Individual Occupational Requirements for
GS-610: Nurse Series
The text below is extracted verbatim from
Section IV-B of the Operating Manual for Qualification Standards
for General Schedule Positions (p.IV-B-93), but contains minor edits
to conform to web-page requirements.
This is an individual qualification standard.
Basic Requirements:
Degree or diploma from a professional nursing program
approved by the legally designated State accrediting agency at the
time the program was completed by the applicant. (One year of
nursing experience as a military corpsman that has been accepted by
a State licensing body may be accepted in lieu of education at the
GS-4 level.)
Applicants must have active, current registration as
a professional nurse in a State, District of Columbia, the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or a territory of the United States.
An applicant who has graduated from an approved nursing educational
program within the past 12 months may be appointed pending State
registration as a professional nurse within 6 months of
appointment. No person appointed pending registration may be
retained beyond 6 months, or promoted, if registration has not been
attained.
The following table shows the amounts of education and/or experience
required to qualify for positions covered by this standard.
GRADE |
EDUCATION |
AND/OR |
EXPERIENCE |
|
GS-4 |
Completion of a program of less than 30 months' duration or associate degree |
or |
1 year of nursing experience as a military corpsman |
|
GS-5 |
Completion of a program of less than 30 months' duration or associate degree |
and |
1 year of professional nursing, or of at least GS-4 level practical nurse
or nursing assistant experience under the supervision of a professional nurse |
|
or |
Completion of a program of at least 30 months' duration or 4 academic
years above high school or bachelor's degree |
|
None |
|
GS-7 |
Completion of a professional nursing program |
and |
1 year of experience equivalent to at least the GS-5 level |
|
or |
1 full year of graduate education or bachelor's degree with
superior academic achievement |
|
None |
|
GS-9 |
2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education or a master's or equivalent degree |
or |
1 year of experience equivalent to at least the GS-7 level |
|
GS-11 |
Completion of all requirements for a doctoral degree (Ph.D. or equivalent)
or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education |
or |
1 year of experience equivalent to at least the GS-9 level |
|
GS-12 and above |
None |
|
1 year of experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level |
|
Equivalent combinations of education and experience are qualifying for all grade
levels and positions for which both education and experience are acceptable. |
At the GS-5 level, successfully completed
undergraduate course work in nursing; the behavioral, physical, or biological sciences related to
nursing; nutrition; public health; and maternal and child health in excess of that required for
completion of an associate degree may be substituted for professional nursing experience at the rate
of 1 academic year for 9 months of experience. Applicants for Community Health Nurse positions at
GS-5 and above must have graduated from a baccalaureate or higher degree nursing program.
Graduate-level education must have been in nursing with a concentration in a field of nursing
(e.g., teaching, a clinical specialty, research, administration, etc.) or in a closely related
non-nursing field directly applicable to the requirements of the position to be filled. Applicants
for nurse anesthetist positions at GS-9 and above must have graduated from a course of study for
nurses in anesthesia of at least 18 month's duration that was accredited by the American Association
of Nurse Anesthetists for the year of their graduation. Applicants for nurse midwife positions must
have completed an organized program of study and clinical experience recognized by the American
College of Nurse Midwives.
Experience must have equipped the applicant with
the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position.
At GS-9 and above, many positions require experience in a specialty area of nursing.
|