Registered Nurse – Patient Safety Specialist
Department of Veterans Affairs
Summary
This Registered Nurse – Patient Safety Specialist (PSS) position functions as a clinical expert and executes position responsibilities that demonstrate leadership, experience, and creative approaches to management of complex patient care. Assesses, plans, implements, and evaluates delivery of care based on age specific components. Demonstrates performance and leadership that is broad enough to improve the care for a group of patients.
Duties
- The Registered Nurse (RN)
- Patient Safety Specialist (PSS) coordinates and implements patient safety policies and activities developed by the National Center for Patient Safety (NCPS) and is the facility's key person to help build and implement patient safety systems and promote the culture of safety within
- Veterans Health Administration (VHA) facilities and for Veteran patients in all healthcare settings.
- Direct support is provided to the development, maintenance, and operation of the VHA's patient safety process at the facility level.
- The Patient Safety Program is grounded in the science of patient safety and encompasses multiple systematic foundational enterprise processes.
- Duties Include but are not limited to: PSS trains and coordinates patient safety activities of personnel within the facility, such as infection control professionals, risk managers, and quality managers.
- PSS is responsible for translating the policies, theories, and strategies into action within the complex interrelationships that exist related to patient safety.
- PSS has primary responsibility for training clinicians, management, and all relevant support personnel within their facilities, about the patient safety program and patient safety analyses processes.
- They are responsible for maintaining clear communication between the facility and the VISN, to communicate relevant patient safety information and promote organizational learning.
- PSS performs duties directly contributing to high quality and safe patient care within the VHA.
- Duties require the ability to apply specialized principles and practices of patient safety science to ensure a systems approach to healthcare delivery.
- The PSS directly supports facility leadership in areas of planning, organization, development, direction, and evaluation of the patient safety program within the facility.
- Other duties as assigned VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package: VA Nurse Total Rewards Work Schedule: Monday
- 4:00pm Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
- Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
- 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
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.
- 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
The Associate Degree Nursing (ADN), Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing (BSN), or Master of Science degree in Nursing (MSN) must be fully accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) or the Commission On Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). Verification of accreditation may be obtained from http://www.acenursing.us/accreditedprograms/programsearch.htm or https://directory.ccnecommunity.org/reports/accprog.asp If your school has changed names, or is no longer in existence, you must provide this information in your application. If your school was accredited by ACEN or CCNE at the time of graduation, but is no longer listed on the websites, you must provide documentation of accreditation with your application packet. 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. 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.
Required Documents
- To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:
- 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 (Schedule A) Disability Letter (VA) License Other (1) PCS Orders Performance Appraisal Professional Certification Resume Separation Notice (RIF)
- SF-15 SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action 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 Registered Nurse – Patient Safety Specialist position and is based in Temple, Texas. This Registered Nurse – Patient Safety Specialist (PSS) position functions as a clinical expert and executes position responsibilities that demonstrate leadership, experience, and creative approaches to management of complex patient care.
Day to day, the work involves direct support is provided to the development, maintenance, and operation of the VHA's patient safety process at the facility level. 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 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 Registered Nurse – Patient Safety Specialist position in Temple, Texas, confirm you meet each requirement before applying.
How competitive it is
Competitiveness for this Registered Nurse – Patient Safety Specialist role depends mainly on how closely applicants match the stated qualifications. Based in Temple, Texas, 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.
