Nurse (Registered Nurse)

Corrections professionals who foster a humane and secure environment and ensure public safety by preparing individuals for successful reentry into our communities. Our highly-skilled, diverse, and innovative workforce creates a strong foundation of safety and security. Through the principles of humanity and normalcy, we develop good neighbors.

Duties

Registered Nurse provides direct patient care services in accordance with legal, ethical and institution standards. Provides nursing care of a general nature to inmates in the institution hospital/clinic, and may be provided to patients in specific areas, e.g., psychiatric, operating room, orthopedics, geriatrics, etc.

Develops a nursing assessment for each patient, to include planning, implementing, and evaluating nursing care. May assess and identify high risk symptoms/behaviors in patients, to include suicidal risk, homicidal risk and risk for verbal and/or physical abuse. Completes nutritional screening as part of the assessment and refers patient to a dietitian for a nutritional assessment if necessary. Monitors, evaluates and revises the plan of care as needed. May also assess and document the discharge planning needs of a patient. Delegates and coordinates care based on assessments.

Along with all other correctional institution employees, incumbent is charged with responsibility for maintaining security of the institution. The staffs correctional responsibilities precede all others required by this position and are performed on a regular and recurring basis.

Salary

• $50,555 - $91,195/year

Conditions of Employment

• U.S. Citizenship is Required.
• See Special Conditions of Employment Section
• Selective Service Requirement: Go to: https://www.sss.gov

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP).  The ICTAP provides eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies.  If your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if:  1)this vacancy is within your ICTAP eligibility; 2) you apply under the instructions in this announcement; and 3) you are found well qualified for this vacancy.  To be well qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and score 85 or better on established ranking criteria.  You must provide proof of eligibility with your application of ICTAP eligibility or a copy of your separation personnel action form.  Additional information about ICTAP eligibility is at:  Click Here

The Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provides eligible surplus and displaced competitive service employees in the Department of Justice with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies.  If your Department of Justice component has notified you in writing that you are a surplus or displaced employee eligible for CTAP eligibility, you may receive selection priority if:  1) this vacancy is within your CTAP eligibility; 2) you apply under the instructions in this announcement; and 3) you are found well qualified for this vacancy.  To be well qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and score 85 or better on established ranking criteria.  You must provide a copy of your written notification of CTAP eligibility with your application.  Additional information about CTAP eligibility is at:  Click Here

Qualifications

To be considered for the position, you must meet the following qualification requirements.

Basic Requirements:

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, Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs, Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education or an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained. Superior Academic Achievement (S.A.A.) applicants MUST provide a transcript in order to be considered under S.A.A.

Degree from Foreign Nursing School: Official certification from the Commission of Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools is required for individuals who graduated from foreign nursing schools.

AND

Licensure: Applicants must have passed the National Council Licensure Examination. 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.

NOTE: ALL applicants MUST electronically upload proof of current, active, full and unrestricted license or registration for verification at the time you apply.

All qualified referred candidates will undergo a credentialing process. This process includes validation of examinations, licensure, education, internship and residency. Please electronically upload these documents along with your required supporting documentation at the time you apply.

AND

In addition to the Basic Requirements:

Education/Work 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-09 and above grade level, many positions may require experience in a specialty area of nursing.

GS-05: To qualify at the GS-05 (or equivalent) grade level, applicants must meet one of the following qualification requirements:

• Possession of a bachelor’s degree in Nursing with no experience; or
• Possession of a diploma or associate degree in professional nursing and one full year of professional nursing experience.

GS-07: In addition to the above Basic Requirements, applicants must meet one of the following requirements:

• Possession of a bachelor’s degree in Nursing and eligibility under the Superior Academic Achievement provision;
• Possession of a bachelor’s degree in Nursing and at least one full year of professional nursing experience (equivalent to the GS-05 grade level);
• Possession of a diploma or associate degree in professional nursing and two full years of professional nursing experience; or
• Completion of at least one full year of graduate education in a professional nursing educational program.

GS-09: In addition to the above requirements, applicants must meet one of the following requirements:

• Possession of a master’s degree in professional nursing; or
• At least one full year of professional nursing experience (equivalent to the GS-07 grade level or above) and possession of a diploma, associate degree, or bachelor’s degree in Nursing from a professional nursing program.

GS-10: In addition to the above requirements, applicants must meet the following requirement:

• At least one full year of professional nursing experience (equivalent to the GS-09 grade level or above) and possession of a diploma, associate degree, bachelor’s degree or master’s degree in Nursing from a professional nursing program.

Specialized experience examples per grade level:

GS-05:

• Experience communicating with and providing nursing services to patients.
• Experience applying professional nursing concepts, principles, practices and nursing standards.
• Experience operating medical equipment.

GS-07:

• Experience implementing established protocols and standing orders for handling patients.
• Experience providing care to patients whose conditions are characterized by extremely complex health care needs.
• Experience recognizing life threatening emergencies and initiating immediate care until assistance is obtained.

GS-09:

• Experience in human behavior and the ability to communicate with and provide nursing services to patients.
• Experience in the techniques and the operational mechanics of medical equipment.
• Experience with accurately transcribing physician's orders, performing health assessments and accurately documenting in patient's medical record.
• Experience with pharmacology of a wide variety of drugs, dosages, routes of administration, therapeutic action, drug interactions, and adverse reactions.

GS-10:

• Experience in professional nursing concepts, principles, practices and nursing standards as related to medical, surgical, and mental health nursing.
• Experience in the recognition of life threatening emergencies and in initiating immediate care until assistance is obtained.
• Experience in nursing theories and practices needed to plan and provide care to patients whose conditions are characterized by extremely complex health care needs.
• Experience using critical thinking skills and establishing priorities of care when dealing with multiple patients having varying degrees of care requirements.

If applicable, credit will be given for paid and unpaid experience. To receive proper credit, you must show the actual time (such as the number of hours worked per week) spent in activities.

**Your eligibility for consideration will be based on your responses to the questions in the application.**

Education See Qualifications Section for education requirements, if applicable. ONLY if education is a requirement/substitution for specialized experience, applicant MUST upload legible transcripts as verification of educational requirement. Transcripts MUST be uploaded and electronically linked from USAJOBS at the time you apply and MUST include identifying information to include School Name, Student Name, Degree and Date Awarded (if applicable). All academic degrees and coursework must be completed at a college or university that has obtained accreditation or pre-accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, Click Here. Foreign Education: For information regarding foreign education requirements, please see Foreign Diploma and Credit Recognition at the U.S. Department of Education website: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications If you are selected for this position and qualified based on education (i.e. basic education requirement and/or substitution of education), you will be required to provide an OFFICIAL transcript prior to your first day on duty. Other Information

Special Conditions of Employment Section:

Applicants are subject to credential clearance (validation of National Council Licensure Examination, licensure or registration and education) prior to selection.

Appointment is subject to satisfactory completion of a pre-employment and panel interview, urinalysis, physical, and background investigation.

All applicants are subject to, and must satisfactorily pass all screening requirements in relation to National Crime Information Center (NCIC) and credit check.

All applicants not currently working in an institution will be required to complete a qualification inquiry regarding convictions of misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence in order to be authorized to carry a firearm.

The Core Value Assessment (CVA) is an in-person assessment that must be facilitated at a Bureau of Prisons Human Resource Servicing office.  The purpose of this assessment is to ensure that new employees possess the core values and behaviors required for success at BOP. On the day of the scheduled interview, a CVA will be administered.  The applicant assessment must be completed within a 70 minute time period and a passing score of 68 must be obtained.  Further employment consideration will not be extended if the applicant fails to complete the examination or fails to achieve a passing score.  Note: The Core Value Assessment will not be administered to current BOP employees.

Successful completion of the "Introduction to Correctional Techniques," three-week training course at Glynco, Georgia is required.

As the federal agency whose mission is to ensure the fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans, the Department of Justice is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment. To build and retain a workforce that reflects the diverse experiences and perspectives of the American people, we welcome applicants from the many communities, identities, races, ethnicities, backgrounds, abilities, religions, and cultures of the United States who share our commitment to public service.

Required Documents

All applicants must submit the following Required Documents in your Application Packet directly to the hiring institution to receive consideration:

• Resume must include: your point of contact information and detailing relevant experience (cover letter optional).
• In order to receive credit for experience contained in your resume, your employment history must be documented in month/year format (MM/YYYY), reflecting starting date and ending date and include the number of hours worked per week.  
• Legible college transcript which includes the School Name, Student Name, Degree and Date Awarded.
• A Copy of current, active, full and unrestricted license or registration as a Professional Nurse.

How to Apply

A complete application packet MUST be submitted directly to the following email address: FLX-HRApplicants-S@bop.gov

You must include the last four digits of your social security number and the vacancy announcement number on your application packet.  

All questions regarding this position should be directed to the following Human Resource Staff:

Sorcha Ogaz, Human Resource Specialist, (719)784-5025

PLEASE DO NOT ATTEMPT TO APPLY ONLINE.

Benefits

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. Learn more about federal benefits.

NOTE: If eligible, Retention Incentives after 90 days, Above the Minimum Rate, and Annual Leave Credit may be offered to selectee(s) who meet the criteria for these incentives.