The Community Living Center is a 66-bed facility that provides long term care, hospice, palliative care, rehab, and extended care services to eligible veterans within an Interdisciplinary environment. Three (3) distinct neighborhoods make up the CLC: a 10-bed Hospice Unit, and a 66-bed combination Long Term Care/Short Stay Unit/Rehabilitation.

Duties

The program is designed to provide optimal comprehensive resident care within available resources and is consistent with the Medical Center and Nursing Service mission, philosophy, and goals. The length of stay for veterans in the unit may range from a few days to several years. The length of stay is determined by the individual needs of the veteran, potential for rehabilitation, and availability of resources for discharge to the least restrictive environment. Discharge planning and patient/family education is initiated upon admission and continues throughout the patient's stay in the CLC. The CLC has an interdisciplinary team that includes staffing representing Nursing, Dietary, Social Work, Pharmacy, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Nurse Practitioners, and Physicians. The interdisciplinary team meets each week to discuss care planning and needs of patients. Nurses are competent in the management of patients with complex diseases such as Diabetes, CHF, COPD, Cancer, and Dementia. Staff receives education in other areas, including pain management and end of life care. Four Most Common Resident Problems Requiring Nursing Care: 1. Respiratory Problems 2. Unrelieved Pain 3. Acute Change in Consciousness 4. Hospice- Care Major responsibilities and duties may include but are not limited to the following: Honoring resident choice and promoting a home like environment when providing care such as feeding, bathing, dressing, positioning, and transferring. Obtaining vital signs and capillary blood glucose results. Performing procedures such as enemas, wound care, tube feedings and suctioning. Assisting with examinations and medical procedures such as preparing and positioning the resident, obtaining equipment and supplies and removing used equipment and supplies. Applying creams, lotions, and administering other approved medications under the supervision of the nurse. Maintaining the resident environment to include straightening the resident's room, emptying trash, and cleaning resident wheel chairs and other equipment. Performing as a sitter to observe residents when necessary for suicide prevention, fall reduction, and risk of harm to self/other. Setting up equipment such as suction equipment, oxygen, cooling blankets, etc. Participating on committees geared at improving the quality of life for residents. At the GS-04 level, you will receive on-the-job training and/or formal training to develop proficiency to progress to the full performance level position. At the entry level, you will perform developmental assignments. The full performance level of this position is GS-05. If selected at a lower grade level, selectee may be promoted without further competition to the GS-05 level when fully qualified and recommended by the selecting official. However, promotion is not guaranteed and no promise of promotion is implied. Work Schedule: 8 hours shifts, various tours, weekend rotations Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

• 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

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. To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 11/13/2023 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 Nursing Assistant 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. Preferred Experience:Certified Nursing Assistant Level I or Certified Nursing Assistant Level II. Hospital Acute Care Nursing Assistant Experience within the last 2 years. Community Nursing Home Patient care within the last 2 years. Demonstrated use of computerized electronic medical record charting and data entry.Long Term Care of Adult Geriatric patients. Demonstrated successful care of the Psychiatric Acute Patient. Preferred Level of Education: High School plus 1- 2 years college in a health-related field Preferred Certification(s): CNA II Psychiatric or Behavioral Health Certification Grade Determinations: 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(c) 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: Nursing Assistant Qualification Standard GS-621 Veterans Health Administration, VA Handbook 5005 Part II Appendix G46. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-05. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is 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. Mechanical inpatient lifts are provided. The incumbent may be exposed to infected patients and contaminated materials and may be required to don protective clothing in isolation situations, operative/invasive procedures, or home settings. 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. Must complete annual Employee Health requirements, such as annual TB screening or testing, as a condition of employment. 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).

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.

Contacts

• Address Durham VA Medical Center 508 Fulton Street Durham, NC 27705 US
• Name: Montrell Gibson
• Phone: 9192860411
• Email: [email protected]