The Nursing Assistant works as a member of a team of other nursing personnel to provide direct care to outpatients in the Primary Care clinic setting. The NA is assigned to specific patients and duties but not limited to vital signs including weights and pulse oximetry with documentation, venipuncture/phlebotomy, and acquisition of 12 Lead ECG's, finger stick blood sugar measurements and other direct care related responsibilities.

Duties

Assigned Duties Include but are not limited to: Initiates, performs, and completes assigned duties timely, including administrative, immunization, laboratory, echocardiogram, holter / event monitor, ABIs and providing care to variable patient populations. Perform primary duties including collection and processing blood specimens for transport to the main facility, standard diagnostic tests or procedures such as immunizations, echocardiograms, application of holter / event monitors and ABI's; documents per policy. Perform patient blood collection utilizing proper selection and use of equipment/supplies, and collection techniques. Adheres to computerized patient record system policies and procedures for medication administration and data entry for vital signs and other patient information. Observe for physical and/or emotional changes in patient's condition from prescribed medications/treatments, promptly and accurately documenting noted changes, and reporting any deviations from normal to RN or MD/DO. Work with the Nurse Manager to appropriately orient/train less experienced Nursing Assistants/Health Technicians in relation to acceptable standards of practice in promoting optimal patient care delivery. Educates patients about future appointments/labs/tests, importance of not being a no show, TAP, ACA and the procedure to cancel an appointment as appropriate. Observe, identify and respond to patient's needs for care including patient/family education. In planning, organizing and delivering care, the NA recognizes and considers emotional, cultural, spiritual, socio-economic, and agerelated factors. Recognize urgent or emergent patient care situations, seek assistance from the physician or midlevel provider, and initiates appropriate emergency interventions. Listen to all patient/customer feedback, positive and negative, acts to resolve complaints within his or her control, and reports feedback to management in a timely manner. Establishes constructive relationships with individual patients and their families to elicit feelings and attitudes, and to promote positive relationships, communication and socialization skills. Work Schedule: Mon-Fri 7:00AM-3:30PM; May be required to work other shifts, be on call, work weekends and/or holidays as patient care and needs of the service require. Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 52575F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: 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. English Language Proficiency: NAs must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, part II, chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3j. 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: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. GS-3 Nursing Assistant (Entry Level) (a) Experience [and] Education. None beyond the basic requirements. (b) Assignments. Individuals assigned as GS-3 Nursing Assistants are considered to be at the entry level and are closely supervised. GS-4 Nursing Assistant (a) 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 (b) 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 (c) 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 and 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 Nursing Assistant (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. 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 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 Standards, VA Handbook 5005/81, Part II, Appendix G46, dated March 12, 2015. This can be found in the local Human Resources Office. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-5.

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 Ralph H Johnson Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center 109 Bee Street Charleston, SC 29401 US
• Name: Seve Irby
• Phone: (813) 614 -7811
• Email: [email protected]