Summary

The DON provides senior leadership and oversight for daily clinical and administrative operations within nursing as directed by the Associate Director for Patient Care Services (ADPCS) and Deputy Associate Director for Patient Care Services (DADPCS.)

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
• The following Scope, Education and Dimension criteria must be met to qualify for Nurse IV: Scope: Executes leadership that is characterized by substantial and continuous responsibility and accountability for population groups or integrated programs that cross service and/or discipline lines and influence organizational mission and health care
• Education: Master's degree in Nursing (MSN) and 4 years of professional nursing experience, one of which is specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse III and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse IV
• OR Master's degree in a *related field with a BSN and 4 years of professional nursing experience, one of which is specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse III and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse IV
• OR a Doctoral degree in nursing and 3 years of professional nursing experience, one of which is specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse III and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse IV
• OR a Doctoral degree in a *related field with a BSN and 3 years of professional nursing experience, one of which is specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse III and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse IV
• *Note: Foreign education programs/degrees are not creditable as related degrees
• Dimensions: Leadership
• Leads health care delivery by leveraging evidence-based practices, industry-leading research, and innovative care models
• Drives a shared vision and successfully leads change to improve performance and attain measurable outcomes at the program or service level
• Business Acumen
• Transforms health care by implementing new processes, technology, informatics, and data analytics using business models and fundamental concepts of resource management at the program or service level
• Inspiring an Industry-Leading Culture
• Employs an industry leading, shared decision-making culture
• Cultivates a diverse and inclusive workforce that serves Veterans, families and caregivers of all backgrounds and builds trust, cultural competencies and catalyzes dynamic teams at the program or service level
• Communication and Relationship Management
• Directs the effective use of relationship management principles to achieve positive customer service experiences that are consistent with professional organizational values, beliefs and practices at the program or services level
• Professional and Social Responsibility
• Operationalizes a culture of holistic care, health advocacy and health equity
• Applies ethical principles in decision-making at the program or service level
• Advances nursing knowledge through health science research and the translation and dissemination of evidence into practice to maximize the value to Veterans and the community
• Preferred Experience: 5 years recent experience with mental health populations (inpatient &
• outpatient, residential, etc.), preferably within a complex health care system
• 3 years recent management experience
• national certification in leadership or related specialty
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• Physical Requirements: Heavy lifting, 45 pounds and over, Straight pulling (6 hours), Pushing (2 hours), Reaching above shoulder, Use of fingers, Both hands required, Walking (6 hours), Standing (2 hours), Repeated bending (6 hours), Both legs required, Ability to distinguish basic colors, Visual Acuity 20/30 corrected.

Duties

• The DON for Mental Health provides senior leadership and oversight for daily clinical and administrative operations within nursing as directed by the Associate Director for Patient Care Services (ADPCS) and Deputy Associate Director for Patient Care Services (DADPCS.) They are a key member of the nursing executive leadership team and are responsible for all aspects of care that fall under the operations service line, providing administrative oversight and direction in the programs within the service
• They possess solid knowledge of Nursing and Emergency Nursing regulations, Veterans Health Administration (VHA) guidelines, medical review criteria, clinical practice and documentation requirements, current standards of care, compliance guidelines, and bargaining agreements
• Duties include, but are not limited to: Accountable to the ADPCS/Nurse Executive and an integral part of the senior leadership team
• Works closely with the ADPCS as a collaborator and partner in strategic planning, organization assessment, and program development
• Responsible to assist with the establishment of standards for the practice of nursing at the health care system level to ensure the continuous and timely availability of quality nursing services
• Ensures a competency process is in place to evaluate individual practice, as well as a review process for annual performance ratings
• Spokesperson for organized nursing services and works to ensure the integration and collaboration of nursing with other professional disciplines and functional areas in the mutual achievement of optimal Veteran centered organizational goals in the facility
• Partners with the ADPCS to co-lead the transformation of established practices to cultivate a culture of inquiry and innovation for the future
• Partners with the Deputy Chief of Staff to objectively analyze strategic plans and actions related to healthcare, quality, and safety issues at all levels of the organization
• Influences strategic thought leaders within the facility to build consensus and cooperation, to successfully accomplish goals
• Acts as a catalyst for change
• Represents nursing at senior department/medical staff committees
• Promote systems-thinking amongst all levels of staff across the health care system to involve nurses and other staff in decisions that affect their practice to improve employee engagement, performance, and staff satisfaction and retention
• Develop and support an environment for ethical decision-making throughout the organization
• Develop and support Medical Center-wide patient care programs, policies, guidelines and procedures that describe and guide how patients' nursing care needs are assessed, evaluated and met
• Maintain joint responsibility and accountability with the ADPCS to the Medical Center Director for nursing standards of practice, recruitment and retention, and long-range planning and model development for the effective delivery of health services
• Support and recommend staffing plans that provide appropriate patient care and promote innovation and improvement based on benchmarking of best practices
• Review nursing workload, productivity measures and benchmarks to assure consistent levels of nursing care
• 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, 8:00 a.m
• - 4:30 p.m
• Telework: Not Authorized
• Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
• Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized.