Who May Apply: US Citizens In order to qualify, you must meet the Education / and Experience requirements described below. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document. 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(external link), Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs(external link), Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education(external link), or an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education(external link) at the time the degree was obtained. Degree from Foreign Nursing School: Official certification from the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (external link) is required for individuals who graduated from foreign nursing schools. Licensure For all grade levels and positions, applicants must have passed the National Council Licensure Examination(external link). 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. Basic Requirements for the GS-12 (or equivalent) Grade Level In addition to the mandatory license and education described above under Basic Requirements applicants must have at least one or more full years of professional nursing experience that is equivalent to the next lower grade level. Professional Nursing Experience: One or more full years of professional nursing experience which includes clinical nursing care: evaluating effectiveness of clinical quality initiatives: advising command on clinical and nursing-sensitive indicators: oversee the development and update of clinical quality annual plans to incorporate organization goal: and develops implementation plans. This definition of professional nursing experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-11) OR Defense Health Agency Nurse Experience Exemption: You are exempt from the one year specialized experience requirement if you were previously employed as a Nurse or Practical Nurse in the Department of War for at least one year, or are currently employed as a Nurse or Practical Nurse in the Department of War, AND after commencing work as a nurse or practical nurse in the Department of War obtained a bachelor's degree or graduate degree from an accredited professional nursing educational program. (Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts.) Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required experience in order to qualify. For this job, you must meet the qualification requirement using experience alone--no substitution of education for experience is permitted.