This Nursing Assistant (NA) position is a float to all areas of the facility to assist nursing staff in Patient/Veteran care by providing holistic care in a manner conducive to comfort and safety. The role is to protect, sustain, and nurture the patient and aid as needed with activities of daily living such as oral care, hair grooming, bathing, assist with meals, and with other needs as required in accordance with established policies and procedures to assure the highest degree of care.

Duties

The Resource Pool (float) NA assignments typically involve complex nursing needs which can vary within a range of predictable to unpredictable requirements. The Resource Pool NA is able to plan, organize, and complete patient care assignments in a timely manner, with minimal assistance, but seek assistance from the charge nurse as needed. The work, under close supervision of a nurse, contributes to a base of standard nursing care upon which further nursing care may be planned and/or provided by nurses. The incumbent refers issues/questions to supervisors, or other healthcare professionals. A secondary purpose is to assist with the administrative functions of the unit, communicate with internal and external customers, and assist patients/residents with a variety of concerns under close supervision. Timely and accurate performance of these duties relieves the clinical staff from routine administrative tasks and contributes to the effective function of the unit and the overall quality of patient/resident care. Some of the functions and duties include: Assist in the full range of nursing care for Veterans with behavioral and/or physical problems in the rehabilitation/long term care/hospice setting (CLC), Medical/Surgical, Acute Psychiatric Unit, ACU/ICU, Urgent Care Center, Primary Care and Specialty Clinics, under the direction of a Registered Nurse and/or Licensed Practical Nurse. Provide daily living activities such as assist residents with daily oral care (dentures, toothbrush), hair grooming, bathing, nail, and related hygiene care. Set up, serve, and monitor Veteran meals, lift, turn, and transfer residents with appropriate technique and lifting assistance devices. Prepare and transport patients as needed for tests, procedures, or discharge. Notify nursing of any physical or behavior changes. Document these changes using proper documentation forums. Perform a range of diagnostic support duties which includes take, record, and report deviations in vital signs, perform EKGs, and load proper patient information into this device, collect specimens, label specimens for the laboratory, and assist the provider in a variety of diagnostic exams. Consistently make accurate observations of the patient's condition and report and document findings. Identify and report the patient's physical and emotional reactions to medical treatment and nursing care. Document the patient's condition in written and/or electronic records following facility policies. Communicate effectively with patients, families, interdisciplinary team members, and other staff personnel. Act in a professional manner as a role model for peers. Serve as a preceptor to new NAs by assisting with employee orientation and overseeing/assessing their practical experience while in a clinical setting. Maintain appropriate and professional boundaries with patients and their families. Utilize population, cultural, age-specific communication techniques to provide effective communication with patients and visitors. Support patient teaching based on evidence-based, general information covered with the patient previously by either the doctor or nurse. Utilize teaching opportunities with awareness of medical treatment goals. Identify teaching needs and institute approaches to meet these. Recognize and react to emergent patient/resident care situations and intervene while waiting for assistance. Display courteous verbal and non-verbal communication to patients/residents, staff, and visitors. Total-Rewards-of-an-Allied-Health-VA-Career-Brochure.pdf Nursing Assistant - vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Total-Rewards-of-a-Nursing-Assistant-Career-Flyer.pdf Work Schedule: 12-hour nightshift. Variable nights that may include weekends and holidays, 7:00pm to 7:30am. Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized. Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized. Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases. Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year). Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child. Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66. Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA. Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement). Telework: Not Available. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized. Financial Disclosure Report: Not required.

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement. 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. Note: A copy of college transcripts showing completion of one year of education above high school related to the NA occupation, or documentation showing completion of an intensive, specialized, occupation-related course of study of less than one year as a nursing assistant (e.g., Nurse Aid Certificate) is required. 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 REQUIREMENTS. Creditable Experience: (1) Knowledge of Current Practice. To be creditable, the experience must have required the use of knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with the current practice. (2) Quality of Experience. To be creditable, NA experience must be documented on the application or resume and verified in an employment reference, or through other independent means. (3) Part-Time Experience. Part-time experience as a NA is creditable according to its relationship to the full-time workweek. For example, a NA employed 20 hours a week, or on a 1/2-time basis, would receive 1 full-time workweek of credit for each 2 weeks of service. GRADE DETERMINATIONS: In addition to the basic requirements stated above, the qualification criteria outlined below must be met for each grade. GS-3 NA (Entry Level) Experience and Education. None beyond the basic requirements. GS-4 NA (Developmental Level) 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 residents' 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 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 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. Note:To receive full consideration at the GS-4 and 5 levels, you must clearly describe how you meet these KSAs in your resume; we cannot make assumptions regarding your experience. References: VA Handbook 5005/81, Part II, Appendix G46, March 12, 2015. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-5. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-3 to GS-5. Physical Requirements: The work requires heavy lifting and carrying (over 45 pounds); straight pulling (up to 3 hours); pulling hand over hand (up to 3 hours); pushing (up to 3 hours); reaching above the shoulder; use of fingers; both hands required; walking (up to 12 hours); standing (up to 12 hours); crawling (up to 3 hours); kneeling (up to 3 hours); repeated bending (up to 3 hours); climbing, legs only (up to 3 hours); both legs required; the ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously; both eyes required; depth perception; the ability to distinguish basic colors; the ability to distinguish shades of colors; and hearing (aid may be permitted). Environmental Factors: Work may be outside and inside; there may be exposure to intermittent, excessive noise; slippery or uneven walking surfaces; protracted or irregular hours of work; and you must be able to work alone and closely with others.

Education

IMPORTANT: This position has a positive education or training requirement. An unofficial copy of college transcripts showing completion of one year of education above high school related to the Nursing Assistant occupation or documentation showing completion of an intensive, specialized, occupation-related course of study of less than one year as a nursing assistant is required.

If basing your qualifications on education at the GS-4 or GS-5 levels, you must submit a copy of all relevant transcripts with your application. You do not need to submit an official copy; however, your submitted transcript must include your name, name of school, name of program, total credits completed, date degree/certificate conferred. Your transcript will be reviewed for relevant coursework; therefore, the copy you submit must be legible.

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 Mann-Grandstaff Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center 4815 North Assembly Street Spokane, WA 99205 US
• Name: Joe Julkowski
• Phone: 509-434-7382
• Email: [email protected]