Summary

The Advanced Practice Nurse (APN) IV Certified Nurse Anesthetist (CNA) Education Coordinator is a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) dedicated to education, preceptorship, orientation,and training for staff and learners across multiple disciplines. This role supports professional development within anesthesia services and includes an academic appointment,reflecting the coordinator's leadership in advancing clinical education.

Duties

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The Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) IV administers anesthesia in both inpatient and outpatient settings for patients across all levels of health complexity. This role includes direct patient care, administrative duties, education, and participation in research activities. CRNAs practice to the full extent of their education, training, and certification, with core functions defined by their clinical privileges or scope of practice. These privileges are established locally in alignment with state licensure requirements and Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) bylaws. The CRNA IV provides advanced clinical practice, consultation, and management to support safe, high-quality anesthesia care.

Duties include but not limited to the following:

• Collaborates with a variety of health care professionals to achieve common goals for care, safety, and welfare of patients.
• Fosters high levels of confidence and satisfaction among patients and staff, as well as meet and exceed compliance standards.
• Provides anesthetic services within five general categories to include: pre-anesthesia evaluation and preparation; anesthesia induction, maintenance, and emergence; post anesthesia care; peri-anesthetic and clinical support functions; and emergency response techniques.
• Develops and implements a comprehensive anesthesia plan of care for patients requiring local, regional, general, and monitored anesthesia both inside and outside the Operating Room (OR) suite.
• Ensures anesthetic services delivered throughout the facility are of the highest quality to promote patient safety, satisfaction, and improve outcomes and efficiencies.
• Functions as resource for staff education and is willing to be a preceptor and adjunct clinical faculty for health care trainees rotating through the facility.
• Develops and implements evidence-based practices that are essential to the delivery of the highest quality anesthesia care.
• Prescribe appropriate preoperative, intra-operative and postoperative orders and medications.
• Makes recommendations that may significantly affect the content, interpretation or development of VA policies or programs concerning critical matters or major issues within the anesthesia arena.
• Coordinates education within the anesthesia department to include, but not limited to Phase I (non-clinical) and/or Phase II (clinical) for nurse anesthesia students or health care trainees who rotate through the VAMC.
• Provides ongoing education for employed CRNAs and other training activities within the department.
• Responsibility for preceptor training and orientation.
• Administrative and technical responsibilities for maintaining professional standards of practice in accordance with the Council on Accreditation (COA) of Nurse Anesthesia Education Programs.
• Develops and reviews orientation programs, journal club, scheduling, counseling, and grading, monitoring cases, mentoring research and/or formal scholarly projects, preparing and teaching lectures, providing hands-on lab/simulation instruction, administrative support, coordinating with didactic instructors, and clinical anesthesia.
• Assists and provides development opportunities for primary clinical instructors and other department members to maintain their skills and keep current with progressive technical knowledge.
• Demonstrates a commitment to in-service training for staff and facility continuing education to provide accurate information to the population served.
• Exemplifies the ICARE core values of-Integrity, Commitment, Advocacy, Respect, and Excellence.

VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package: VA Nurse Total Rewards

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.

A Recruitment / Relocation Incentive is offered for this position.

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: 6:30 am to 3:00 pm M-F

Telework: Not Authorized

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized

EDRP: Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• U.S. 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.
• English Language Proficiency. In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(f), no person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English.
• 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.

Qualifications

Advanced Practice Nurse (Certified Nurse Anesthetist) Basic Requirements

• Education. A masters or doctoral degree in nurse anesthesia. (Applicants pending the completion of educational requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until the education requirements are met.) Nursing education must be from a school of professional nursing anesthesia accredited by Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Education Programs (COA) at the time the program was completed by the applicant.
• Licensure and Certification. The following licensure and certification requirements are considered conditions of employment.
  
  • License. All APN (CNAs) must maintain an active, current, full and unrestricted license to practice as a CNA or equivalent, in a State, Territory or Commonwealth of the United States or in the District of Columbia.
  • Basic Certification. All APN (CNAs) must maintain full and current certification by the National Board of Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists (NBCRNA) or an equivalent Nurse Anesthetist certification recognized by the COA.

NOTE: Grandfathering Provision - All persons currently employed in VHA in 0610 series and an APN (CNA) assignment that are also 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 Education, Experience, and Knowledge, Skills and Abilities must be met for Advanced Practice Nurse (Certified Nurse Anesthetist) IV, Chief Educator/Leadership-Management:

• Education and Experience Requirement. Meets basic education requirement for an APN (CNA) AND Four years of APN (CNA) progressively responsible assignments in clinical, administrative, education and/or research related to CNA practice, one of which is specialized experience equivalent to the APN (CNA) III grade level. At this level, emphasis is placed on strategic planning and administrative responsibilities.
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. Must have the ability to perform long and short-term planning goals for their anesthesia department. Chief APN (CNA) functions may include, but are not limited to, the following knowledge, skills, and abilities:
  
  • • Ability to assume progressive responsibility for planning organizing, directing, and evaluating section and departmental processes and programs.
    • Ability to supervise staff, students, or ancillary personnel and to ensure proper scheduling and staffing.
    • Skill to perform as a provider and mentor for unusually extensive and complex anesthetic cases.
    • Knowledge to participate in a continual audit of anesthesia care and to ensure periodic performance and professional practice (focused and ongoing) evaluation requirements are met.
    • Knowledge to represent departmental interests at interdisciplinary committee meetings, participate in departmental reviews, collaborate in problem solving and develop quality improvement initiatives.
    • Knowledge to engage in departmental resource stewardship, evaluation of staffing, equipment, and time value management.
    • Ability to interpret efficiency data as well as implement and evaluate cost-effective operational strategies.
    • Ability to prioritize and delegate tasks to enhance employee investment offering opportunities for staff leadership development.
    • Skill to collaborate and support the development of clinical and educational programs and anesthesia protocols to improve patient outcomes and improve service level performance.

Physical Requirements: Heavy lifting (45 lbs. and over); Heavy carrying (45 lbs. and over); Straight pulling and pushing; reaching above shoulder; use of fingers; both hands required; walking and standing up to 8 hours; repeated bending; Ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously; hearing aid permitted.

Additional information

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Benefits

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.