Registered Nurse, Chief, Organizational Performance Improvement (OPI)

Veterans in Healthcare; North Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 95,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Captain James A Lovell Federal Health Care Center in North Chicago, IL seeks an experienced nurse leader to guide the Organizational Performance Improvement (OPI) program. The role focuses on improving quality of care, patient safety, and compliance with accrediting and regulatory standards, in partnership with hospital leadership.

The position requires strategic analysis, data reporting, and broad collaboration across clinical and administrative teams.

Qualifications

• U.S. citizenship is required.
• Current, full, active RN license in the United States.
• Master's degree in nursing or related field required.
• Experience in hospital quality and performance improvement preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead the FHCC performance improvement program and ensure VA/JC standards.
• Coordinate with executive leadership on strategic planning and policy implementation.
• Oversee risk management, patient safety, and lean initiatives.

Skills

RN Nursing Practice

Leadership

Quality Improvement

English Proficiency

Education

BSN required

MSN or higher

Doctoral Nursing degree

Job description

Quality Care Our Heroes DeserveNow is the time to take your career to the next level and become part of the high-caliber talent that is VA. Experience what 250,000 current VA employees already have state-of-the art practice settings, access to the latest technology, a multi-disciplinary team environment and the opportunity to provide the men and women who have bravely served this country with the finest patient care, benefits and customer satisfaction. And with VA Patient Satisfaction Scores leading the healthcare industry, you'll be joining one of the most respected facilities in the Nation.

Quality Care Our Heroes DeserveNow is the time to take your career to the next level and become part of the high-caliber talent that is VA. Experience what 250,000 current VA employees already have state-of-the art practice settings, access to the latest technology, a multi-disciplinary team environment and the opportunity to provide the men and women who have bravely served this country with the finest patient care, benefits and customer satisfaction. And with VA Patient Satisfaction Scores leading the healthcare industry, you'll be joining one of the most respected facility in the Nation.

Job Summary

About the Agency

Vacancy Identification Number (VIN): 965512

Be Part of the MAGNET Journey!!

• Readying Warriors and Caring for Heroes...

"OUR MISSION: To fulfill President Lincoln's promise - \"To care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan\" - by serving and honoring the men and women who are America's Veterans."

Would you like to be part of the first full integration of a Veteran's Affairs and Department of Defense/Department of the Navy facility?

The Chief, Organizational Performance Improvement (OPI) has a primary responsibility of advisory service to the Deputy Director and top level management on the most complex management concerns of the hospital including, but not limited to, strategic planning, hospital goals, program emphasis, resource allocations and key personnel. The incumbent will analyze results and provide in-depth reports to the Executive Steering Committee and other high level meetings such as Directors Staff Meetings, Executive Committee of the Medical Staff, Facility Support and the Strategic Planning Council.

On October 1st, 2010, the North Chicago VA Medical Center integrated with the Naval Health Clinic, Great Lakes to form the Captain James A Lovell Federal Health Care Center (FHCC). The facility is located just 13 miles south of the Illinois/Wisconsin border approximately equidistant between Chicago and Milwaukee. Offering a choice of three international airports, the excitement of the 'Big City' with the beauty of the rural countryside, there are countless activities to engage a wide variety of personal hobbies and interests. The facility itself has opened a new parking structure and a new outpatient clinical addition. Serving inpatient, outpatient, and long term care patients including the unique populations of veterans, eligible military beneficiaries and their family members, the Captain James A Lovell Federal Health Care Center has a unique mission unlike any other facility in the United States.

For more information on the Department of Veterans Affairs, go to http://www.vacareers.va.gov/

VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health related positions in VA are covererd by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.

Duties

Tour of Duty:ONE (1) full-time position Monday-Friday (0730-1600) with 24 hour availability. There will also be occasions that evening and/or weekend hours could be required as related to the schedules of inspecting agencies.

This program is highly complex, encompassing all aspects of quality of care, risk to patients, staff and the institution. It encompasses all hospital staff and the institution. Complexity is increased by the multiplicity of authorities that provide broad-based requirements, which must be integrated and operationalized into policy statements, methods, objectives and action plans. These groups include The Joint Commission (TJC), Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), etc.

Duties And Responsibilities Include The Following

• Provides leadership in improving and sustaining the quality and effectiveness of care in diverse or complex programs.
• The work of the Chief, Organizational Performance Improvement is supported by the Deputy Chief, Organizational Performance Improvement and OPI staff.
• The incumbent is directly responsible for the development, organization, integration and implementation of all aspects of the FHCC OPI program. Incumbent is recognized as the hospital expert on PI programs and philosophies, and related hospital-wide programs. The incumbent functions very independently and must demonstrate the ability to coordinate activities with a wide diversity of high level employees such as service chiefs, physicians, nurses, and administrative officials. Encompassing performance improvement, patient safety, risk management, infection control, and Lean/Six Sigma/VA-TAMMCS, the purpose of the PI Program is to assure high quality care through the identification of opportunities to improve care, the provision of high quality and cost-effective services, and the identification of issues that might place patients and/or employees at increased/unnecessary risk. The incumbent supervises the Performance Improvement Section which is responsible for directing all services throughout the hospital in the planning and coordination of PI programs. The incumbent serves in a direct advisory capacity to the Quality Management/PI Specialist staff in the organization and development of a comprehensive program which is designed to meet TJC/VA standards. The incumbent is responsible for providing the necessary leadership and guidance to develop, implement, refine and maintain a comprehensive program at the hospital-wide level to evaluate the quality of patient care, improve the quality of patient care, and evaluate the appropriateness and timeliness of services provided.
• Each employee/physician/supervisor/manager is responsible for participating in the Organizational Performance Improvement Program (OPIP). The incumbent is responsible for assuring the appropriate information is provided to the above personnel to empower them to meet the standards of providing and documenting quality care and maintaining a safe environment.
• Develops, implements, integrates and maintains a Performance Improvement Program to evaluate and improve the quality of patient care and/or the appropriateness and timeliness of services provided, promote quality in clinical practice by collaborating in the development of guidelines, criteria, and models for the delivery of patient care; improve hospital operations which can be exported for use in other VA facilities; develop a systematic approach in assisting and providing technical guidance among the Hospital's services.
• The incumbent is directly responsible for ensuring all OPI program areas comply with standards and meet performance expectations. Specifically, he/she is responsible for the development, management, organization, implementation and supervision of the following six program components: (1) Risk Management, (2) Patient Safety, (3) Infection Control, (4) Accreditation, (5) Performance Improvement (PI) and (6) Lean/Six Sigma/VA-TAMMCS Programs.
• Has significant verbal and written communication skills as well as ability to persuade and negotiate to gain acceptance of organizational improvement initiatives.

The Department of Veteran's Affairs (Federal Health Care Center) may offer Permanent Change of Station (PCS) relocation services. Permanent Change of Station is the relocation of a household due to government convenience in connection with a transfer between duty stations or facilities. For more information, please go to http://vaww.fscdirect.fsc.va.gov/pcs.asp

• Retention and/or recruitment incentives are not authorized for this recruitment action***

Key Requirements

• U.S. Citizenship
• Full unrestricted Licensure, Certification, or Registration required.
• Must pass pre-employment examination.
• Designated and/or Random Drug Testing required.
• Background and/or Security Investigation required.
• English Language Proficiency required.

Required Skills

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED:

Basic Requirements: Citizen of the United States. Graduate of 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: The National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC;renamed ACEN) or The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). 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. 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. Must be proficient in spoken and written English.

Additional Requirements

• A Bachelor of Science in Nursing AND a Master's Degree in Nursing OR a Master's Degree in a healthcare related field; a Master's Degree in Nursing via a BRIDGE Program (if so, a BSN is not required), OR a Doctoral Degree in Nursing.
• At least four (4) years of successful RN nursing practice, including administrative/leadership positions with progressively more responsible leadership assignments.

Preferred Requirements

• Current national certification in any of the following: Quality Assurance (CPHQ); Healthcare Compliance (CHC); Nurse Executive (NE-BC); and/or Nurse Executive Advanced (NEA-BC).
• At least two years of departmental leadership experience.
• Experience analyzing project results and providing in-depth reports to Executive Level Management including Executive Steering Committee, Director's Staff Meetings, Executive Committee of the Medical Staff, etcetera.
• Experience working with facility-wide programs such as Infection Control, Risk Management, Performance Improvement, and/or Patient Safety.

Applicant's education and length of nursing practice (experience) will be considered by a Nurse Professional Standards Board in determining the grade and salary of the applicant selected. The recommended salary may be at any point in the range listed for this vacancy. Experience as a RN will be evaluated to determine if the experience is of an acceptable level of quality with regard to the following four dimensions of nursing: Practice, Professional Development, Collaboration and Scientific Inquiry. Each dimension of practice has criteria that demonstrate essential core competencies for VHA Nursing Personnel. The criteria are as follows: Practice -practice, ethics and resource utilization; Professional Development - performance, education/career development; Collaboration - collaboration, collegiality; andScientific Inquiry - quality of care, research. IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

Reference: VA Handbook 5005/27, Part II, Appendix G-6 NURSE QUALIFICATION STANDARD http://www1.va.gov/vapubs/viewPublication.asp?Pub_ID=464&FType=2

APPLICANTS PLEASE NOTE: Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications (particularly positions with a positive education requirement.) Therefore, applicants must report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following website: http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html All education claimed by applicants will be verified by the appointing agency accordingly. 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.

Veterans' Preference When applying for Federal Jobs, eligible Veterans should claim preference on the Occupational Questionnaire in the section provided and provide a legible copy of your DD214(s) [Member Copy 4] and/or documentation related to your active duty service which shows dates of service, character of service, (honorable, general, etc.), or dates of impending separation.

Additionally, disabled veterans and others eligible for 10-point preference (such as widows or mothers of eligible Veterans) must also submit an SF-15 \"Application for 10Point Veteran'sPreference\" with required proof as stated on the form. For more information, please visit http://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/vetpref/index.aspz.

Physical/Functional Requirements The work of the position is primarily sedentary and usually accomplished while seated at a desk utilizing a computer and may also involve visits to work sites within the facility and community based outpatient clinics.The ability to present information using a computerized format is necessary. No special physical demands are involved in performing this work. A health examination must be successfully completed prior to this assignment and periodically thereafter as required by the Employee Health Clinic policy. There could be intermittent exposure to blood and body fluids.

Drug Testing All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position (which includes Registered Nurses) are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA

How You Will Be Evaluated Your application, rsum and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment. You may also be evaluated based upon the question responses you provide during a structured interview. In responding to structured interview questions you should be sure to cite specific examples of experience, explain exactly what you did, and the outcome.

Bring your expertise to VA and be valued as part of a team that is recognized and respected for significant contributions to medicine. You'll enjoy a patient-focused environment, terrific benefits and incentives, and the ability to practice at any VA facility in the country.

Equal Opportunity Employer