Administration of anesthesia, including general, regional, and local, and administration of all levels of sedation to adult patients. Care is directed toward patients rendered unconscious or insensible to pain and the management of emotional stresses during surgical, obstetrical, and certain other medical procedures. 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. Education. (1) A degree in nursing from 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: (a) The National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC), an accrediting arm of the National League for Nursing located at 61 Broadway, 33rd Floor, New York, New York 10006. Additional information may be obtained from the NLNAC Web site; or (b) The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), an accrediting arm of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). The CCNE accredits bachelor's and master's degree programs and is located at One Dupont Circle, N.W., Suite 530, Washington, DC 20036. Additional information may be obtained from the CCNE Web site. (2) Graduate of an accredited nurse anesthesia educational program approved by the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) at the time the program was completed by the applicant. The AANA has compiled current listings of approved training institutions, which are published annually in the December issue of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists Journal. The American Hospital Association in their "Guide to the Health Care Field" also publishes listings of approved training institutions annually in August. c. Registration (1) Condition of Employment. 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. The nurse anesthetist must maintain a current, full, active and unrestricted registration to continue employment with VA. The appointing official may waive this requirement if the nurse anesthetist is to serve in a country other than the United States and has registration in that country (e.g. Philippines). d. Certification (2) Nurse Anesthetists will maintain recertification by meeting the Council on Recertification of Nurse Anesthetist's requirements as a condition of employment. (1) Entry Level: (Nurse II) (a) Experience and Education. None beyond the basic requirements. (b) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities. The following list of knowledge, skills and abilities present the minimum skill set expected of an Entry Level Nurse Anesthetist. Entry level into nurse anesthesia practice may include but are not limited to the following: 1. Ability to translate the principles of professional nursing practice in the care of assigned patients in order to provide appropriate care. 2. Ability to do a pre-anesthetic patient history and physical, which includes collecting pre-operative consults and data. 3. Ability to formulate an anesthetic plan and describe the anesthetic risks, benefits and options to the patient. 4. Ability to administer inhalation, regional, intravenous, local, and topical anesthetics and to detect unfavorable reactions in order to continuously evaluate the patient's physical status. 5. Ability to respond to emergency situations by providing airway management, administration of emergency fluids and drugs, and using appropriate resuscitation procedures for patient care. 6. Ability to provide patient care that is abreast of changing concepts and advancements in the profession. 7. Ability to work effectively in an interdisciplinary environment for improvement of services for patient care. 8. Ability to practice nurse anesthesia with colleagues and peers utilizing a collaborative team concept of anesthesia care. (2) Full Performance Level: (Nurse III) (b) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. Full Performance Level practice in nurse anesthesia includes but is not limited to the following: 1. Skill in conducting and managing anesthesia for a broad range of complex surgical procedures. In addition, the CRNA must be able to adapt/modify anesthesia techniques in order to optimize patient care. 2. Ability to complete work assignments selected to add depth and breadth to their technical knowledge and skill competence. Work assignments will vary at each facility depending on the progressive acuity required for anesthesia care. 3. Ability to respond to emergency situations by providing airway management, administration of emergency fluids and drugs, and by the use of basic or advanced cardiac life support techniques in order to perform necessary resuscitation procedures. 4. Ability to effectively blend technology, skills, and competency for the advancement of anesthesia techniques, pharmacology, and equipment. 5. Ability to apply new developments and theories to develop and demonstrate the ability to recognize and solve various complex anesthesia situations. 6. Ability to practice nurse anesthesia with colleagues and peers in a team concept of anesthesia care and blend management skills with technical experience. 7. Ability to recognize clinical and technical aspects of anesthesia care and has in-depth knowledge of anesthesia methods and techniques for the practice of anesthesia. 8. Ability to perform as a mentor, preceptor, or nurse educator providing didactic and clinical instruction for graduate-level nurse anesthesia students and/or other anesthesia care providers. 9. Ability to participate in the development of anesthesia patient care audit processes involving in depth review and analysis of anesthesia records. 10. Ability to provide guidance and instruction in preparing others for positions of leadership and ethical practices which impact patient care. Chief/Educator Level: (Nurse IV) 2. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities. Nurse Anesthetists at this level must have the ability to perform long and short-term planning goals for their anesthesia department. (4) Nurse V. For highly qualified candidates with program responsibilities which significantly exceed the minimum scope and complexity of those described for Nurse IV, the Under Secretary for Health or designee may approve assignment at Nurse V on a case-by-case basis. Typically, this assignment (i.e. Deputy Director, Anesthesia Service, VACO) will be restricted to individuals who are responsible for managing a national program. Preferred Experience: Certified Nurse Anesthetist must be a graduate of an accredited nurse anesthesia educational program approved by the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) at the time the program was completed by the applicant. Must be Certified through the Council on Certification of Nurse Anesthetists. 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. ["VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package: VA Nurse Total Rewards Major duties may include but are not limited to: 1. Assessment of, consultation for, and preparation of patients for anesthesia 2. Clinical management and teaching of cardiac and pulmonary resuscitation 3. Diagnosis and treatment of acute pain 4. Evaluation of respiratory function and application of respiratory therapy 5. Image guided procedures 6. Management of critically ill patients 7. Monitoring and maintenance of normal physiology during the perioperative period 8. Perform history and physical exam 9. Relief and prevention of pain during and following surgical, therapeutic, and diagnostic procedures using sedation/analgesia, General anesthesia, regional anesthesia 10. Supervision and evaluation of performance of personnel, both medical and paramedical, involved in perioperative care 11. Treatment of patients for pain management (excluding chronic pain management) 12. Anesthetic management of adult patients for cardiac pacemaker and automatic implantable cardiac defibrillator placement, surgical treatment of cardiac arrhythmias, cardiac catheterization, and cardiac electro-physiologic diagnostic/therapeutic procedures. 13. Anesthetic management of patients undergoing non-cardiac thoracic surgery 14. Management of nonsurgical cardiothoracic patients 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 Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 0730 - 1600. Telework: Not Authorized. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Retention Incentives: Not Authorized. EDRP Authorized: Not Authorized. Financial Disclosure Report: Not required."]
Providing Health Care for Veterans: The Veterans Health Administration is America’s largest integrated health care system, providing care at 1,255 health care facilities, including 170 medical centers and 1,074 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics), serving 9 million enrolled Veterans each year.
