Summary

Nursing Assistant perform duties in a variety of health care settings such as outpatient - inpatient - home or community living care - acute - sub-acute. The Nursing Assistant will care for patients/residents with acute to chronic conditions. This position is located at the Western New York VA Health System in Buffalo - NY.

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. Note: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title - series and grades for all federal positions held - duties - month and year start/end dates AND hour worked per week. (Failure to provide a current or relevant SF-50 if you currently work for federal agency will result in disqualification from being considered) You will not be contacted for additional information. Applicants will be deemed ineligible if supporting documentation is not submitted.

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: Must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005 - part II - chapter 3 - section A - paragraph 3j
• Experience or Education: Six months of general experience
• (Experience must demonstrate the ability to acquire the knowledge and skills to perform the work of a NA)
• OR one year above high school with courses related to the NA occupation
• OR completion of an intensive - specialized - occupation-related course of study of less than one year which resulted in attaining certification as a nursing assistant 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)
• Grade Determinations: GS-3:None beyond the basic requirements
• GS-4:Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience as a nursing assistant or experience in another medical field (LPN - 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 - 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 technician
• AND Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities (KSAs): In addition - the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Ability to provide a range of patient/resident care and contribute to the completion of the nurse care plan and recovery of patients/residents
• Ability to observe patients/residents or resident's physical or emotional status of refer deviations and/or problems to supervisor in a timely manner
• 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
• GS-5:Specialized 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 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 Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities (KSAs): In addition - the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: 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 Vocation Nurse/Licensed Practical Nurse
• Ability to communicate orally with patients/residents - families - interdisciplinary team and other personnel
• This includes serving as a preceptor to new nursing assistants by assisting with coordination of their orientation and overseeing/assessing their practical experience while in a clinical setting
• 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 https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• 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: The physical requirements of this position include lifting - prolonged standing and sitting - frequent bending - walking (distance) - climbing - reaching (overhead - extensive/repetitive) - pulling - pushing - repetitive motion and stooping
• The mental/sensory requirements include recall - reasoning - problem-solving - hearing - speaking clearly - writing legibly - keyboarding - reading and logical thinking - depth perception - hearing (aide permitted)
• near/far vision correctable to meet Driver's License requirements
• The environment's pace can vary from steady to a sometimes-fast pace requiring handling of multiple priorities - frequent - sometimes intense customer interactions - and the ability to adapt to frequent changes in a sometimes-noisy environment
• There may be the need to use personal protective equipment to prevent exposure to disease - illness and hazardous materials
• Work requires extensive walking - standing - stretching and bending in caring for patients
• 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 Qualifications: BLS experience.

Duties

• Duties include but are not limited to: - Will learn to appropriately utilize glucose monitoring machine to collect and document appropriate glucose readings for assigned veteran - Maintains a positive therapeutic relationships by displaying respect for human dignity with patient - families and/or significant others utilizing learned communication skills
• - Begins to utilize observation skills for data collection - reporting and recording patient/resident observations - Becoming proficient with maintaining positive therapeutic relationships by displaying respect for human dignity with patient - families and/or significant others utilizing communication skills
• - Utilize observation skills for data collection - reporting and recording
• - Participate in patient centered conferences/shift reports - and contributing information for the development and review of the nursing care plan
• - Maintain a therapeutic environment for patients according to established procedures and policies by reporting actual or potential accidents - fire hazards and faulty equipment
• - Utilizes 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
• Performing other duties as assigned
• Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Work Schedule: Full-time - 7:30am - 8pm
• Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave - 13 days of sick leave - 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual - based on prior [work experience] or military service experience
• 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 #: 19069F