Career Center

The Registered Nurse (Patient Safety Manager) has joint oversight of the facility-wide Patient Safety Program. Directs others within the facility towards process improvements that will support the reduction of medical/health care errors and other factors that contributes to unintended adverse patient outcomes. 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: United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. English Language Proficiency. In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), 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 State-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). In cases of graduates of foreign schools of professional nursing, possession of current, full, active and unrestricted registration will meet the requirement of graduation from an approved school of professional nursing. OR The completion of coursework equivalent to a nursing degree in a MSN Bridge Program that qualifies for professional nursing registration constitutes the completion of an approved course of study of professional nursing. Students should submit the certificate of professional nursing to sit for the NCLEX to the VA along with a copy of the MSN transcript. (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. 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. Preferred Experience: Minimum 2-3 years clinical nursing acute inpatient/outpatient including patient safety experience. Grade Determinations: The following criteria must be met in determining the grade assignment of candidates, and if appropriate, the level within a grade: Nurse I Level I - An Associate Degree (ADN) or Diploma in Nursing, with no additional nursing practice/experience required. Nurse I Level II - An ADN or Diploma in Nursing and approximately 1 year of nursing practice/experience; OR an ADN or Diploma in Nursing and a bachelor's degree in a related field with no additional nursing practice/experience; OR a Bachelor's of Science in Nursing (BSN) with no additional nursing practice/experience. Nurse I Level III - An ADN or Diploma in Nursing and approximately 2-3 years of nursing practice/experience; OR an ADN or Diploma in Nursing and a Bachelor's degree in a related field and approximately 1-2 years of nursing practice/experience; OR a BSN with approximately 1-2 years of nursing practice/experience; OR a Master's degree in nursing (MSN) or related field with a BSN and no additional nursing practice/experience. Nurse II - A BSN with approximately 2-3 years of nursing practice/experience; OR ADN or Diploma in Nursing and a Bachelor's degree in a related field and approximately 2-3 years of nursing practice/experience; OR a Master's degree in nursing or related field with a BSN and approximately 1-2 years of nursing practice/experience; OR a Doctoral degree in nursing or meets basic requirements for appointment and has doctoral degree in a related field with no additional nursing practice/experience required. Nurse III - Master's degree in nursing or related field with BSN and approximately 2-3 years of nursing practice/experience; OR a Doctoral degree and approximately 2-3 years of nursing practice/experience. Reference: VA Regulations, specifically VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G-6 Nurse Qualification Standard. This can be found in the local Human Resources Office. 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, or sitting. The incumbent may be exposed to infected patients/residents and contaminated materials and may be required to don protective clothing in isolation situations. The incumbent may occasionally be exposed to patients/residents 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 Veteran needs. ["The Patient Safety Manager provides leadership for safety assessments, coordinates the activities of the patient safety program, educates other employees on the system-based causes for medical error, consults with management and staff, and communicates literature-based ideas regarding effective patient safety strategies to others within the organization. The Patient Safety Manager performs the following responsibilities and duties: Oversees the creation, review, and refinement of the scope of the Patient Safety Program within the facility on an annual basis. Coordinates the activities of safety within the Environment of Care (EOC) Committee and/or other forums for patient safety. Serves as liaison between the Medical Center Director, Medical Executive Council (MEC), Executive Leadership Board (ELB), and the EOC Committee. Oversees the management and use of medical error information. Review internal error reports and utilize information from external reporting programs (e.g., ISMP Medication Safety AlertTM and ECRI Health Device Alerts. Investigates (along with risk management) patient safety issues within the facility. Participate in Root Cause Analysis of internal error reports. Reports to the Quality Safety Value (QSV) Council and governing body (ELB) on the occurrence of known medical and healthcare errors and identified near misses and dangerous conditions within the facility, as well as actions taken, either proactively, or based on occurrences. Barriers to the implementation of safety programs should be addressed and resolved, where possible. Develops responses for administrative and technical issues for the facility, VISN. Works collaboratively with others to develop and nurture a culture of safety within the Salisbury VAMC by providing education and performs the following: (a) Teaches nurses, physicians, health care administrators, health care providers of all levels, and other designated staff how to improve communication so that patient safety is enhanced. (b) Works effectively with interdisciplinary teams that may be in conflict. (c) Engages and manages large audiences with skill and poise. (d) Demonstrates highly effective oral and written communication and consultation skills (e) Evaluates educational performance. Performs other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: 7:30 am - 4:00 pm, Monday -Friday (Alternate tour of duty may be required based on needs of agency)\nTravel: Occasional travel between the main facility (Salisbury VA Medical Center) and the Health Care Centers (HCCs) and Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs)\nTelework: No\nVirtual: This is not a virtual position.\nPermanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized\nFinancial Disclosure Report: Not required VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package: VA Nurse Total Rewards Pay: Competitive salary, annual performance bonus, regular salary increases\nPaid 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)\nRetirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA\nInsurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)\nLicensure: 1 full and unrestricted license from any US State or territory"]