Job Overview

• Bureau of Prisons is hiring Registered Nurses under Direct Hire with potential recruitment incentive and accelerated promotion.
• Appointment: Permanent; Schedule: Full-time
• Telework eligible: No. Remote job: No.
• Travel requirement: Occasional travel.
• Application window: 10/01/2025 to 09/30/2026 (Apply before deadline).

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 staff correctional responsibilities precede all others required by this position and is performed on a regular and recurring basis.

Eligibility / Qualification Required:

Conditions of employment

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

Career Transition Programs (CTAP or ICTAP): These programs apply to Federal and/or DOJ employees who meet the definition of surplus or displaced from a position in the competitive service. To receive selection priority for this position, you must:

1. Meet CTAP or ICTAP eligibility criteria;
2. Be rated well-qualified for the position, scoring at least half of the total possible points for the vacancy KSAs or competencies; and
3. Submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP or ICTAP eligibility.
NOTE: Applicants claiming CTAP/ICTAP eligibility must complete all assessment questions to be rated under the established category rating criteria.

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.

Superior Academic Achievement. (S.A.A.) applicants MUST provide a transcript in order to be considered under S.A.A.

In order to be creditable under this provision, superior academic achievement must have been gained in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled.

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.

How to Apply:

• Apply online through USAJOBS using the job link provided.
• Apply through USAJOBS online. Resume must be limited to 2 pages per announcement.
• For assistance or alternate procedure if online is impossible, contact the BOP Consolidated Staffing Unit as listed in the announcement.
• Upload all required documents (resume, license, transcripts, certifications) before submitting. Incomplete applications can be rejected.

General Terms and Conditions

• Only shortlisted or eligible applicants are typically referred to the hiring manager for further review or interview.
• This announcement may be closed earlier than the posted closing date if the hiring need is met or application limits are reached, where stated.
• Federal roles may require drug testing, credentialing, and verification of licensure and education.

SEO Notes

• High intent keywords: Registered Nurse jobs, RN jobs, Federal nursing jobs, USAJOBS nurse vacancy, Government hospital nursing, VA nurse jobs, Operating Room RN, Infusion RN, Mental Health RN, Primary Care RN.