Nurse (Emergency Department)
Department of Veterans Affairs
Summary
The Emergency Department (ED) Registered Nurse (RN) is responsible and accountable for all elements of the nursing process when providing and/or supervising direct patient care. Assumes responsibility for the coordination of care focused on patient education, self-management, and customer satisfaction throughout the continuum of care. Administers medications and procedures per established policies and guidelines. Influences care outcomes by collaborating with the interdisciplinary team.
Duties
- The Emergency Department Registered Nurse is responsible for: Providing competent, evidence-based care to assigned patients.
- They delegate and supervise basic nursing care of licensed practical nurses and unlicensed assistive personnel.
- The nurse will assist in directing the provision of nursing education, orientation, competencies and providing quality improvement and outcomes utilization.
- Provides urgent and emergent care to patients with acute and/or chronic medical, surgical, and psychiatric conditions.
- Nursing care ranges from basic nursing care to stabilization, resuscitation, and life-support measures.
- Emergency nursing practice is independent and collaborative.
- The ED RN practice includes the roles of direct care provider, educator, administrator, researcher, consultant, leader, and advocate.
- Evaluates practice in an ongoing process, based on best evidence.
- Provides peers with informal constructive feedback for improvement.
- Fosters a safe and supportive environment conducive to the professional development of healthcare professionals.
- Contributes professional nursing perspective in discussions with the interdisciplinary team.
- Partners with others to effect change and produce optimal outcomes.
- Supports colleagues through knowledge sharing to provide safe, quality nursing care.
- Shares educational findings, experiences, and ideas with peers.
- Questions clinical practices for the purpose of providing evidence-based care.
- Participates in activities and strategies to sustain evidence-based-practice.
- The ED RN is responsible and accountable for all elements of the nursing process when providing care.
- They assess the patient by collecting pertinent data or information, including the triage of patients based on the five-level triage system to prioritize patients that require more immediate care.
- They use the assessment data to determine diagnoses, problems, or other concerns.
- They will identify expected outcomes to develop a collaborative and individualized plan for each patient.
- The ED RN will implement that plan, including care coordination, health teaching, and health promotion.
- They evaluate the progress toward achieving the expected goal and outcomes and adjusts the plan as necessary.
- 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: Variable Tours with Rotating Weekends and Holidays Telework: Not Eligible Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
- Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Requirements
- Citizenship; non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
- All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position 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.
- Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
- Subject to background/security investigation.
- Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
- Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents).
- Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
- Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
- Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
- You may be required to serve a probationary period.
- Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.
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. All Registered Nurses must be a graduate of a school of professional nursing approved by the appropriate accrediting agency and accredited 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); OR Individuals attending a master’s level bridge program in nursing who have completed coursework equivalent to a bachelor’s level degree in Nursing may have opportunity to become registered as a nurse with a state licensing board prior to completion of the bridge program. Upon achievement of a State license, the individual may be appointed on temporary basis and later converted to a permanent appointment upon successful completion and graduation from the bridge program. (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 to warrant an appointment as a Nurse who has completed an associated degree/entry level Nursing education program. Credit for foreign nursing education higher that associate degree/entry level requires a formal degree equivalency validation from a recognized equivalency evaluation accepted by VA such as International Consultants of Delaware (ICD). Applicants with foreign education can obtain a credential evaluation through the International Consultants of Delaware (ICD) to determine education equivalency in the US. For more information, please see: http://www.icdeval.com/
Benefits
Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade). Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year)Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child. Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66. 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)
Required Documents
- To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:
- CV/Resume Resume Special Note for
- Applications: To complete your application, please use the following link https://vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Resume.docx to download the standard Clinical Resume
- This one-page document does not need to be modified and must be uploaded into the two-page restricted 'Resume' document upload field.
- Your full resume/CV may be uploaded without page limitation into the 'Other' document upload field.
- The following documents are accepted and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position.
- DD-214/ Statement of Service Disability Letter (VA) License CV/Resume Professional Certification Resume Transcript Veterans' Preference
- Preference eligible candidates and other
- Veterans will be given preference when qualification of candidates are approximately equal for
- Title 38 positions in
- VHA. When applying for Federal Jobs, eligible
- Veterans should claim preference for 5pt (TP), 10pt (CP/CPS/XP), or for Sole Survivor
- Preference (SSP) in the questionnaire. You must provide a legible copy of your
- DD214(s) which shows dates and character of service (honorable, general, etc.).
- If you are currently serving on active duty and expect to be released or discharged within 120 days you must submit documentation related to your active duty service which reflects the dates of service, character of service (honorable,
- General, etc.), and 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 10 Point Veteran
- Preference" with required proof as stated on the form. Documentation is required to award preference. For more information on
- Veterans' Preference, please visit Feds Hire Vets
About this role
The Nurse (Emergency Department) position and is based in Palo Alto, California. The Emergency Department (ED) Registered Nurse (RN) is responsible and accountable for all elements of the nursing process when providing and/or supervising direct patient care.
Day to day, the work involves the Emergency Department Registered Nurse is responsible for: Providing competent, evidence-based care to assigned patients. The full list of duties, conditions, and required documents appears in the official announcement linked on this page.
Who should apply
This role calls for United States citizenship and a valid driver's license. Be prepared for a pre-employment drug screening and physical or medical requirements as part of the hiring process. Match your federal resume directly to the announcement's wording so a reviewer can confirm each requirement in writing. For this Nurse (Emergency Department) position in Palo Alto, California, confirm you meet each requirement before applying.
How competitive it is
Competitiveness for this Nurse (Emergency Department) role depends mainly on how closely applicants match the stated qualifications. Based in Palo Alto, California, it competes within that local market, which can mean lighter competition than major metropolitan postings.
This overview is general guidance from Job Army to help you understand the role. Always read the official announcement for exact duties, qualifications, and requirements before applying.
