Nursing Assistant

DutiesSummary

This position is in the Extended Care and Rehabilitation service line.

The Nursing Assistant within this organization is responsible for delivering patient/resident care in a variety of settings.


Responsibilities

1) Demonstrates dependability and reliability by scheduling and using leave appropriately for positive impact on patient/resident care.
2) Recognizes and reports subtle or obvious changes in patient's/resident's behavior, communication, or physical condition. Documents observations, changes in patient's/resident's condition, and response to nursing interventions as applicable.
3) Assists in the development of the nursing care plan by defining problems and needs and suggesting nursing actions based on information gained through interaction with the patient/resident and/or group meetings.
4) Assists with planned therapy sessions in conjunction with RN. Works with assigned patients/residents using a variety approaches for the purpose of promoting independence and self-reliance and encouraging patients/residents to accept responsibility for their own behavior. Shares patient/resident information and reactions with the interdisciplinary team.
5) Assists in maintaining a safe, clean, and therapeutic environment. Recognizes and reports problems and makes suggestions for corrective actions.
6) Anticipates potential for critical situations attempts to prevent such situations. Recognizes and takes appropriate action in emergencies.
7) Delivers safe, basic physical and emotional care to patients/residents with simple to complex needs while developing technical skills under the supervision of the Registered Nurse. Adheres to VA BHHCS and Nursing policies and procedures.
8) Personal Hygiene: bathing and perineal care, oral hygiene, denture care, shaving, grooming, bed making.
9) Positioning and Activity: Positions patients using principles of body mechanics in lifting, alignment, turning, ambulation, transferring and repositioning patients with the use of proper equipment.
10) Nutrition and Fluids: Assists patients at mealtimes and feeds patients as needed. Measures and records intake and output. Utilizes adaptive feeding equipment.
11) Elimination: Maintains bowel function. Measures and records output and disposes of bodily wastes as assigned. Collects and labels specimens as indicated. Performs bladder scans.
12) Obtains, records, reports vital signs and measurements which include temperature, pulse, respirations, pain, blood pressure including orthostatic, height, weight, abdominal or extremity girth, peripheral blood sugar and pulse oximetry.
13) Understands, assembles, operates, and cleans reusable medical equipment.
14) Demonstrates proper hand hygiene and utilizes appropriate isolation precautions as needed.
15) Documents care provided using established templates and notes in CPRS and reports to licensed staff any significant observations.
16) Escorts patients/residents scheduled for diagnostic procedures and/or appointments, on or off stations. Appropriate care is provided for a population ranging from young adult to geriatric age group, considering gender and culture.
17) Demonstrates ability to vary the order and sequence of procedures based on the patient's condition.
18) Demonstrates the ability to safely manage patients/residents at high risk.
19) Gathers data to provide input to the accountable licensed staff to assist in developing and updating plans of care.
20) Performs additional duties as assigned by the Nurse Manager and/or designee.
21) Demonstrates interactions with customers (patients/residents, family members, visitors, coworkers) in a courteous, tactful, and helpful manner.
22) Maintains patient rights, confidentiality, and individuality. Maintains Privacy and Information Security according to VA BHHCS Policy.
23) Provides direct customer and patient service that is prompt, friendly, and cooperative. Resolves issues at the lowest level and in a timely manner.
24) Sets limits within the CNA/NA/patient relationship which are clearly defined.
25) Interacts with members of the unit staff, other units, and services to provide patient care and activities.
26) Follows work rules regarding attendance, punctuality, plans ahead for scheduled leave and notifies supervisor of unplanned absence according to policy.
27) Maintains flexibility in adapting to changes in schedule and workload. Assists other team members willingly.
28) Uses a variety of communication skills to establish helpful relationships with patients/residents and staff.
29) Maintains organizational channels to seek help to resolve personal concerns resulting from ethical conflicts.

Work Schedule: Full-time; Rotating schedule to include evenings, weekends, and holidays. 12 hour and 8 hour shifts available.

Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Travel Required

Not required

Supervisory status

No

Promotion Potential

5

• Job family (Series)

  0621 Nursing Assistant

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• Requirements

  RequirementsConditions of Employment
  • You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
  • Designated and/or random drug testing may be required
  • Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
  • You may be required to serve a probationary period
  • Subject to a background/security investigation
  • Must be proficient in written and spoken English
  • Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process
  QualificationsBasic 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.
  • English Language Proficiency: Nursing Assistants must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, part II, chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3j.
  Grandfathering Provisions: All Nursing Assistants employed in VHA on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the series and grade held that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements required in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply:
  • Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, on a temporary or permanent basis, until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard.
  • If an employee who was retained (grandfathered) under this provision leaves the occupation, the employee loses protected status of the grandfathering provision and must meet the full VA qualification standard basic requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation.
  Grade Determinations:
  
  GS-3: (Entry Level) Experience and Education. None beyond the basic requirements.
  
  GS-4: 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, 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 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.
  4. Ability to communicate effectively with patients/residents, their families and other health professionals.
  
  GS-5: 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 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.
  
  References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/81 PART II APPENDIX G46
  
  Preferred Experience: Prefer hospice, rehab, geriatric, and dementia experience.
  
  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 (Correctable to 20/40), hearing clear distinctive speech (correctable to 20db), and manual dexterity to perform prescribed procedures/computer usage. This position requires potentially long periods of continued walking, standing, stooping, sitting, bending, pulling, and pushing. Education

  IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.
  
  Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.
  

  Additional information

  Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.
  
  This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.
  
  It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.
  
  This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.
  
  VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.
  
  Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.
  
  If you are unable to apply online view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.

  
  How You Will Be Evaluated

  You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

  IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, résumé, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.
  
  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; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
  

  Background checks and security clearanceSecurity clearance

  Other

  Drug test required

  Yes

  Position sensitivity and risk

  Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk

  Trust determination process

  Suitability/Fitness

• Required Documents

  Required Documents

  To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:
  

  • VA Form 10-2850c
  • Resume
  
  
  VA Form 10-2850c Application for Associated Health Occupations can be found at: http://www.va.gov/vaforms/search_action.asp?FormNo=2850&tkey=&Action=Search.
  This form is required at time of application.
  
  The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please use this checklist to ensure you have included all documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), etc.
  
  
  • Cover Letter
  • DD-214/ Statement of Service
  • Disability Letter (VA)
  • VA Form 10-2850c
  • Other (2)
  • Professional Certification
  • Resume
  • SF-15
  • SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
  • Transcript
  
  
  Veterans' Preference: When applying for Federal Jobs, eligible Veterans should claim preference for 5pt (TP), 10pt (CP/CPS/XP), or for Sole Survivor Preference (SSP) in the questionnaire. You must provide a legible copy of your DD214(s) which shows dates and character of service (honorable, general, etc.). If you are currently serving on active duty and expect to be released or discharged within 120 days you must submit documentation related to your active duty service which reflects the dates of service, character of service (honorable, general, etc.), and dates of impending separation. Additionally, disabled veterans and others eligible for 10-point preference (such as widows or mothers of eligible Veterans) must also submit an SF-15 "Application for 10 Point Veteran Preference" with required proof as stated on the form. Documentation is required to award preference. For more information on Veterans' Preference, please visit http://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/vetpref/index.aspx.
  If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

  Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

  Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

• Benefits

  Benefits

  A career with the U.S. Government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Learn more about federal benefits.

  Review our benefits

  Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time, or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

• The public

  U.S. citizens, nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

This position is open to employees of other Federal agencies and the public. Current, permanent VA employees should apply under vacancy CBSY-11011356-21-AA.