Nurse - Caregiver Support Program Coordinator

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific eligibility requirements per VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) & eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after review of the EDRP application.

Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply.

Duties include but are not limited to: Develop and implement the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC) for the assigned area, in coordination with the facility Caregiver Support Program Manager, local facility, and VA Central Office (VACO) initiatives. Complete required in-home assessments. Stay current on training, policy changes, guidelines, and deadlines from facility, VISN, and national leadership.

Manage a caseload of caregivers and Veteran-caregiver dyads in accordance with VACO and facility field guides, directives, standard operating procedures, and memorandums. Complete workload for the assigned area while ensuring compliance and collaboration with local facility and VACO Caregiver Support Program initiatives. Apply advanced RN knowledge and skills; demonstrate leadership, motivation, self-direction, initiative, and expertise in quality-management activities. Maintain knowledge of clinical treatment modalities; administrative and clinical support systems; and national, VISN, and facility healthcare-delivery systems as they relate to clinical-practice guideline development and implementation. Communicate directly with caregivers and Veterans to identify and assess caregiver stress burden and apply directed clinical treatment interventions.

Use sound judgment in decision-making and demonstrate a strong quality-management and/or risk-management background. Lead application of the nursing process to patient care, organizational processes, and systems to improve program- or service-level outcomes. Work directly with the facility Program Manager to implement caregiver-support services and benefits. Use advanced clinical knowledge to increase awareness of caregiver issues and improve the quality and access to caregiver services. Serve as a consultant on incorporating caregiver issues at the facility, VISN, and national levels.

Refer caregivers and Veterans to VA medical and mental-health treatment, VA services and benefits, community-based social services, and other non-VA entitlement programs. Create educational tools, develop programs, and implement training addressing specific caregiver needs and issues. Provide education and in-service training to VAMC employees, Veterans, families, and caregivers.

Apply current trends and relevant theory related to operational efficiency, evidence-based practice, and optimization of care-delivery systems. Conduct caregiver and family clinical interventions to identify caregiver stress, psychiatric illness, emotional distress, and social needs as treatment issues. Coordinate and integrate findings from needs assessments, inter-rater reliability assessments, and program evaluations into learning activities.

Coordinate and participate in Annual National Family Caregivers Month events, summits, resource fairs, and ongoing outreach activities, including announcements, advertising, participant mobilization, education sessions, recognition events, and caregiver-support programming. Safely and effectively use required patient-care equipment; report equipment requiring repair. Recognize subtle abnormal signs, symptoms, and changes in patient condition; respond appropriately and provide clinically competent nursing care.

Assess patient learning needs, preferences, and readiness to learn; modify teaching approaches based on human behavior, motivations, and reactions to situations. Accurately document patient findings and care provided in the medical record. Use a team approach and group process to identify, analyze, and resolve patient-care problems, improving outcomes at the unit, team, or work-group level.

Complete the role-specific competency checklist and maintain competency in all measured areas. Revise interdisciplinary plans of care based on ongoing patient assessment and evaluation. Function effectively as a charge nurse, team leader, or other leadership role that guides and directs personnel providing patient care.

Use the electronic health record and other appropriate software in accordance with policy. Organize and complete assignments safely and timely; assist team members as needed. VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package: VA Nurse Total Rewards Functional Statement #: 10340F, 10341F, 10342F, 10343F, 10344F Licensure: 1 full and unrestricted license from any US State or territory Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 0730 - 1600 OR Monday - Thursday, 0730 - 1800 Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP): Authorized/Approved