetic and clinical support functions
• and emergency response techniques
• Develop and implement a comprehensive anesthesia plan of care for patients requiring local - regional - general - and monitored anesthesia both inside and outside the Operating Room (OR) suite
• Ensure anesthetic services delivered throughout the facility are of the highest quality to promote patient safety - satisfaction - and improve outcomes and efficiencies
• Functions as resource for staff education and is willing to be a preceptor and adjunct clinical faculty for health care trainees rotating through the facility
• Develop and implement evidence-based practices that are essential to the delivery of the highest quality anesthesia care
• Prescribe appropriate preoperative - intra-operative and postoperative orders and medications
• Exemplifies the ICARE core values of-Integrity - Commitment - Advocacy - Respect - and Excellence
• 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: Monday-Friday
• Tour of duty to be negotiated
• Telework: Not Available
• Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized
• Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized.