The Vaccination Coordinator (VC) Nurse is a registered nurse accountable to the Chief Nurse, Primary Care. He/she is tasked with the management of nursing services to coordinate the Veteran patient's vaccinations each year through the Ralph H. Johnson VAMC and its Community-Based Outreach Clinics.

Duties

Duties include but are not limited to: He/she is tasked with the management of nursing services to coordinate the Veteran patient's vaccinations each year through the Ralph H. Johnson VAMC and its Community-Based Outreach Clinics. The VC will devote their time to working with Pharmacy, CDC, Infection Control, Primary Care, Inpatient, Outpatient, Employee Health, and CBOC settings to develop and implement a yearly program to vaccinate Veterans. This position is essential to the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center (RHJ VAMC), and all activities of the VC are dedicated to assisting in the prevention of diseases in the Veteran population. The diseases will include influenza, COVID-19, and any other disease identified. He/she is a stable and reliable point of contact for Veteran patients and providers and provides oversight of the immunization process through the acquisition, distribution, delivery and tracking of vaccinations. The activities of the VC will ensure a Veteran-centric service increasing patient safety and patient satisfaction while providing a reliable process which will generate quality of care and timely administration of vaccinations. The vaccination services provided will help to overcome health care system barriers and be tailored to the individual needs of each Veteran patient and their unique situation, providing education and support, ideally limiting barriers that may interfere with the defined treatment plan and adversely affect patient outcomes. The VC will interface with outside referral agencies and ensure that their business and clinical practices are in compliance with regulatory standards, including but not limited to, The Joint Commission (JC), the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA), American Nurses Association (ANA) Standards of Practice, and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Through his/her well-developed clinical experience and navigation expertise, the VC will anticipate and implement preventive patient care measures. He/she possess the ability to assess data reflective of the patient's status and interpret the appropriate information needed to identify each patient's requirements relative to their age specific needs, providing care as considered necessary. He/she provides guidance and education to patients and caregivers and collaborates with other professionals at all levels, including but not limited to pharmacists, nurses, laboratory staff and the other providers and physicians on the various immunizations. He/she reports status of service needs and contributes to problem resolution and modification of processes as necessary. He/she may be required to participate in formal Process Improvement Teams using the Lean 6 Sigma process. The VC will be responsible for Chairing an immunization committee to include membership from key stake holders. He/she will monitor the CDC, VA, and DHEC for influenza tracking and activity and update vaccine protocols. The VC will be responsible for promotional materials and actively participating in Outreach events. Incumbent sets up, uses, reprocesses, and maintains all unit/department specific equipment that is designed by the manufacturer to be reused for multiple patients. All steps and activities for set ups, reprocessing and maintenance will be completed in accordance with steps outlined in the equipment Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). Incumbent participates in training in the set-up, use, reprocessing, and maintenance of their unit/department-specific equipment leading to the initial competency and validation of ongoing competency at least annually. Incumbent uses equipment appropriately and demonstrates and/or verbalizes the proper use, reprocessing, and maintenance. The reprocessing may be done by the individual on the unit. Incumbent must demonstrate knowledge of use and reprocessing according to SOPs. Other duties as assigned. VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package: VA Nurse Total Rewards 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: Ad-hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

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 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). The approving official may authorize a waiver of the requirement for ACEN or CCNE accreditation of any degree in nursing provided the college or university has regional accreditation from an accrediting body recognized by the Department of Education at the time of the candidate's graduation and the composite qualifications of the applicant warrant such consideration. 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: MSN, Primary Care Immunization Clinic, Program Management. 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. Note regarding MSN degrees: If your MSN was obtained via a Bridge Program that qualifies for professional nursing registration, a BSN is not required. 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, sitting, bending, pulling, and pushing. Transferring patients and objects may be required. 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.

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address Ralph H Johnson Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center 109 Bee Street Charleston, SC 29401 US
• Name: Cherrie Mae-Sargent
• Email: [email protected]