Full-time LICENSED PRACTICAL NURSE III (LPN) - Fitzsimons Veterans Community Living Center, Aurora at State of Colorado, CO

About the Department

This position will receive a short-staffing temporary pay differential of (4%) from July 1st 2025 - June 30th 2026.

CDHSCareers

Position Duties

During this position, you are required to work at your assigned work location during your scheduled work times. Please note: Work arrangements are subject to change at any time.

This position is responsible for planning and coordinating basic and skilled nursing care for residents. The role involves reviewing and auditing care activities to ensure they meet quality assurance standards and comply with established policies. Key duties include administering routine and specialized nursing services, such as medications and treatments, and documenting all care in medical records. The ideal candidate will also assess and evaluate residents upon admission, during critical incidents, or whenever there's a change in their condition to determine necessary nursing interventions. For those who are IV certified, administering IV fluids as prescribed is also a requirement. The nurse will also be responsible for assessing and evaluating the effectiveness of all care and treatment provided.

Additionally, as an LPN III, you can expect to: 

• Provide and coordinate nursing care: Plan and coordinate skilled nursing care for residents, including a broad range of medical treatments and procedures.
• Ensure quality and compliance: Review and audit specific care activities to ensure they comply with policies and quality standards.
• Administer medication: Competently administer medications to residents, following the five rights of safe medication administration, resident rights, and infection control standards.
• Assess and monitor residents: Identify changes in residents' conditions that require assessment by a registered nurse, document treatments, and gather data to determine their effectiveness.
• Promote safety: Identify and intervene for high-risk residents to prevent falls and skin breakdown and correctly use safety and positioning devices, transfer belts, and other equipment.
• Participate in team development: Contribute to work teams to establish best practice protocols and provide input and orientation for new employees.
• Maintain professional skills: Keep your skills, knowledge, and competencies current through continuing education and ongoing training.
• Manage supplies and equipment: Ensure proper infection control, use universal precautions, and dispose of waste correctly. Clean linen rooms and equipment, and stock supplies.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

Special Qualifications:

• Required to obtain a CPR card and possess and maintain a Colorado LPN license in  good standing

Education/Licensure/Certification/Experience:

• Current, valid licensure as an LPN from the Colorado Board of Nursing or any state participating in the Enhanced Nurse Licensure Compact (eNLC)

AND

• Three years of professional experience in a long-term care environment 

Substitutions

Appropriate education will substitute for up to two years of the required experience on a year-for-year basis

• CDHS employees (all Direct contact with vulnerable persons):
  Full Background Check: CBI name check and fingerprint check, ICON Colorado court database, Medicare fraud database, Reference Checks, Professional License verification (licensure requirements), Drug Screen, PREA (Division of Youth Services), Trails check (direct contact with children), CAPS (direct contact with adult  Mental Health Institutes, Regional Centers, Veterans Community Living Centers)

• This position requires State of Colorado residency at the time of application (unless otherwise identified in the posting), and residency within the state throughout the duration of employment in this position

• Former State employees who were disciplinarily terminated or resigned in lieu of termination must:

• Disclose that information on the application.

• Explain why the prior termination or resignation should not disqualify you from the current position.

• Provide your employee number from your prior State employment.  Absent extraordinary circumstances, prior disciplinary termination or resignation in lieu of termination, and failure to provide this information will disqualify the applicant from future State employment with CDHS.

Employment history is calculated on a full-time basis (40/hrs per week). Part-time employment is calculated on a prorated basis to determine qualifications. Be sure your application specifically addresses your qualifications, experience, work products, and accomplishments as they relate to the position and minimum requirements. 

• Preferred Qualifications & Competencies:

A Human Resources Analyst will review the work experience/job duties sections of the online job application to determine whether your experience meets the minimum qualifications for the position.  You must complete the official State of Colorado online application.  Cover letters and resumes WILL NOT be reviewed during the minimum qualifications screening process. You must specifically document your work experience and qualifications. Do not use "see resume" or "see attached."

You must meet the minimum qualifications to continue in the selection process.  Part-time work experience will be prorated.

After minimum qualification screening, the comparative analysis process will involve a review and rating of all the information you submit. The comparative analysis step may also include your results from an eSkills Test. 

Document your work experience/job duties to the extent to which you possess the skills, education, experience, minimum qualifications, and preferred qualifications. 

If listed, answer all supplemental questions, as your answers to these questions will be evaluated during this phase. Provide at least 4-8 sentences for each supplemental question.     

Answer the supplemental questions completely and thoughtfully. We will rate your answers based on the content of your response and your writing skills (spelling, grammar, and clarity of your writing).

You may file an appeal with the State Personnel Board or request a review by the State Personnel Director if your application is eliminated.  You will find the appeals process, the official appeal form, and how to deliver it on the State Personnel Board website.

• You or your representative must sign and submit the official appeal form for review.  

• You can find the official appeal form here. 

• You must deliver the official appeal form to the State Personnel Board:

  • By email ([email protected]), or

  • Postmarked in US Mail to(1525 Sherman Street, 4th Floor, Denver CO 80203, or 

  • Hand delivered (1525 Sherman Street, 4th Floor, Denver, CO 80203), or

  • Faxed (303.866.5038) within ten (10) calendar days from your receipt of notice or acknowledgment of the department’s action

Contact the State Personnel Board for assistance:

• At (303) 866-3300, or

•  Refer to the  Colorado Code of Regulations (CCR) 801-1, State Personnel Board Rules and Personnel Director's Administrative Procedures, Chapter 8, Resolution of Appeals and Disputes, within the Rules webpage.

Other Qualifications

How to apply to the State of Colorado

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        For additional recruiting questions, please contact [email protected]

If your goal is to build a career that makes a difference, join the dedicated people of the Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS). Our professionals strive to design and deliver high-quality human and health services that improve the safety, independence, and well-being of the people of Colorado. Each of us is committed to contributing to a safe and accessible CDHS. In addition to a great location and rewarding and meaningful work, we offer:

• Strong, secure, yet flexible retirement benefits, including a PERA Defined Benefit Plan or PERA Defined Contribution Plan plus 401(k) and 457 plans

• Medical and dental health plans

• Employer-supplemented Health Savings Account

• Paid life insurance

• Short- and long-term disability coverage

• 11 paid holidays per year, plus vacation and sick leave

• State of Colorado Employee BenefitHub Resource Center

• Employee Wellness program

• Excellent work-life programs, such as flexible schedules, training, and more

• Remote work arrangements for eligible positions

• *Some positions may qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program.

• We believe in a people-first approach: We prioritize the needs, well-being, and dignity of the individuals, families, and communities we serve. We commit to respect, fairness, and access in every decision, policy, and interaction. We engage client voices and experiences in the development and implementation of the services we provide.

• Balance creates quality of life: We want our team to be resilient through a supportive workplace that values flexibility, health and wellness, and employee engagement.

• We hold ourselves accountable: We take responsibility through our actions, programs, and results for the state of health and human services in Colorado.

• Transparency matters: We are open and honest with employees, our partners, the Coloradans we serve, and the public.

• We are ethical: We abide by what is best for those we serve by doing what is right, not what is easy.

• Collaboration helps us rise together: We work together with all partners, employees, and clients to achieve the best outcomes for Coloradans.

CDHS is committed to a Colorado for ALL qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, our agency will assist individuals who have a disability with any reasonable accommodation requests related to employment. 

This includes completing the application process, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, participating in the employee selection process, and/or performing essential job functions where the requested accommodation does not impose an undue hardship. If you have a disability and require reasonable accommodation to ensure you have a positive experience applying or interviewing for this position, please direct your inquiries to [email protected].

We are committed to increasing a “Colorado for ALL" of our staff and providing culturally responsive programs and services. Therefore, we encourage responses from people of all backgrounds and abilities.  The State of Colorado believes that a “Colorado for ALL” drives our success, and we encourage candidates from all identities, backgrounds, and abilities to apply. The State of Colorado is an equal opportunity employer committed to building inclusive, innovative work environments with employees who reflect our communities and enthusiastically serve them. Therefore, in all aspects of the employment process, we provide employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, medical condition related to pregnancy, creed, ancestry, national origin, marital status, genetic information, or military status (with preference given to military veterans), or any other protected status in accordance with applicable law.

Toll-Free Applicant Technical Support

If you experience technical difficulty with the NEOGOV system (e.g., uploading or attaching documents to your online application) call NEOGOV technical support at 855-524-5627, Mon-Fri between 6 am and 6 pm (Pacific Time).  Helpful hints: if you are having difficulty uploading or attaching documents to your application, 1) ensure your documents are PDF or Microsoft Word files, and 2) close the document before you attempt to upload (attach) it.