Nurse - Labor and Delivery

Nurse (Labor & Delivery) - GS-0610-11 - Naval Medical Center San Diego (NMC San Diego)

Downtown San Diego is located on San Diego Bay. Balboa Park encompasses several mesas and canyons to the northeast, surrounded by older, dense urban communities including Hillcrest and North Park. To the east and southeast lie City Heights, the College Area, and Southeast San Diego. To the north lies Mission Valley and Interstate 8. The communities north of the valley and freeway, and south of Marine Corps Air Station Mirmar, include Clairemont, Kearny Mesa, Tierrasanta, and Navajo. Stretching north from Miramar are the northern suburbs of Mira Mesa, Scripps Ranch, Rancho Penasquitos, and Ranch Bernado. The far northeast portion of the city encompasses Lake Hodges and the San Pasqual Valley, which holds an agricultural preserve. Carmel Valley and Del Mar Heights occupy the northwest corner of the city. To their south are Torrey Pines State Reserve and the business center of the Golden Triangle. Further south are the beach and coastal communities of La Jolla, Pacific Beach, Mission Beach, and Ocean Beach. Pont Loma occupies the peninsula across San Dego Bay from downtown. The communities of South San Diego (an Enclave), such as San Ysidro and Otay Mesa, are located next to the Mexico-United States border and are physically separated from the rest of the city by the cities of National City and Chula Vista. A narrow strip of land at the bottom of San Diego Bay connects these southern neighborhoods with the rest of the city.

San Diego has one of the top-ten best climates in the United States and has one of the two best summer climates in the country as scored by The Weather Channel. San Diego area has been variously categorized as having either a semi-arid climate or a Mediterranean climate. San Diego's climate is characterized by warm, dry summers and mild winters, with most of the annual precipitation falling between December and March. The city has a mild climate year-round, with an average of 201 days above 70 °F and low rainfall (9–13 inches annually).

Working for the Department of Defense comes with an abundance of benefits and perks to include competitive compensation packages, paid-time off, medical benefits, student loan repayments, and retirement package with Thrift Savings Plan to include matching employer contributions. For more information, please visit the following link: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/benefits/

Provides comprehensive specialized nursing care to complicated and routine antepartum, intrapartum, postpartum, and perioperative obstetric patients and their neonates.

• Assesses, plans, implements, and evaluates complicated and routine obstetric and neonatal patients who require close observation for subtle changes in condition. Consistently utilizes advanced assessment skills to identify difficult patient care problems, formulates plans to meet complex patient care needs, and continually revises goals and objectives according to changes in maternal/fetal status.

• Monitors, evaluates, and documents the status of laboring patients through frequent checks of blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, and fetal monitor patterns and reports findings to the provider as appropriate. Recognizes the stages of labor and notifies the appropriate provider when delivery is imminent. Assists with precipitous deliveries.

• Administers medications, including high risk medications, as ordered within the guidelines of nursing practice. Monitors patient response to medications, documents and adjusts therapy according to provider order and relevant policies.  The incumbent has knowledge of adverse effects and precautions and initiates remedial measures as necessary.  Monitors patients with epidurals in place, documents findings, and reports to anesthesia provider.  Is responsible for the security of narcotics, high risk medications, and other controlled substances.

• Assist physicians and nurse midwives in examination and treatment in the delivery room. Delivers babies in emergency situation. Confers with providers concerning instruments, sutures, special equipment and procedures unique to vaginal /instrument/cesarean delivery. Responsible for the setup of the delivery room and handles supplies and equipment including delivery lights, oxygen, suction machines, and maternal and fetal monitoring equipment.  In accordance with command and unit policy, provides primary operating room circulating duties for Cesarean Sections and tubal ligations, and initiates and/or assists with operating room circulating duties for emergency obstetric surgeries including hysterectomy, dilation and curettage, and exploratory laparotomy following Cesarean delivery.

• Provides post anesthesia care. Assesses and cares for obstetric patients that receive epidural, spinal, or general anesthesia. Has knowledge of common obstetric anesthetic agents including actions and adverse reactions in order to recognize positive and negative effects and respond appropriately.  Must be able to recognize and respond to anesthetic complications and emergencies including, but not limited to, malignant hyperthermia, laryngospasm, bronchospasm, and cardiac arrhythmias.

• Teaches patients and family members about disease processes, normal newborn and postpartum care, pre and post-operative care, pre and post diagnostic procedures; expected and possible adverse reactions to medications; health promotion.  Initiates discharge planning / teaching upon admission of each patient.  Actively participates in      multidisciplinary discharge planning.  Provides emotional support to patients, family members and significant others.  Provides comprehensive nursing care to patients / families experiencing perinatal and neonatal loss.  Coordinates follow-up care for patients and family members who have experienced perinatal or neonatal loss.

• Performs other duties as assigned.

Must be a US Citizen

• Degree: 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. 

• Licensure: 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; and you must have passed the National Council Licensure Examination.

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

• Do you have at least one year of Nurse (Labor & Delivery) experience AFTER licensure as an RN?

• Must possess and maintain Basic Life Support (BLS) certification.