The Tuscaloosa VA, Patient Care Service is seeking a full-time Nursing Assistant for the VA Medical Center in Tuscaloosa Alabama.

Duties

The Restorative Aide Nursing Assistant performs comprehensive nursing care to long-term and short-term residents who typically present with complex medical and psychiatric conditions and related functional and/or cognitive deficits. Deficits require the resident to receive partial or maximal assistance with the activities of daily living. Duties include but are not limited to: ? Assists the residents in, supervises, and/or performing activities of daily living which includes: bathing, turning, positioning, exercising, eating, oral hygiene, grooming, giving fluids, elimination, skin care, etc. ? Participates in change of tour report, nursing care/team conferences, and shares information for planning care and resident treatment. ? Practices standard precaution (i.e., correct hand washing, isolation, proper care of contaminated materials, including chemotherapy wastes, etc.) ? Recognizes, reports, appropriately intervenes, and/or assists with intervention in potential/actual medical emergencies (i.e., respiratory/cardiac arrest, bites, seizures, burns, cramps, chock, heat exhaustion, fractures, diabetic coma, insulin reaction, bleeding, choking, etc.). ? Identifies, repolis, appropriately intervenes, and/or assists with interventions in potential/actual psychiatric emergency situations (i.e., observing residents on SOS, SNO, applying restraining holds, applying restraints; placing residents in seclusion, applying crisis intervention concept, etc.), ? Practice proper resident handling procedures to tum or position residents. ? Uses proper body mechanics, appropriate lifts, wheelchairs, stretchers, and scales as appropriate to lift, move, or weigh residents. ? Assists with or performs range-of-motion exercises. ? Listens to and spends time with individual or groups of residents. Participates in group meetings with residents by sharing thoughts and feelings in reference to what is going on in the meetings and in reference to the behavior of the participants. ? Explains, interprets, and encourages residents to follow and participate in plan of care. ? Initiates and participates in activities with individuals/small groups of residents appropriate for their level of physical ability and emotional state. ? Assists with and/or performs treatments and procedures inducing hot and cold applications; habit training; enemas; colostomy care/irrigations, applying external urinary drainage systems; catheterization; indwelling catheter care/irrigation; sterile and unsterile dressing; topical applications; post mortem care; etc. ? As directed by the RN/LPN team leader, initiates oxygen and provides special care to patient receiving oxygen. Monitors oxygen flows and prevents smoking in the area. Maintains oxygen equipment. ? Observes patients receiving intravenous fluids to ensure fluids are running and swelling is not present at the needle site. Reports deviations to RN/LPN team leader. Work Schedule: Varies Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: FS 51504 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

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. Nursing Assistants must be proficient in spoken and written English 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 Experience: Certification preferred but not required. Grade Determinations: GS-5 In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. GS-5 Nursing Assistant (NA) (Full Performance Level) 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 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 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. 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. 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-5. Physical Requirements: 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 don protective clothing in isolation situations or operative/invasive procedures.

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 Tuscaloosa VA Medical Center 3701 Loop Road East Tuscaloosa, AL 35404 US
• Name: Lasaundra Ibrahim
• Email: [email protected]