8.5-hour shifts

Full details

This intermittent, temporary position at the Salem VA Medical Center in Salem, Virginia sits within Surgical Care and calls for a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist to deliver anesthetic care across acute medical and surgical inpatient and outpatient settings. The nurse anesthetist works under the direction of a supervising anesthesiologist or surgeon and is accountable to that provider.

Core responsibilities include pre-anesthesia evaluation, administering anesthesia, providing IV sedation, monitoring patients, and managing care through the post-operative period. The role involves working as part of a team to anticipate patient needs, head off avoidable complications, and support good outcomes, all within the nurse anesthetist's scope of practice and ethical nursing standards. The nurse also keeps patient and employee information confidential, follows infection control and equipment safety practices, and completes injury reports within required timeframes through the ASISTS program.

Work is scheduled intermittently Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., based on service needs and capped at 1,820 hours per year. Pay is competitive and prorated to hours actually worked, and the posting notes that intermittent staff may qualify for federal health and long-term care coverage if they work 130 or more hours monthly for at least 90 days. The position is not telework-eligible and is not virtual, and relocation incentives and PCS funding are not authorized.

Applicants need a master's or doctoral degree in nurse anesthesia from a COA-accredited program at completion, plus a full, unrestricted state or territory license and current NBCRNA certification, or an equivalent certification recognized by the COA. Candidates who lack the license or certification may receive a temporary appointment of up to one year and a day, provided they pursue both and sit for the national exam promptly. The entry grade, Nurse II, requires no prior experience, while the Nurse III grade requires one year of specialized anesthesia experience at the Nurse II level and expects skill with complex cases, mentoring of trainees, and quality-improvement participation.

Physical demands include heavy lifting of 45 pounds or more, frequent standing and walking, kneeling, and reaching above the shoulder. Selection requires U.S. citizenship (with narrow exceptions), English proficiency, a background check, a pre-employment physical, drug screening, and participation in the seasonal flu vaccination program. The appointment is in the excepted service and does not confer competitive status.