The employee will be assigned to Nursing Service and work under the general supervision of the Nurse Manager of Medical/Surgical wards at the Lt. Col. Luke Weathers Jr., VA Medical Center, in Memphis Tennessee and will function under the direct leadership of a registered professional nurse.

Duties

This is a highly specialized position that requires an unusually broad base of clinical knowledge of and experience with the care of patients with urgent medical needs from minor to life threatening. The core duties of this position include but are not limited to: Takes vital signs, dressing changes, EKGs, and assist with procedures. Acts in capacity of liaison/expediter and advocate between patient and Triage/emergency Room team members. Explains procedures and answers questions during procedure. Discharges patient with appropriate instructions from Emergency Department when treatment is completed. Provides general clerical/administrative support coordination work for unit. Receives telephone calls and visitors to the area. Establishes office files and record systems. Gathers and compiles statistics for necessary reports. Assembles patient records. Performs direct patient support work to include collecting information from patient, providing personal patient care, and educates on pre-testing and post-procedure activities. Maintains control records for specimens and tests, documenting measurements taken. Responds to inquiries from patients, family members, and caregivers. Ensures exam tables and rooms are neat, clean, and prepared for next patient. Work Schedule: Varying tour of duty based on the needs of the service. Position Description Title/PD#: Health Technician (2S, 4E, & Spinal Cord Injury)/PD50106A Physical Requirements: The work involves the ability to work at a fast pace in a stressful environment. There is bending, stooping, reaching, walking at a fast pace, as well as some lifting. Patients need to be assisted in and out of chairs and on and off exam tables. Pushes patients on stretchers and in wheelchairs. Sometimes it will be necessary to lift an unconscious or poorly alert patient. The work entails travel all over the medical center to transport patients, to get supplies, etc. Position requires physical ability and ability to work under somewhat strenuous conditions.

Requirements

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job.
• Subject to a background/suitability investigation.
• Designated and/or random drug testing may be required.
• May serve a probationary period.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• A complete application package; Resume, Transcripts, etc.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
• Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Personnel.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement. INDIVIDUAL OCCUPATIONAL REQUIREMENT (IOR): An IOR is a basic requirement that must be met in order to qualify for entry into this job series, and it is something that can't be waived. The Individual Occupational Requirement for the Health Technician position is: Positions in this series range widely in type and include support duties to medical or health personnel such as audiologists, speech pathologists, medical officers, and optometrists. Therefore, technician experience is experience that required application of the knowledge, methods, and techniques of the position to be filled. Please clearly state your experience in resume. In addition to the Individual Occupational Requirement, you must meet the specialized experience listed below: SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must have one (1) full year of experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, GS-05, in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience includes work in performing the duties listed on the announcement as a non-professional nursing care, work in a hospital, outpatient clinic, nursing home, or other medical, nursing, or patient care facility. Specialized experience is defined as: Obtaining, recording, and interpreting all vital signs. Performing phlebotomy functions such as blood and specimen collection and processing of these labs in accordance with all policies, rules and regulations of the laboratory, medical center, and all regulatory agencies. Conducting patient interviews and recording necessary information. Operating and maintaining medical instruments and equipment for diagnostic and treatment procedures. Performing, recording, and interpreting accu-checks. Assisting during procedures by monitoring patient's condition, administering medications, and monitoring and recording actions. Applying dressings and performing dressing changes and suture removal. Recognizing deviations in patient's condition and taking appropriate action. Setting up all necessary accessories or supplies and advises other medical personnel of new equipment, accessories, or supplies Performing medical procedures such as removing needles. Ensuring proper cleaning and performs minor maintenance and adjustments of equipment. ****NOTE: Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Dates of employment must include month/year to month/year at a minimum to receive credit. OR SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION: At grades GS-4 and above, a portion of the education is usually directly related to the work of the position to be filled. Examples of related courses are provided in the individual occupational requirements where applicable. However, agencies may require other courses if they are considered to be more related to the position to be filled. NOTE: Graduate education or an internship meets the specialized experience required above GS-5 only in those instances where it is directly related to the work of the position. (A legible copy of transcripts with date the degree was conferred, coursework with grades and hours earned must be submitted with your application.) To calculate, first identify the percentage of required education you have earned (when substituting, you cannot use the first 60 semester hours that you earned). Then identify the percentage of required experience you possess. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify at the GS-6. For example, an applicant who has 9 semester hours of graduate level education (i.e. 50% of graduate education required) and 6 months of creditable specialized experience (i.e. 50% of the required experience) would equal 100% of the required experience for the position A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. 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.

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.

Contacts

• Address Memphis VA Medical Center 1030 Jefferson Avenue Memphis, TN 38104 US
• Name: Caitlin Clabough
• Email: [email protected]