Advanced Practice Nurse (Nurse Practitioner)
Indian Health Service - Department of Health and Human Services
To qualify for this position, your resume must state sufficient experience and/or education, to perform the duties of the specific position for which you are applying. 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; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer and part time experience. You must clearly identify the duties and responsibilities in each position held and the total number of hours per week. BASIC REQUIREMENT(S): Nurse Series 0610 (opm.gov) Education A graduate or higher level degree, bachelor’s degree, associate degree, or diploma from an accredited professional nursing educational program is required. This education must have been accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education(external link), Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs(external link), Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education(external link), or an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education(external link) at the time the degree was obtained. Degree from Foreign Nursing School: Official certification from the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (external link) is required for individuals who graduated from foreign nursing schools. Advanced Practice Nurse Positions: For Advanced Practice Nurse (APN) positions, applicants must possess a graduate or higher level degree in nursing from an accredited educational program in the area of expertise or specialty indicated by the position. Areas of specialties for positions include, but are not limited to, Acute Care, Anesthesia, Community Health, Family, Geriatric, Home Health, Midwifery, Neonatal, Oncology, Pediatric, Psychiatric, Allergy and Immunology, Women’s Health, Cardiovascular, Dermatology, Occupational Health, Orthopedic, Respiratory, or other specialties identified for the position. Licensure For all grade levels and positions, applicants must have passed the National Council Licensure Examination(external link). In addition, they must possess a current, active, full, and unrestricted license or registration as a professional nurse from a State, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or a territory of the United States. Additional License Requirements for Advanced Practice Nurse Positions: Applicants for Advanced Practice Nurse positions must be licensed or registered by a State, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or a territory of the United States in the clinical specialty required by the position. Experience The work experience must have equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. At the GS-9 and above grade level, many positions may require experience in a specialty area of nursing. Basic Requirements for the GS-9 (or equivalent) Grade Level Applicants who meet the above APN education and licensure requirements qualify for the GS-9. Applicants currently enrolled in a professional nursing program and expect to obtain APN licensure within 9 months. Basic Requirements for the GS-11 (or equivalent) Grade Level In addition to the above APN requirements, applicants must meet one of the following requirements: Successful completion of a PhD or equivalent doctoral degree from a professional nursing educational program or related medical science field. At least one full year of professional advanced practice nursing experience (equivalent to the GS-9 grade level) Basic Requirements for the GS-12 (or equivalent) Grade Level In addition to the mandatory license and education described above under Basic Requirements applicants must have at least one or more full years of professional advanced practice nursing experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level. Basic Requirements for the GS-13 (or equivalent) Grade Level In addition to the mandatory license and education described above under Basic Requirements applicants must have at least one or more full years of professional advanced practice nursing experience equivalent to the GS-12 grade level. In addition, to the Basic Requirements, you must also meet the Minimum Qualifications stated below- MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: Your resume must demonstrate at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level in the Federal service obtained in either the private or public sector performing the following type of work and/or tasks: Specialize Experience GS-9: Works under close supervision performing mid-level clinical medical nursing tasks; Assess and diagnose emergency services, crisis procedures, and therapeutics for the treatment of common health problems; Consult physicians and specialists for complex medical/behavioral health care patient needs; Prescribe medications and therapies for symptoms/illnesses. Specialize Experience GS-11: Provide medical care and guidance in nutrition, common illnesses, accidents, child growth/development and child rearing; Develop or initiate health care needs for patients; Work collaboratively with physicians in management of selected complex medical problems; Refer patients to appropriate medical (or other) facilities; Provide emergency services or crisis intervention procedures; Prescribe and monitor medication/therapies. Specialize Experience GS-12: Perform or request special screening, developmental or laboratory tests and interpret the results; Provide direct medical care in the presence of illness or disability in order to maintain life, provide comfort, reduce distress and enhance coping ability; Prescribe and monitor medication/therapies, adjusting dosages or frequency as appropriate.; Refers patients to appropriate higher level medical (or other) facilities, providing full clinical information for care and diagnostic procedures, facilitating emergent transfer to higher level of care when indicated. Provide emergency services or crisis intervention procedures; Collaborate with health care professionals to develop treatment protocols, standards of practice and policies. Specialize Experience GS-13: Independent practice as a nurse practitioner, including duties such as, but not limited to: Analyzing and interpreting patients’ histories, symptoms, physical findings or diagnostic information to develop appropriate diagnoses, prescribing medications, managing acute and chronic care conditions, and developing treatment plans, placing referrals and transferring patients as needed. Provide emergency services or crisis intervention procedures; Collaborate with health care professionals to develop treatment protocols, standards of practice and policies. Provides APN expertise consultation when requested by other members of the health care team. Participates and leads ongoing quality improvement activities. Time In Grade (Merit Promotion Candidates Only) Federal employees in the competitive service are also subject to the Time-In-Grade Requirements: Merit Promotion (status) candidates must have completed one year of service at the next lower grade level. Time-In-Grade provisions do not apply under the Excepted Service Examining Plan (ESEP). You must meet all qualification requirements within 30 days of the closing date of the announcement.
The purpose of this position is to provide, plan, deliver, and evaluate interventions and/or treatments, deliver clinical support in the clinic to include care of chronic health conditions, provision of preventative health care, urgent care, and walk-in settings in the ambulatory clinics. The incumbent reports to the Supervisory Physician or designee.