Practical Nurse (Outpatient)

Full Job Description

About the Position: This position is located at Bayne Jones Army Community Hospital in Fort Polk, Louisiana. Salary negotiation may be available for those candidates who are new to Federal service.

Non-Federal work experience may be creditable for leave purposes.

This is a Direct Hire Solicitation Who May Apply: US Citizens In order to qualify, you must meet the experience requirements described below.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student; social).

You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application.

Additional information about transcripts is in this document.

Basic Requirement for Practical Nurse (Outpatient) Licensure: A current license to practice as a practical or vocational nurse in a State, territory of the United States, or the District of Columbia; OR must have applied for a license to practice.

Applications of candidates possessing a license must be accompanied by a certified or photostatic copy of the license, a notarized statement attesting to the fact, or a citation of the license number and State issuing it.

Non-licensed candidates who have completed their training may be appointed subject to obtaining the required license during the probationary period.

Those not licensed must furnish the date on which they applied for a license and the jurisdiction involved.

No person appointed pending licensure may be retained beyond the probationary period if licensure has not been attained.

In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirement listed below: Experience: One year of nursing experience in a hospital, outpatient clinic, nursing home, or other supervised medical, nursing, or patient care facility that provided a practical knowledge of human body structure and sterile techniques and procedures, performing such duties as: providing practical nursing care, taking vitals signs, administering immunizations and medications, ordering labs, preparing patients for procedures and monitoring patient responses during and after perioperative care.

This definition of experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-04).

Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required experience in order to qualify.

For this job, you must meet the qualification requirement using experience alone--no substitution of education for experience is permitted. Major Duties:

• Provide practical nursing care to patients in the outpatient clinic with a variety of medical conditions.
• Record vital signs, order labs, track patient’s laboratory, radiology orders and referral results to completion, and assist in making future appointments.
• Administer prescribed medications with increased independence, ensuring proper patient dosages, routes, and times are followed.
• Educate patients and families about prescribed treatments, reinforcing adherence to the medical plan.
• Utilize electronic health record and information technology as effective communication and management tools to facilitate the patient experience and coordination.
• Prepare patients for procedures, such as wound care, catheterizations, and respiratory therapies, under the guidance of a registered nurse or licensed medical practitioner.
• Participate in team briefings and debriefings to foster a collaborative approach to patient care.