Job Description
Summary
This announcement is for two Nursing Assistant positions within the Specialty and Acute Care services at the VA Bedford Healthcare Systems - located at the Bedford location. One position is dedicated to Urgent Care and the other to Specialty clinics. Both positions may require cross coverage. These are full-time - permanent positions.
Qualifications
Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.
Basic Requirements:
- United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy
- English Language Proficiency: NAs must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005 - part II - chapter 3 - section A - paragraph 3j
- Experience: Six months of general experience
- Experience must demonstrate the ability to acquire the knowledge and skills to perform the work of a NA;OR - Education: One year of education above high school with courses related to the NA occupation
- OR - Training: Completion of an intensive - specialized - occupation-related training course of study or program of less than one year as a NA may also meet in full the experience requirements for GS-3. May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria)
- Preferred Experience: Previous nursing assistant and one year of patient care experience Grade Determinations: In addition to meeting the Basic Requirements - applicants will need to meet the grade level requirements - and the Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities (KSAs)
- To meet the grade level requirement the applicants must have the following listed below: Requirements for GS-3 Grade: None beyond the basic requirements
- Requirements for GS-4 Grade: Experience: One year of specialized experience as a NA or experience in another medical field (licensed practical nurse - health technician - hospital corpsman - etc.) - performing technical and nursing skills requiring knowledge of the human physical and emotional states - therapeutic communication - and technical skills required for basic and intermediate treatments
- OR - Education: Successful completion of 2 years above high school in an accredited institution with courses related to nursing care - healthcare or in a field of study appropriate to the specialization of the position - such as education in a program for psychology - psychiatric - or operating room technicians
- AND Demonstrated the following KSAs: 1
- Ability to provide a range of patient/resident care and contribute to the completion of the nurse care plan and recovery of patients/residents
- 2
- Ability to observe patients/residents' or resident's physical or emotional status and refer deviations and/or problems to supervisor in a timely manner
- 3
- Ability to properly use equipment - materials and supplies in simple diagnostic and treatment procedures such as bladder scan - continuous passive motion device - blood glucose monitoring machine - specimen collection - etc
- 4
- Ability to communicate effectively with patients/residents - their families and other health professionals
- Requirements for GS-5 Grade: Experience: One year of progressively responsible assignments and experience equivalent to the GS-4 level which demonstrates knowledge - skills - and abilities that are directly related to the specific assignment
- In addition - the candidate must demonstrate the professional KSAs in subparagraph (c) below
- OR - Education: Successful completion of a 4-year course of study above high school leading to a bachelor's degree that included 24 semester hours of courses related to health care or possession of a bachelor's degree
- AND Demonstrated the following KSAs: 1
- Ability to assist in the full range of nursing care to patients/residents with physical and/or behavioral problems in a hospital - long-term care or outpatient setting under the direction of a Registered Nurse and/or Licensed Vocational Nurse/Licensed Practical Nurse
- 2
- Ability to communicate orally with patients/residents - families - interdisciplinary team and other personnel
- This includes serving as a preceptor to new NAs by assisting with the coordination of their orientation and overseeing/assessing their practical experience while in a clinical setting
- 3
- Ability to recognize and react to emergent patient/resident care situations and intervene while waiting for assistance
- For example - recognizing need for basic life support - controlling bleeding and assisting with behavior crisis - etc
- Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit
- The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-05
- The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-03 to GS-05
- Physical Requirements: This position requires visual acuity - keen hearing - clear distinctive speech - and manual dexterity
- This position requires potentially long periods of continued walking - standing - stooping - sitting - bending - pulling - and pushing
- Transferring patients and objects may be required
- The incumbent may be exposed to infected patients and contaminated materials and may be required to don protective clothing in isolation situations or operative/invasive procedures
- The incumbent may occasionally be exposed to patients who are combative secondary to delirium - dementia - or psychiatric disorders
- The incumbent must be a mature - flexible - sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations - able to shift priorities based on patient needs
- The NA must complete annual Employee Health requirements - such as annual TB screening or testing - as a condition of employment
- These physical requirements will be consistent with VA Directive Handbook 5019.
Duties
- The Nursing Assistant functions as a member of the Specialty and Acute Care (SAC) Service Line carrying a variety of duties with the direction and support of SAC leadership - nurses and providers
- The position will support Bedford main campus and its' CBOCs
- As such travel will be required to the CBOCs
- The position will be responsible for a variety of personal care or nursing care activities
- This role helps each patient attain optimal physical - physiological - emotional and social well-being
- He/she directs patients in restorative techniques to preserve functioning and prevent complications through education (health and life skills) - exercise - ambulation - and gait training
- Duties include the following but are not limited too: Assists with Specialty Clinic related tasks as requested by provider/licensed staff
- Clean and disinfect patient care rooms and maintain cleanliness of environment
- Stocking supplies
- Transports patients and lab specimens as needed
- Support and anticipate provider/licensed staff's needs to enhance clinical workflow
- Assist the provider with procedures
- Follow standard processes regarding podiatry and all reusable medical equipment and demonstrate competency with established standard operating procedures
- Provide educational materials to patients
- Obtaining medical information from patients as directed per provider or licensed staff
- Takes all vital signs - weight - blood pressures - temperatures as needed
- May perform routine standardized diagnostic procedures such as EKG's - Glucometry - and Pulse Oximetry
- Travel to CBOC's with providers/licensed staff as needed to assist with Specialty clinics
- Performs other duties as assigned
- Work Schedule: Monday-Friday - 7:30am to 4:00pm Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment - up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth - adoption - or foster care placement of a child
- Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment - full time employees with a total family income below $144 -000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66
- Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position
- Functional Statement #: F1668/F1865/F1866 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized This position is in the Excepted Service
- This position is a NAGE bargaining unit position
- This position is on a Special Salary Rate
- Veterans' preference does not apply for internal or other current permanent Federal agency employees
- Due to a critical staffing shortage - 38 U.S.C. § 7412 waives the requirement to apply Veterans' preference for this job announcement
- Current and former Federal employees must submit copies of their most recent SF-50 - (Notice of Personnel Action)
- The SF-50 must identify the position title - series - grade - step - tenure and type of service (Competitive or Excepted)
- In some cases - more than one SF-50 may be required to show a higher grade previously held
- Narrative responses to the knowledge - skills and abilities (KSAs) may be required from the selectee in order to proceed with the appointment
Create a Job Match for Similar Jobs
About Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration
The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the largest integrated health care system in the United States, providing care at 1,321 health care facilities, including 172 VA Medical Centers and 1,138 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics) to over 9 million Veterans enrolled in the VA health care program. VHA Medical Centers provide a wide range of services including traditional hospital-based services such as surgery, critical care, mental health, orthopedics, pharmacy, radiology and physical therapy. In addition, most of our medical centers offer additional medical and surgical specialty services including audiology & speech pathology, dermatology, dental, geriatrics, neurology, oncology, podiatry, prosthetics, urology, and vision care. Some medical centers also offer advanced services such as organ transplants and plastic surgery.
Connections working at Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration More Jobs from This Employer Return to Search Results
Job Tags
Permanent employment, Full time, Temporary work, Remote job, Relocation package, Relocation bonus, Flexible hours, Shift work, Monday to Friday,