The Nursing Assistant (NA); the candidate will be provided opportunities to develop basic nursing skills in order to provide care to patients/residents with acute to chronic conditions in a health care setting.

Duties

Major duties include, but are not limited to: Begins to utilize observation skills for data collection, reporting and recording patient/resident observations. Collecting Specimens: sputum, urine (routine & sterile), feces, and others as directed by team lead for storage and delivery to lab according to unit standard. Notify nurse of change in patient's condition and/or hazardous environments; including VS, physical or behavior S&S, psychosocial, supply and/or equipment issues. Sets up meals, documents consumption, monitors utensils, and reports changes in appetite. Able to count calories. Assists with bladder and bowel care, documents output, and reinforces patient education. Actively participates in pressure ulcer prevention per facility/unit protocol. Actively participates in Fall preventions and safety per facility policy. Turning patients as ordered. Transfers and lifts: Mobility of patients safely. Use of lift/transfer equipment and good body mechanics per safe patient handling. Reports behaviors and threats of patient harm to self and others; taking action to keep patient safe. Prevents patient from harm of self and others. Transports, observes and takes action to keep patient safe while on and off the unit. Maintains cleanliness of patient care area. Float to other units to cover staffing shortages or observe patients on 1:1. Perform environmental rounds once per shift. Perform continuous rounding while on mental health unit. Monitor cameras while on mental health unit. Chart in CPRS. Monitors patients according to levels of observations, i.e. one to one suicide, continuous observation, every 15 minute checks, and hourly rounding Assisting with patient education including orienting patient/family to unit routines and policies. Working as a cooperative, courteous member of the interdisciplinary team. Safeguarding the patient's right to privacy by judiciously protecting information of a confidential nature. Competent with performing aspects of nursing care to meet patient/resident needs for: Personal Hygiene Physical comfort Activity, Exercise, Rest Nutrition Elimination Prevention of Skin Breakdown Work Schedule: varies must accept all shifts Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 654 03022-F GS-0621-03,654 03023-F GS-0621-04,654 03022-F GS-0621-05 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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. Citizenship: Citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g, this part.) Experience or] 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 One year of education above high school with courses related to the NA occupation; OR, 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. 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: GS-3 Nursing Assistant (Entry Level) Experience and Education. None beyond the basic requirements. GS-4 Nursing Assistant: 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, healthcare 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: 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 professional. GS-5 Nursing Assistant (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 Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following 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. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. 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: 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. The NA may be exposed to infected patients and contaminated materials and may be required to don protective clothing in isolation situations or operative/invasive procedures. The NA may occasionally be exposed to patients who are combative secondary to delirium, dementia, or psychiatric disorders. The NA must be a mature, flexible, sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations, able to shift priorities based on patient needs. The NA must complete annual employee health requirements, such as annual TB screening or testing, as a condition of employment. These physical requirements will be consistent with VA Directive Handbook 5019 or as outlined in U.S. Office of Personnel Management, Certificate of Medical Examination, Form OMB No. 3206-0250.

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 Sierra Nevada Health Care System 975 Kirman Avenue Reno, NV 89502 US
• Name: Solmaira Crispaldi
• Phone: 1-215-866-6721
• Email: [email protected]