Practical Nurse

Summary

The Licensed Practical Nurse position is located in Specialty Care at the VA St. Louis Health Care System. The LPN is to perform assigned duties in a manner that promotes quality health care, positive customer service and the maintenance of an environment committed to serving the veteran. The LPN also performs assigned duties in a manner that promotes quality health care, outstanding customer service, and the maintenance of an environment committed to serving veterans

Duties

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VA Careers - Licensed Practical Nurse :

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

Major duties and responsibilities of the position :

• Provide a full range of practical nursing care to patients with a variety of physical and / or behavioral problems. (Works with the RN and / or MD / DO to appropriately orient / train less experienced LPNs / LVNs and / or NAs / HTs in relation to acceptable standards of practice in promoting optimal patient care delivery. Provides effective education to patients and / or family members in relation to common disease processes, medication, and / or prescribed treatment regimes.)
• Serve as a responsible member of the nursing team and interact with patients, family members, professional and supportive personnel who provide patient care, incorporating acceptable, established customer service standards into practice.
• Respond to breakage / malfunction or loss of equipment, safety hazards, and supply deficiencies, promptly reporting to appropriate personnel for corrective action.
• Initiate, perform, and complete assigned duties in providing care to variable patient populations.
• Carry out assigned patient care based on the patents' conditions; to use judgment in selecting the appropriate order and sequence of procedures and treatments; and to accurately recognize, report and record relevant patient information. Completed work should need only a general review by a registered nurse or physician for appropriateness and conformity with established policies / procedures.
• Observe, identify and respond to the patient's needs for care including medication equipment-assisted care and (patient / family education). In organizing and delivering care, the LPN / LVN recognizes and considers emotional, socio-economic, and age-related factors.
• Prepare and administer prescribed medications (oral, topical, subcutaneous, intramuscular and / or intravenous) and perform treatments according to established policies / procedures. Observe for physical and / or emotional changes in patient's condition from prescribed medication / treatments, promptly and accurately documenting noted changes, and reporting any deviations from normal to RN or MD / DO.
• Recognize urgent and emergent patient care situation, seek assistance of the RN and / or MD / DO, and initiate appropriate emergency interventions as directed.
• Seek out educational opportunities to enhance nursing knowledge and skills, sharing new knowledge gained with other staff to improve and advance nursing practice.

Work Schedule : Monday - Friday 07 : 30 am - 04 : 00pm

Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus) : Not Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance) :

Pay : Competitive salary and regular salary increases When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade).

Paid Time Off : 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year)

Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience.

Parental Leave : After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.

Child Care Subsidy : After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66 .

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)

Telework : Not Available

Virtual : This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement # : 000000

Permanent Change of Station (PCS) : N / A

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider :

Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

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 :

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.

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

GS-05

GS-06

Reference : For more information on this qualification standard, please visit

The full performance level of this vacancy is 6.

Physical Requirements : This position includes a level of physicality normally associated with duties performed by nurses such as direct patient care, and potentially long periods of walking, standing, sitting, moderate lifting, repeated bending, or kneeling (Please see physical requirements continued in Additional Information).

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 : 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 :

Additional information

Physical Requirements (Continued) : See VA Handbook 5019 and local LPN / LVN physical standards. Examples may include but are not limited to, significant amounts of time standing assisting assigned patients & utilization of safe patient handling and mobility protocols. This position requires potentially long periods of continued walking, standing, and sitting. The incumbent may be exposed to infected patients and contaminated materials and may be required to don protective clothing. The incumbent may occasionally be exposed to patients who are combative secondary to delirium, dementia, or psychiatric disorders. The incumbent must be a mature, flexible, sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations, able to shift priorities based on patient needs. Must comply with any Employee Health requirements as a condition of employment. This includes but is not limited to carrying / lifting 45 pounds and over; walking and / or standing for eight hours at time; and kneeling and repeated bending throughout shift. Prevention and Management of Disruptive Behavior (PMDB) training is a fundamental requirement for all VA St. Louis employees. This training encompasses customer service skills, verbal de-escalation techniques, limit-setting abilities, physical safety strategies, and safe patient containment methods. Employees may be exposed to various levels of disruptive behavior, including physical and verbal disruptions, which could involve sexual assault, criminal actions, or other intentionally unsafe acts. It is essential for employees to be capable of properly managing disruptive behavior to ensure the continued provision of safe nursing care.

Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave : Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

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.

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.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.