Chief Nurse Informatics

Summary

The Iowa City VA Medical Center is currently recruiting for a Chief Nurse, Informatics Officer (CNIO). The CNIO leads nursing informatics across VA, guiding best-practice standardization, system optimization, and evidence-based innovation. They support national strategies, mentor staff, manage projects, build collaborations, and advance technology and workflows to improve outcomes and strengthen a High Reliability Organization.

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This job is open to

The public

U. S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U. S.

Internal to an agency

Current federal employees of the hiring agency that posted the job announcement.

Clarification from the agency

NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position.

Duties

The VA Midwest Health Care Network advocates for a Whole Health System of care in each of the Medical Centers. This is an approach to healthcare that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their lives to the fullest. As an employee operating in a Whole Health System of care, you will operate in a model with three core elements, seeking to create a personalized health plan for each Veteran.

This is done in the context of healing relationships and healing environments and a connection back to the Veteran's community. This aligns with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Mission Statement to Honor America's Veterans by providing exceptional health care that improves their health and well-being.

Major duties include, but are not limited to

• Serves as primary nursing informatics advisor to nursing leadership and key VA officials.

• Leads enterprise-wide standardization of nursing best practices and workflow optimization.

• Supports national VA nursing informatics infrastructure and participates in VACO initiatives.

• Develops and advances informatics solutions, decision support, and clinical technologies.

• Oversees nursing informatics practice, ensuring effective clinical and administrative systems.

• Manages risk mitigation strategies and promotes evidence-based practice and continuous learning.

• Provides leadership for projects and collaborates with informaticists across the VA enterprise.

• Builds internal and external coalitions to advance nursing informatics best practices.

• Leads implementation, evaluation, and monitoring of clinical and health information systems.

• Optimizes health IT systems and supports enterprise data and business architecture management.

• Performs partnership, requirements, and change management at an advanced proficiency level.

• Functions as administrator, educator, and mentor to support informatics competency development.

• Promotes interdisciplinary integration to achieve patient-centered and organizational goals

• Champions High Reliability Organization (HRO) principles and a culture of safety.

• Collaborates with facility, VISN, and national programs to strengthen informatics initiatives.

• Maintains effective relationships with VA staff nationwide to support enterprise alignment.

• Assists executive leadership with healthcare operations and strategic planning.

• Contributes to development of standards of care, policies, and objectives to enhance Veteran care.

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

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

Monday- Friday; 7:30 am to 4:00 pm, or 8:00 am to 4:30 pm.

Telework: Not Available. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized. Permanent Change of Station (PCS) : Not Authorized.

Requirements

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.

• 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 evaluation.

• 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

Basic

Requirements

• English Language Proficiency. In accordance with 38 U. S. C. 7403(f), no person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English.

• Graduate of a school of professional nursing approved by the appropriate accrediting agency and accredited by one of the following accrediting bodies at the time the program was completed by the applicant: The Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) or The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE); OR Individuals attending a master's level bridge program in nursing who have completed coursework equivalent to a bachelor's level degree in Nursing may have opportunity to become registered as a nurse with a state licensing board prior to completion of the bridge program. Upon achievement of a State license, the individual may be appointed on temporary basis and later converted to a permanent appointment upon successful completion and graduation from the bridge program. (Reference VA Handbook 5005, Appendix G6); OR In cases of graduates of foreign schools of professional nursing, possession of a current, full, active, and unrestricted registration will meet the requirement for graduation from an approved school of professional nursing to warrant an appointment as a Nurse who has completed an associated degree/entry level Nursing education program. Credit for foreign nursing education higher that associate degree/entry level requires a formal degree equivalency validation from a recognized equivalency evaluation accepted by VA such as International Consultants of Delaware (ICD).

• Current, full, active, and unrestricted registration as a graduate professional nurse in a State, Territory or Commonwealth (i.e., Puerto Rico) of the United States, or the District of Columbia. Graduate Nurse Technician (GNT) Exception: Candidates who otherwise meet the basic education requirements, but do not possess the required licensure, may be appointed at the entry step of the grade and level applicable to the completed nursing education as a GNT on a 120-day temporary appointment while actively pursuing licensure (may be extended up to two years on a case-by-case-basis.

NOTE: Grandfathering Provision - All persons currently employed in VHA in 0610 series and 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 Scope, Education and Dimension criteria must be met to qualify for Nurse IV:

• Scope: Executes leadership that is characterized by substantial and continuous responsibility and accountability for population groups or integrated programs that cross service and/or discipline lines and influence organizational mission and health care.

Education

Master's degree in Nursing (MSN) and 4 years of professional nursing experience, one of which is specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse III and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse IV; OR Master's degree in a related field with a BSN and 4 years of professional nursing experience, one of which is specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse III and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse IV; OR a Doctoral degree in nursing and 3 years of professional nursing experience, one of which is specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse III and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse IV; OR a Doctoral degree in a related field with a BSN and 3 years of professional nursing experience, one of which is specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse III and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse IV. *Note: Foreign education programs/degrees are not creditable as related degrees.

• Dimensions:

• Leadership . Leads health care delivery by leveraging evidence-based practices, industry-leading research, and innovative care models. Drives a shared vision and successfully leads change to improve performance and attain measurable outcomes at the program or service level.

• Business Acumen . Transforms health care by implementing new processes, technology, informatics, and data analytics using business models and fundamental concepts of resource management at the program or service level.

• Inspiring an Industry-Leading Lifestyle. Employs an industry leading, shared decision-making lifestyle. Cultivates a workforce that serves Veterans, families and caregivers of all backgrounds and builds trust, lifestyle competencies and catalyzes dynamic teams at the program or service level.

• Communication and Relationship Management . Directs the effective use of relationship management principles to achieve positive customer service experiences that are consistent with professional organizational values, beliefs and practices at the program or services level.

• Professional and Social Responsibility . Operationalizes a lifestyle of holistic care, health advocacy and health equity. Applies ethical principles in decision-making at the program or service level. Advances nursing knowledge through health science research and the translation and dissemination of evidence into practice to maximize the value to Veterans and the community.

Preferred

Experience

Preferred experience includes formal coursework or a degree in health, nursing, or clinical informatics and nationally recognized informatics certification. Candidates should have experience supporting clinical or health information systems, optimizing workflows, and advancing documentation and technology adoption. Strong knowledge of data management, application support, change management, and the ability to translate clinical needs into effective informatics solutions is essential.

Experience collaborating with interdisciplinary teams on decision support, system enhancements, and informatics initiatives, along with strong analytical, communication, and problem-solving skills, is highly desired.

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

Physical

Requirements

You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination.

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