Foreign Service Registered Nurse - Limited Non Career Appointment (RNLNA)

Summary

The U.S. Department of State is developing a rank-ordered list of eligible hires for a limited number of Registered Nurse Limited Non-Career Appointment (RNLNA) positions. Learn more about Foreign Service careers at https://careers.state.gov. There is more to joining the Foreign Service than just salary. Refer to the Benefits section for more information on total compensation.

Duties

• The Bureau of Medical Services (MED) maintains and promotes the health of employees and their eligible family members (EFM) who represent U.S. government (USG) agencies abroad. The Department assigns Foreign Service Medical Specialists, Limited Non-Career Appointment Registered Nurses (RNLNA) to select posts overseas. Many of these posts have significant health risks and local medical facilities are often inadequate to cope with them. This position is for a Registered Nurse (RN). A Limited Non-Career Appointment (LNA) does not lead to onward employment in the State Department or conversion to another form of employment. Candidates must be willing to accept assignments based on the needs of the Foreign Service, primarily in high-threat locations. Limited Non-Career Registered Nurses (RNLNA) presently serve at unaccompanied posts in Iraq, Pakistan, and Haiti. Assignments may change at any time based on the needs of the Service. Family members are not permitted to accompany RNLNAs to post. However, at some locations, adult eligible family members (EFMs) may be approved to accompany the RNLNA to post if they will fill certain mission-critical positions. EFMs must be employed and hired by the mission before traveling to post. All Medical Specialists working with the Bureau of Medical Services must provide primary care services and counseling to all patients regardless of age, sex, race, ethnicity, national origin, language, disease, disability, or religion. RNLNA duties include but are not limited to: Maintains a primary care/urgent care clinic by ordering and stocking supplies and performing quality control on all laboratory tests and equipment. Evaluates and assesses patients within their scope of training, including assessing vital signs, observation, taking a health history, performing physical examination, and performing selected diagnostic testing. Records all findings accurately in the Electronic Health Record (EHR). Uses Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs) and/or collaborates care with Health Unit providers. Other responsibilities include but are not limited to vaccinating patients, dispensing medication, home visits, hospital visits, and responding to compound emergencies and exercises. Participates in after-hours call responsibilities with other Health Unit members. May need to assist or arrange Medevacs through medical provider direction and coordinate with MED/Foreign Programs or the appropriate Regional Medevac Center. RNLNAs are considered essential personnel and are on call to provide services 24 hours a day, seven days a week. All LNAs are members of the Foreign Service and have the same obligations and standard of conduct expectations as all Foreign Service employees.

Qualifications

Specialized Experience At the time of application, candidates must have a minimum of five (5) years of experience within the last six (6) years providing direct patient care as a Registered Nurse. Prior military experience or experience with other U.S. agencies working abroad is desirable but not required. Candidates must be skilled and experienced nurses with excellent interpersonal skills, able to function well within a complex organization, and have experience working in a high-stress environment. Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities The Department has conducted extensive job analysis research to determine Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) and other attributes conducive to successful performance in this position. A candidate's education level, work experience, and other qualifications will be considered as part of the hiring decision-making process based on these KSA criteria. Serving in support of the employees of the United States Government and their eligible family members, an RNLNA will work in conjunction with other Foreign Service medical personnel. RNLNA duties include but are not limited to the following: Clinical and Leadership Skills: Must gain the cooperation and confidence of patients, colleagues, supervisors, and subordinates. Ability to teach or lecture groups on medical issues is preferred. Program Management: Must develop, coordinate, and administer healthcare delivery programs and trainings, including individual and community health promotion and disease prevention. Will communicate with non-medical colleagues and provide guidance to management during crises. Analytical Skills: Must possess strong analytical and evaluative abilities, including independent learning, complex problem identification, critical thinking, and problem-solving capabilities. Interpersonal and Intrapersonal Qualities: Must demonstrate a desire to serve others, empathy, compassion, resilience, self-confidence, and convictions aligned with Department interests. Must show interest in continuous learning, Foreign Service work, and tolerance of on-call demands, emergency situations, intensive worldwide travel, living away from family, and working in difficult or isolated conditions. Communication: Must demonstrate strong command of English with excellent grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Must communicate clearly and succinctly both orally and in writing. Preferred Experience: Prior military experience or experience with other U.S. agencies working abroad is valuable but not essential.

Requirements

Essential Physical Requirements The most important physical requirements of the job are speaking, hearing, vision, mental endurance, tolerance for extreme environmental conditions, physical endurance, dexterity, and mobility. RNLNAs may need to perform essential functions effectively in environments that pose physical or other occupational challenges. These duties may include: Provision of direct patient care that may require heavy lifting, pulling, stooping, bending, and twisting in tight and limited spaces. Travelling independently to posts utilizing commercial air carriers, military aircraft, or other transportation types that may not offer special access or accommodations. Provision of emergency care in any location following an accident, natural disaster, or attack in potentially hostile or physically challenging environments, such as in buildings without elevators or in areas with irregular spaces that require kneeling, bending, stooping, lifting, walking, and running over uneven terrain. Transportation of self or patients via small aircraft, helicopters, ambulances, or other non-standard modes of transportation with small entrances and high floors, such as high-axle armored vehicles.

Education

At the time of application, the candidate must possess: At minimum, an Associate's degree from an accredited Nursing Program. Education from a program or institution within the United States must be accredited at the time of program completion by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Foreign Education Foreign education acquired outside of any state of the U.S., the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, or any territory or possession of the U.S. must be evaluated by a member organization of one of the two national associations of credential evaluation services (NACES or AICE) to be given credit towards qualification. The accredited interpretation must include the summary and the foreign education transcripts. The Department of State will not accept foreign education transcripts that have not been evaluated by a credential evaluation service and will terminate the candidacy. For further information on the evaluation of foreign education, please refer to the Office of Personnel Management, Foreign Education section, and the U.S. Department of Education. The U.S. Department of State neither endorses nor recommends any individual evaluation service. OPM: www.opm.gov U.S. Department of Education: http://www.ed.gov Please refer to the Required Documents section on how to submit the required educational documentation for this position. Licensure and Certification Current and active license as a Registered Nurse in a state, the District of Columbia, or a territory of the United States. Active and current Basic Life Support (BLS) certification is required.

How to apply

The application submission deadline is 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the closing date of this announcement. It is the candidate's responsibility to complete and submit the application and all required documents before the closing deadline. There are no exceptions. From this vacancy announcement, click "Apply." Go to the USAJobs login screen and log in to your USAJobs account, or follow the link and instructions to create an account. Follow the USAJobs application process and provide your required USAJobs federal online resume. USAJobs will transfer you to the U.S. Department of State agency online application site, Monster Government Service (MGS). Follow the instructions to answer the online questions. Candidates must include 10 years of work history in the online application. The Department will terminate applications missing any responses. Candidates may save their work and return to the application from USAJobs at any time prior to the deadline. Submit required documentation using one of the three methods the application system allows: a. Transfer documents from a USAJobs portfolio; b. Upload documents from your computer; or c. Resubmit documents from a previous application. After attaching all required supporting documentation, answering all required application questions, and completing the application steps, review the entire application packet, including the submitted documents. Multiple transcript documents can be scanned into one PDF document. Confirm and submit your application package, which will be used to evaluate your qualifications for this position. Candidates experiencing technical difficulties with the application must contact the Monster Help Desk by calling 1-866-656-6830 or by emailing [email protected]. The Monster Help Desk is available Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time. For more information on the Foreign Service Specialist hiring process, please visit our FAQs at http://careers.state.gov/faqs.