Nurse Outpatient

Summary

At the Indian Health Service (IHS), Nurses do more than practice medicine-they change lives. Guided by our mission to raise the health of American Indian and Alaska Native people, you'll deliver compassionate care where it's needed most. Your expertise brings healing and hope across generations. Begin your journey with purpose -AND receive a recruitment/relocation sign-on bonus, if you are eligible. A REAL ID will be required beginning May 7, 2025, in accordance with 6 C.F.R. 37.5 (2021).

Duties

• Total Compensation Package - Check out IHS's outstanding total compensation package for this job: Registered Nurse Total Compensation | Pay (ihs.gov) The purpose of this position is to provide comprehensive care to pediatric, adolescent, adult and geriatric patients within the Indian Health Service: The Outpatient Staff Registered Nurse (RN) provides comprehensive, evidence-based, and patient-centered nursing care to individuals and families in an ambulatory care setting. The RN demonstrates professional competence, leadership, and sound clinical judgment while delivering high-quality care to patients with a wide range of acute and chronic conditions. The nurse provides oversight and direction to licensed vocational nurses and nursing assistants, as appropriate to the clinic setting, and actively contributes to care coordination, health promotion, education, and quality improvement initiatives.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, your resume must state sufficient experience and/or education, to perform the duties of the specific position for which you are applying. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer and part time experience. You must clearly identify the duties and responsibilities in each position held and the total number of hours per week. Degree and License Waiting Period for Impending Graduates: The Hiring Manager/Selecting Official may elect to utilize an available flexibility wherein applicants who are currently enrolled and expected to complete the required education and obtain the required licensure/certification/registration with 9 month(s) of applying, may be deemed tentatively qualified. Applicants who have not completed their education requirements (but who are within the established timeframe for qualifying) must submit: Documentation from the educational institution's registrar, dean or other appropriate official that attests to the applicable timeframe for completion of the professional program/coursework AND A copy of the most recent unofficial transcript. BASIC REQUIREMENT(S): Education A graduate or higher level degree, bachelor's degree, associate degree, or diploma from an accredited professional nursing educational program is required. This education must have been accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education(external link), Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs(external link), Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education(external link), or an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education(external link) at the time the degree was obtained.Degree from Foreign Nursing School: Official certification from the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (external link) is required for individuals who graduated from foreign nursing schools.Licensure For all grade levels and positions, applicants must have passed the National Council Licensure Examination(external link). In addition, they must possess a current, active, full, and unrestricted license or registration as a professional nurse from a State, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or a territory of the United States.Experience The work experience must have equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. At the GS-9 and above grade level, many positions may require experience in a specialty area of nursing.Basic Requirements for the GS-5 Possession of a bachelor's degree in Nursing with no experience; or Possession of a diploma or associate degree in professional nursing and one full year of professional nursing experience. Basic Requirements for the GS-7 Possession of a bachelor's degree in Nursing and eligibility under the Superior Academic Achievement provision; Possession of a bachelor's degree in Nursing and at least one full year of professional nursing experience (equivalent to the GS-5 grade level); Possession of a diploma or associate degree in professional nursing and two full years of professional nursing experience; or Completion of at least one full year of graduate education in a professional nursing educational program. Basic Requirements for the GS-9 Possession of a master's degree in professional nursing; or At least one full year of professional nursing experience (equivalent to the GS-7 grade level or above) and possession of a diploma, associate degree, or bachelor's degree in Nursing from a professional nursing program. In addition, to the Basic Requirements, you must also meet the Minimum Qualifications stated below- MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: Your resume must demonstrate at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level in the Federal service obtained in either the private or public sector performing the following type of work and/or tasks: Specialized experience GS-07 Performing outpatient nursing duties including triage, patient assessment, and implementing provider/clinic standing orders while selecting the appropriate guideline(s) to match changing patient conditions. Administering medications/treatments and observing, recognizing, and documenting patient responses and condition changes in the electronic health record. Coordinating patient care activities with the care team and communicating patient status/needs to providers and other staff; counseling/teaching patients within established protocols. Using common outpatient clinic equipment (e.g., EKG, POC equipment, emergency equipment) in support of patient care. Specialized experience GS-09 Implementing standardized disease management and prevention guidelines; conducting comprehensive assessments (including pre-visit planning) and prioritizing clinical information based on patient condition/preferences and anticipated needs. Developing plans of care with the care team per clinical practice guidelines; monitoring patients and communicating clinical changes between patient and provider/care team. Coordinating referrals/consults and outside services; providing patient/family counseling and education on preventive, curative, and rehabilitative measures; and ensuring accurate, complete electronic health record documentation. Administering medications/treatments, recognizing adverse signs/symptoms, initiating appropriate interventions (including emergency response as needed), and evaluating outcomes to modify the care plan. Providing guidance/training/mentoring to clinical and non-clinical staff and supporting orientation and clinical flow coordination within the care team. Participating in designing/improving clinical care delivery systems through data collection/evaluation; supporting performance improvement (PDSA), infection prevention/control activities, and LEAN/process improvement efforts. Click on the following link to view occupational requirements for this position: Nurse Series 0610 You must meet all qualification requirements within 30 days of the closing date of the announcement.

Requirements

Selectee may be subject to a probationary period U.S. Citizenship is required Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 This is a competitive vacancy announcement advertised under Direct Hire Authority. Selections made under this vacancy announcement will be processed as new appointments to the civil service. Current civil service employees would therefore be given new appointments to the civil service; however, benefits, time served, and all other Federal entitlements would remain the same. This is a designated position covered by Public Law 101-630, requiring contact or control over Indian children. Due to this requirement, the agency must ensure that persons hired for these positions have not been found guilty of or pleaded nolo contendere or guilty to certain crimes. IHS Selectees that will work in an IHS health care facility may be subject to Employee Health Policies related to Measles and Rubella, and seasonal influenza immunizations. Vaccine exemption requests may be available according to the National and/or Service Unit guidance. On-call hours or standby duty may be required. Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit www.dhs.gov/E-Verify/. You will need to set up direct deposit so we can pay you. Background Investigation Requirement: This position requires the successful completion of a federal background investigation as a condition of employment. A background investigation is a standard process used by the Federal Government to verify an individual's identity, employment history, education, and other relevant information to determine suitability for Federal service. Upon receipt of instructions, applicants must complete all required background investigation forms within five (5) calendar days of issuance. Timely completion is critical to avoid delays in processing or a determination of unsuitability. Applicants are strongly encouraged to prioritize this requirement and to maintain regular communication with their assigned Personnel Security Specialist throughout the process.

Education

This position has an education requirement. You are strongly encouraged to submit a copy of your transcripts or a list of your courses including titles, credit hours completed, and grades. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted in the application package. Official transcripts will be required from all selectees prior to receiving an official offer. Only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education may be credited. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following website: https://www.ed.gov/accreditation. 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 https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

How to apply

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply and be considered for this position, you must complete all required questionnaires, assessments and submit all required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. The application process is as follows: Click the Apply Online button. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date. If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice. Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. Set aside about two (2) hours to take the USA Hire Assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link. Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused. Visit the USA Hire Applicant Resource Center for practice assessments and assessment preparation resources at https://support-usahire.opm.gov/hc/en-us. To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To view the announcement status or your application status: Visit https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/howto/application/status/. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application. You may update your application documents and some questions related to your personal information at any time during the announcement open period. Upon application, you may be provided a testing window to complete additional assessments. This testing window may stipulate a completion deadline before the announcement closes. It is your responsibility to complete the additional online assessments within the timeline provided to remain in consideration for this vacancy announcement. Failure to complete the online assessments within the testing window for this announcement will not preclude you from being considered for and completing the online assessments during a testing window on a future announcement. For additional questions please see our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) found here: http://www.ihs.gov/jobs/index.cfm?module=search&option=faq. Additional selections may be made for similar positions across the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) within the local commuting area(s) of the location identified in this announcement. By applying, you agree to have your application shared with interested selecting official(s) at HHS. Clearance of CTAP/ICTAP will be applied for similar positions across HHS.