W‑2 PRN

Full details

This is an intermittent, as-needed Nurse Anesthetist position with the Fargo VA Health Care System in Fargo, North Dakota. The announcement remains open on a continuous basis, and qualified applicants are referred to the hiring manager every two weeks until the announcement closes, is cancelled, or is filled. The position sits in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

The nurse anesthetist would deliver IV sedation, conduction anesthesia, and general anesthesia, while assessing and monitoring patients and carrying out preoperative evaluations. The role calls for teamwork to anticipate care needs, prevent avoidable complications, and reach optimal patient conditions, with nursing practice guided by ethical principles. Scope of practice is set by the Chief of Anesthesiology with the Associate Chief of Staff for Surgical Care, and call is distributed evenly under the direction of the Chief of Anesthesiology or Chief CRNA.

Anesthetists in this role must have completed training and shown proficiency in a broad list of techniques, including pain management, cardiac and respiratory resuscitation, inhalation therapy, fluid and metabolic correction, local, Bier block, spinal, epidural, and peripheral nerve blocks, and placement of radial arterial, central venous, Swan-Ganz, and PICC lines. Current Basic Life Support and Advanced Cardiac Life Support certificates are required. Additional procedures may be performed by anesthetists who demonstrate competence in them.

Other responsibilities include serving as a departmental resource that supports team function, precepting student nurse anesthetists where the medical center offers such a program, attending Department of Anesthesia in-services, finishing assigned training on time, and performing other duties assigned by the Chief Anesthesiologist or Chief CRNA. The role also requires attention to patient age, including functional capacity and the ability to understand instructions.

Candidates need a master's or doctoral degree in nurse anesthesia from a COA-accredited program, with pending degrees allowed for tentative selection only. They must hold and keep an active, unrestricted nursing license in a U.S. state, territory, or the District of Columbia, along with NBCRNA certification or an equivalent COA-recognized credential. Entry is at the Nurse II level with no experience required, and Nurse III requires one year of specialized CRNA experience. Other conditions include U.S. citizenship in most cases, English proficiency, a pre-employment physical, drug screening, background investigation, influenza vaccination, and a possible probationary period.