Summary

The Nurse IV Chief Nurse Informatics is the facility expert in Healthcare Informatics and Health Information Technology. They serve as the primary advisor to the Medical Center Director - Associate Director for Patient Care Services (ADPCS) - Chief of Staff (COS) - Associate Director(s) - and other members of the executive leadership team. The Chief Nurse Informatics is under the direct supervision of the ADPCS; however - functions with autonomy and technical independence.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements:

• English Language Proficiency
• In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7403(f) - no person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English
• 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)
• 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
• Graduate Nurse Technician (GNT) Exception: Candidates who otherwise meet the basic education requirements - but do not possess the required licensure - may be appointed at the entry step of the grade and level applicable to the completed nursing education as a GNT on a 120-day temporary appointment while actively pursuing licensure (may be extended up to two years on a case-by-case-basis.) NOTE: Grandfathering Provision - All persons currently employed in VHA in 0610 series and performing the duties as described in the qualification standard on the effective date of the standard (1/29/2024) are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade held including positive education and licensure/certification
• The following Scope - Education and Dimension criteria must be met to qualify for Nurse IV: Scope: Executes leadership that is characterized by substantial and continuous responsibility and accountability for population groups or integrated programs that cross service and/or discipline lines and influence organizational mission and health care
• Education: Master's degree in Nursing (MSN) and 4 years of professional nursing experience - one of which is specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse III and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse IV
• OR Master's degree in a *related field with a BSN and 4 years of professional nursing experience - one of which is specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse III and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse IV
• OR a Doctoral degree in nursing and 3 years of professional nursing experience - one of which is specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse III and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse IV
• OR a Doctoral degree in a *related field with a BSN and 3 years of professional nursing experience - one of which is specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse III and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse IV
• *Note: Foreign education programs/degrees are not creditable as related degrees
• Dimensions: Leadership
• Leads health care delivery by leveraging evidence-based practices - industry-leading research - and innovative care models
• Drives a shared vision and successfully leads change to improve performance and attain measurable outcomes at the program or service level
• Business Acumen
• Transforms health care by implementing new processes - technology - informatics - and data analytics using business models and fundamental concepts of resource management at the program or service level
• Inspiring an Industry-Leading Culture
• Employs an industry leading - shared decision-making culture
• Cultivates a diverse and inclusive workforce that serves Veterans - families and caregivers of all backgrounds and builds trust - cultural competencies and catalyzes dynamic teams at the program or service level
• Communication and Relationship Management
• Directs the effective use of relationship management principles to achieve positive customer service experiences that are consistent with professional organizational values - beliefs and practices at the program or services level
• Professional and Social Responsibility
• Operationalizes a culture of holistic care - health advocacy and health equity
• Applies ethical principles in decision-making at the program or service level
• Advances nursing knowledge through health science research and the translation and dissemination of evidence into practice to maximize the value to Veterans and the community
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• Preferred Experience: Experience supporting and promoting system standardization - utilization - and best practices in the area of clinical informatics
• Experience providing input - updates and communication on clinical informatics initiatives at medical staff - leadership - and other hospital committees
• Experience providing specialized support for physicians
• Experience with the operations and workflows of clinical care provider organizations - including health systems leadership - delivery of care - outcomes - strategic planning and management
• Experience with Data analytics with how the vast volumes of electronic data now available from a multitude of sources can be analyzed to develop strategies that impact the quality - efficiency and cost of care
• Physical Requirements: This position requires visual acuity - keen hearing - clear distinctive speech - and manual dexterity
• This position requires potentially long periods of continued walking - standing - stooping - sitting - bending - pulling - and pushing
• Transferring patients and objects may be required
• Mechanical inpatient lifts are provided
• The incumbent may be exposed to infected patients and contaminated materials and may be required to don protective clothing in isolation situations - operative/invasive procedures - or home settings
• The incumbent may occasionally be exposed to patients who are combative secondary to delirium - dementia - or psychiatric disorders
• The incumbent must be a mature - flexible - sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations - able to shift priorities based on patient needs
• Must complete annual Employee Health requirements - such as annual TB screening or testing - as a condition of employment
• The incumbent who provides care in home settings or other off-site locations may be required to drive and/or ride in GSA-vehicles.

Duties

• General Description of Assigned Duties: The Chief Nurse Informatics executes leadership that is characterized by substantial and continuous responsibility and accountability for population groups or integrated programs that cross services and/or discipline lines and - influence the organizational healthcare mission
• Healthcare Informatics (HCI) is the specialty that integrates healthcare science - computer science - and information science to manage and communicate data - information - knowledge - and wisdom in clinical practice to support patients - nurses - and other providers in their decision making in all roles and settings
• The Chief Nurse Informatics serves as the facility Chief Health Informatics Officer (CHIO) which is the clinical leader in the development - implementation - and communication of clinical informatics processes - virtual care - and tools to facilitate and support quality care
• The CHIO characterizes - evaluates - and refines clinical processes - develops - implements - and refines clinical decision support systems - and participates in the procurement - customization - implementation - management - evaluation - and continuous improvement of the facility's clinical information system
• This nurse applies expertise - including care and case management principles - to the delivery of health care services using health informatics - disease management - and telehealth technologies to facilitate access to care and improve the health of designated individuals and populations
• Functions or Scope of Assigned Duties: The Chief Nurse Informatics is expected to be a strong agent for change and must demonstrate an ability to understand the needs of their professional counterparts - i.e. - medical support staff - nurses - physicians - pharmacists - etc
• In addition - they must demonstrate understanding of the medical center's organizational structure and the role informatics plays across departments of the organization
• The Chief Nurse Informatics should demonstrate the following core informatics functions at the intermediate to advanced proficiency level to include content management - application support - health information technology system optimization - enterprise data management - business architecture management - partnership management - requirements management - and change management
• Uses HCI - nursing expertise - and disease management expertise to oversee the facility's Telehealth program - focused on delivering care to Veterans at their preferred locations and has full responsibility and oversight of their assigned programs (Bar-Code Medication Administration - Staffing Methodology - AcuStaf - Nursing Informatics - Home Telehealth and Clinical Application Coordination)
• Leads - coordinates - and assists in the development and implementation of the facility's telehealth strategy to achieve VA goals
• Maximizes telehealth efforts to increase access to care - improve continuity - coordination of care - and reduce wait times through implementation - management - and general supervision of the facility Telehealth Program which includes Clinical Video Telehealth - Video on Demand - and VA Virtual Care
• The incumbent is the expert advisor to medical center leadership in identifying and communicating processes to improve how the facility uses clinical informatics to deliver care and guides staff in taking advantage of innovations in clinical informatics technology
• Effectively determines the most appropriate use of expertise in systems issues requiring intervention and quality performance measures
• Serves as a liaison with services and personnel regarding the EHR applications that have direct patient care interfaces (consults - orders - templates - clinical reminders - telehealth - etc.) Ensures design and build of the EHR is interdisciplinary - utilizing input from the end user to ensure no unintended consequences to implementation
• Advises facility leadership of potential technical/administrative difficulties that may be a result of the EHR and related applications and provides creative resolutions
• Champions adoption of technology - electronical clinical documentation - medication management - and EHR application improvements while providing reviews of HCI that affect delivery of care
• The Chief Nurse Informatics functions as an administrator - educator - consultant - and mentor who possesses a wide range of experience and leadership ability
• Serves as Clinical Champion of the EHR - Joint Legacy Viewer - VA EHR Modernization - Artificial Intelligence - and OI&T acquisition
• Supports the integration and collaboration of all professional disciplines and functional areas in the mutual achievement of patient-centered and organizational goals
• They champion a High Reliability Organization with a culture of safety founded on a systems approach to developing evidence-based health care solutions and system redesign based on prevention - not punishment - with collective mindfulness
• All other duties as assigned
• ***Please see Additional Information area below.***