Nurse (Patient Advocate)

Indian Health Service; Winterhaven (CA); On-site; USD 72,000 - 97,000; Full time

Job summary

Indian Health Service, at the Fort Yuma Service Unit, seeks a dedicated Registered Nurse as a primary advocate for patient rights and safety within an ambulatory health care setting. The role emphasizes grievance resolution, patient experience improvement, and comprehensive care planning.

Qualifications require a nursing degree and licensure; foreign-trained nurses must provide CGFNS certification. The position is located in California with a focus on patient advocacy and quality improvement.

Qualifications

• Experience applying professional nursing standards and clinical judgment to evaluate patient concerns.
• Experience resolving patient complaints and grievances.
• Ability to coordinate with interdisciplinary teams to address patient advocacy and service delivery.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary RN responsible for patient advocacy, rights support, and grievance resolution.
• Lead patient experience improvement efforts and ensure comprehensive patient care.
• Interpret specialized care plans and ensure alignment with patient needs and safety.
• Escalate patient safety concerns within an AAAHC-accredited ambulatory health care setting.

Skills

Patient advocacy

Patient rights

Grievance resolution

Patient safety escalation

Care plan interpretation

Education

Bachelor's degree in Nursing

Foreign nursing school certification (CGFNS)

Job description

This position is located within the Fort Yuma Service Unit. The incumbent serves as the primary Registered Nurse responsible for patient advocacy, patient rights support, grievance resolution, patient experience improvement, comprehensive patient care responsibility, specialized care-plan interpretation, and patient safety escalation within an AAAHC-accredited ambulatory health care setting. A REAL ID will be required beginning May 7, 2025, in accordance with 6 C.F.R. 37.5 (2021).

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.

BASIC REQUIREMENT(S):

General Schedule Qualification Standards - Nurse Series 0610 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, Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs, Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education, or an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained. Must submit copy of official transcripts. Applications will be considered incomplete without proof.

DEGREE FROM FOREIGN NURSING SCHOOL:

Official certification from the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools is required for individuals who graduated from foreign nursing schools. Applications will be considered incomplete without proof.

LICENSURE:

For all grade levels and positions, applicants must have passed the National Council Licensure Examination. 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. Must submit copy of nursing license that includes an expiration date. Applications will be considered incomplete without proof.

In addition to the above requirements, applicants must meet one of the following requirements:

Basic Requirements for the GS-11 Grade Level

Successful completion of a PhD or equivalent doctoral degree from a professional nursing educational program or related medical science field; OR At least one full year of professional nursing experience (equivalent to the GS-9 grade level) and possession of a diploma, associate degree, bachelor's degree, or master's degree from a professional nursing educational program.

Examples of experience include:

• Applying professional nursing knowledge and clinical judgment to evaluate patient concerns
• resolving patient complaints and grievances
• facilitating service recovery
• identifying and escalating patient safety concerns
• supporting patient rights
• analyzing patient experience or complaint trends
• participating in healthcare quality improvement activities
• and coordinating with interdisciplinary healthcare teams to resolve patient advocacy and service delivery issues

You must meet all qualification requirements within 30 days of the closing date of the announcement.