Summary

The Western New York VA Medical Center is seeking a Registered Nurse to work Full Time as a Nurse Informaticist for the facility Health Informatics Team - located at the historic Buffalo VA Medical Center. The Registered Nurse - Nurse Informaticist will exercise leadership in the assessment - planning - implementation and evaluation of hardware and software applications integrated with the electronic health record (EHR) and associated programs/applications.

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/12952120
• 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
• Preferred Experience: MSN preferred Informatics experience preferred Experience with EMR systems (CPRS / Cerner) preferred Excellent communication and Interpersonal skills preferred Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• 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
• Mechanical patient lifts are provided
• The incumbent may be exposed to infected patients and contaminated materials and may be required to don protective clothing in isolation situations or operative/invasive procedures
• 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 complete annual Employee Health requirements - such as annual TB screening or testing - as a condition of employment.

Duties

• The Registered Nurse - Nurse Informaticist is responsible and accountable for all elements of the nursing process - influences outcomes by collaborating with members of the interdisciplinary team - and executes position responsibilities that demonstrates leadership - experience - and creative approaches - and systematically evaluates current practice
• The incumbent will demonstrate the core informatics functions that include content management - application support - health information technology system optimization - enterprise data management - business architecture management - partnership management - requirements management - and change management
• The incumbent will collaborate with interdisciplinary team members - including other program and service leaders at the facility and network
• They work closely to establish and maintain effective relationships with all levels of Veteran Affairs (VA) staff nationwide
• He/she is responsible for the documented outcomes at the program or service level
• Program or service level outcomes must be broad and complex and can be demonstrated at any organizational level within a facility - Veterans Integrated Services Network (VISN) - or Veterans Affairs Central Office (VACO) - illustrating performance and leadership that benefit the facility
• Duties and Responsibilities include but are not limited to: Consult - advise and educate all levels of employees including the highest level of management on methods and means to make healthcare operations more effective and efficient
• Identify end-user educational requirements and training needs
• Develop educational programs and instructional materials appropriate tools to educate the users and support staff at all levels of the organization
• Exercise expertise in clinical operations - develop and/or oversee the development of information related to patient care - such as patient registries to allow the Clinical Team to track management of patient illnesses
• and develop performance management tracking tools
• Extract - analyze and provide data to assess treatment impacts such as: clinical endpoints - health status outcomes and utility estimates
• estimated usage
• characteristics of treating designated populations
• evaluating patterns of substitution against other products such as resource impact assessments
• Provide relevant clinical and/or administrative data to identify - quantify - and resolve organizational problems
• Provide for the maintenance and updating of site parameters and site-specific files to ensure proper functioning of complex - interrelated and interdependent software applications
• Participate in the development of clinical decision-support systems with the Pharmacy and Therapeutic Committee - the Medical Records Committee - program development vendors using Commercial Off the Shelf Software (COTS) and decision support systems - Clinical Practice Guidelines Committee
• Develops and presents recommendations for improving clinical data-management methods - follow-up procedures and timely compliance with regulatory guidelines
• Conducts tests to analyze usability - sequencing - flow - plain language - minimum keystrokes - and comfort level of the user - ensuring adaptability so the processes used are the most efficient and effective
• Develops implementation plans for new software releases/applications and updates
• Serving as project leader or team member - works through and with interdisciplinary teams to complete health information system initiatives established by national - Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISN) - and local authorities
• Work Schedule: Full-Time
• Day Tour
• Monday - Friday (8:00 AM - 4:30 PM) Compressed/Flexible: Not Authorized Telework: Not Authorized Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package VA Nurse Total Rewards that includes: 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