The VA Northeast Ohio Healthcare System is recruiting for a Full-Time Nursing Assistant. The Nursing Assistant will function in the Spinal Cord Injury and Disorders Unit (Long Term Care) within SCI Nursing Service.

Duties

The VANEOHS provides a team of health care staff caring for a diverse age range of Veterans receiving care at our facility at various stages of life. The range of patient (patient is interchangeable with resident for long-term care [LTC] and Behavioral Health [BH] areas) care activities nursing assistants (NAs) are responsible for may include, but are not limited to, taking vital signs, weighing patients, measuring height, monitoring and documenting intake and output, assistance with activities of daily living (ADL) including bathing, dressing, grooming, assistance with toileting, assistance with recreational and restorative activities in LTC, Foley care, colostomy care, special bowel care for spinal cord injury (SCI/D) patients, fall prevention care, skin/wound care including basic dressing changes, checks blood glucoses and other point of care (POC) tests, routine rounding, safety huddles, assistance with preventing pressure injuries, assistance with reusable medical equipment (RME) and cleaning equipment, assistance with feeding, completing applicable screens and facilitating clinic flow, and other duties as assigned by the Registered Nurse (RN), Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), or provider. The Nursing Assistant duties include but are not limited to: Provide patients' personal hygiene by assisting with bathing/showering, shampooing, shaving, dressing and toileting. Toileting includes the use of bedpans, urinals, bowel care for SCI/D or emptying ostomies and Foley catheters. Document intake and/or output when required. Assist with glasses, hearing aids, oral care, nail trimming, unless otherwise medically contraindicated, and other personal grooming as needed. Provide whole health modalities as appropriate. Provides ADLs by assisting with serving meals and/or feeding patients diets as ordered. Provides fresh water/drinks and nourishment when appropriate. Ambulate and transfer patients including the use of assistive devices; turning and positioning patients that are in the bed or chair to help prevent skin breakdown; skin inspections of all areas prone to skin breakdown. Use fall prevention techniques including bed/chair alarms where permitted, low beds, floor mats, and other fall prevention technique as outlined by the RN, LPN, or provider. Answer patient call lights and requests; completes routine rounds on patients to assist with needs such as comfort, reporting pain to the RN, LPN, or provider, toileting, and assisting with getting out of bed, or turning/positioning, and preventing falls. Safely transports patients in gurneys, wheelchairs or transport chairs and reports all observations of the patient's condition to RN, LPN, or provider. Uses safe patient handling and mobility equipment, to prevent patient or staff injury. Attend all safety huddles and debriefings in designated services and provides meaningful input and concerns regarding patient safety. Document all nursing care in electronic health record (EHR), completes ADL templates in the Community Living Center, and on all units, completes forms, reports, and records. 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 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)Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience. 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) Work Schedule: Variable to include every other weekend and holiday Functional Statement #: GS-3 (93235-A), GS-4 (93236-A), GS-5 (93237-A) 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: [Six months of general experience. Experience must demonstrate the ability to acquire the knowledge and skills to perform the work of a NA;OR,](2) One year of education above high school with courses related to the NA occupation; OR,(3) Completion of an intensive, specialized, occupation-related [training]course of study [or program] of less than one year as a NA 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 Policy. 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: STNA 3+ years of experience in acute care and or long term care setting experience with spinal cord injury patients preferred Grade Determinations: GS-3: None beyond the basic requirements. GS-4: One year of specialized experience as a Nursing Assistant 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 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 (Transcripts must be submitted). AND Demonstrate the following Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (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 resident's 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: 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 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. (Transcripts must be submitted) AND Demonstrate the following Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (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 Nursing Assistants 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: VA Handbook 5005/81, Part II, Appendix G46. Nursing Assistant Qualification Standard. 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: Satisfactory physical examination as determined by the Employee Health Unit upon appointment only. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019 (http://vaww1.va.gov/ohrm/HRLibrary/Dir-Policy.htm).This position requires visual acuity (glasses permitted), keen hearing (hearing aid permitted), clear distinctive speech, and manual dexterity. This position requires potentially long periods of continued walking (up to 8 hours), standing (up to 8 hours), stooping, sitting, bending (up to 8 hours), pulling, and pushing. Light lifting under 15 lbs. Light carrying 15-44 lbs. 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. Use of rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously. 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.

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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Contacts

• Address VA Northeast Ohio Healthcare System 10701 East Boulevard Cleveland, OH 44106 US
• Name: Charles Williams
• Phone: 2167913800
• Email: [email protected]