Job Description
Summary
The Nursing Assistants function as a member of the nursing care team and assist licensed nursing staff in the care of patients receiving preventive - acute - sub-acute - chronic - and hospice care.
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
- Education or Training
- One year above high school with courses related to the [NA] occupation
- Completion of an intensive - specialized - occupation-related course of study of less than one year [ ] as a nursing assistant may also meet in full the experience requirements for GS-3. Physical Requirements
- See VA Directive and Handbook 5019
- 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
- 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)
- Grade Determinations: GRADE REQUIREMENTS a
- Creditable Experience 1) Knowledge of Current Practice
- To be creditable - the experience must have required the use of knowledge - skills - and abilities associated with the current practice
- (2) Quality of Experience
- To be creditable - [NA] experience must be documented on the application or resume and verified in an employment reference - or through other independent means
- (3) Part-Time Experience
- Part-time experience as a [NA] is creditable according to its relationship to the full-time work week
- For example - a [NA] employed 20 hours a week - or on a 1/2-time basis - would receive 1 full-time workweek of credit for each 2 weeks of service
- b
- Grade Determinations
- In addition to the basic requirements for employment - the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates
- (1) GS-3 [NA] (Entry Level)(a) Experience [and] Education [ ]
- None beyond the basic requirements.(b) Assignments
- Individuals assigned as GS-3 [NAs] are considered to be at the entry level and are closely supervised
- (2) GS-4 [NA] (a) 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 - (b) Education
- Successful completion of 2 years above high school in an accredited institution with courses related to nursing care - health care 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 KSA's (c) Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities (KSAs)
- In addition - the candidate must demonstrate 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
- Ability to communicate effectively with patients/residents - their families and other health professionals
- 3) GS-5 [NA] (Full Performance Level) (a) 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 - (b) 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 KSA's1
- 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
- References: The full performance level of this vacancy is GS 5
- The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS 03 to GS 05
- Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit
- 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 wear 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.
Duties
- The NA provides care for patients with acute to chronic conditions in a variety of settings
- Duties may include but are not limited to the following: Utilize glucose monitoring machine to receive glucose readings for veterans refers deviation to appropriate health care staff Provides direct care for complex veterans Makes observations of subtle changes in resident's condition - i.e
- behavior shifts - mood - skin coloring - appetite - etc
- and takes action accordingly within the NA's assigned role
- Documents care given - observations and responses on appropriate tools or forms
- Responds appropriately to subtle patient changes by contacting the appropriate nursing personal Administers complete tracheostomy care - including suctioning
- Monitor and documents patient intake and output reports deviations timely and accurately Performs nursing procedures within scope of practice and according to policies and standard procedures to care for the veteran for such procedures but not limited to: enemas - catheterization - colostomy care - skin care simple dressing - application of braces and prosthetic devices - monitoring of Works on small group activities with veterans/residents according to the patients/resident treatment plan
- Recognizes the residents' autonomy and promotes independence by means of respect - limit setting and individualized treatment
- Actively participates in Treatment Planning Meetings
- Utilizes equipment to promote the veteran self-care - such as
- lift equipment - Hydro sound Tubs - and Veteran/Resident Wandering System
- Work Schedule: Full Time - 7:30pm - 8:00am - every other weekend - rotating holidays Compressed/Flexible: Not Available Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position
- Functional Statement #: 92852-A - Full performance Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required
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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.
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